Test Footage Of Anakin And Obi-Wan's Fight Scene Has Twitter In Awe
Though controversial in their day, the "Star Wars" prequel films are now an integral piece of the overall franchise. Not only did they help expand upon the universe introduced in the original trilogy — adding numerous planets, ships, creatures, and more to the ever-expanding canon –, but they went a long way in fleshing out some of our favorite heroes and villains. Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christiansen) and Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) sat at the center of it all, and while fans got to learn more about their bond in their younger years, they also had to endure their heartbreaking falling out.
Swayed by the empty promises of Darth Sidious (Ian McDiarmid) and disillusioned with the increasingly dogmatic Jedi, Anakin officially falls to the dark side in 2005's "Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith." He takes up the Sith mantle of Darth Vader and leads the 501st Legion of clone troopers in an attack on the Jedi temple. This assault, coupled with the wider execution of Order 66, leaves the Jedi Order in ruin, but Obi-Wan is one of the few Jedi who manages to evade death. Thus, his mission became clear: find Anakin and bring him back to the light, or defeat him before he can cause any more destruction.
Anakin and Obi-Wan's duel on the planet Mustafar is a major highlight of the Skywalker saga that fans revere to this day. Some behind-the-scenes test footage of it recently crept its way online, and the "Star Wars" faithful can't get enough.
Anakin and Obi-Wan's duel continues to amaze in more ways than one
Clocking in at almost 10 minutes, Anakin Skywalker versus Obi-Wan Kenobi endures as one of the most iconic lightsaber duels in "Star Wars" history. However, watching it all go down without the added visual effects does diminish some of the coolness. This is exactly what the clip posted by @nightwaynes on Twitter had to offer, depicting Hayden Christiansen going toe-to-toe with a stunt performer against a blue backdrop. Despite the pretty underwhelming presentation, the two duelists pull off some impressive moves that garnered a ton of love on social media.
"For me it was better than the fight on the movie," wrote @garfuda, who was just one of many "Star Wars" fans that chimed in to voice their love for the scene. "Dude those dodges at 1:44 were sick, why were they not in the film??" commented @jimmyreyes1995, with @AShottyRematch adding, "They should've kept that part where they switch lightsabers after the kick."
The specifics of the scene aside, many sent praise in Hayden Christiansen's direction for how he channeled his inner Darth Vader for the fight. For instance, @tonycastss replied, "Hayden Christensen literally transforms himself when he plays Vader. Just an amazing talent. And Hayden is the best duelist in Star Wars." @ace_bande voiced their agreement in a quote tweet that said, "I love this dude Hayden man. So glad he's making a comeback."
Both Hayden Christiansen and Ewan McGregor will return as Darth Vader and Obi-Wan Kenobi in the upcoming Disney+ series "Obi-Wan Kenobi." Word has already gotten out that the show will host their big rematch, so it will be interesting to see how they measure up to their widely-adored "Revenge of the Sith" work.