George Lucas Reveals Why Duels in Prequel Trilogy are More Dynamic

Lightsabers are an icon of Star Wars and in the history of the universe successive generations of Jedi knights and Sith lords have fought each other using various techniques. We could see the first such duel already in A New Hope, but George Lucas wanted something more. The Phantom Menace became an opportunity to show the peak of the participants' power in lightsaber combat through more dynamic clashes.

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In the short documentary titled Prime Of The Jedi, associated with the production of The Phantom Menace, George Lucas explained why there was a change in lightsaber combat in the universe of Star Wars:

We could see the differences in question, for example, during Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi's duel with Darth Maul. The sword strikes were much faster, and the choreography itself was richer with moves such as flips and spins.. Not all fans liked this approach and the discussion about changing the depiction of lightsaber combat continues to this day.

It can be noted that Lucas' words about the old man and the cripple got old very quickly. Already in Attack of the Clones it was clear that Yoda, barely walking on a cane, is just as energetic as his much younger counterparts when wielding a lightsaber. Perhaps in A New Hope Obi-Wan Kenobi would also be capable of fighting like during the Clone Wars.

More:Stormtroopers Were Supposed to Wield Lightsabers, But George Lucas Changed Mind

Zbigniew Woznicki

Zbigniew Woznicki

He began his adventure with journalism and writing on the Allegro website, where he published news related to games, technology, and social media. He soon appeared on Gamepressure and Filmomaniak, writing about news related to the film industry. Despite being a huge fan of various TV series, his heart belongs to games of all kinds. He isn't afraid of any genre, and the adventure with Tibia taught him that sky and music in games are completely unnecessary. Years ago, he shared his experiences, moderating the forum of mmorpg.org.pl. Loves to complain, but of course constructively and in moderation.