#The Clone Wars lightsaber duels

[bmlightsabers]

BM Lightsabers Reveals Darth Maul Lightsaber Clone Wars is A Duel- Ready Masterpiece for Immediate Release

The darth maul lightsaber clone wars is a homage to the dark and enigmatic Sith Lord, known for his distinctive double-bladed lightsaber and fearsome presence. BM Lightsabers has gone to great lengths to insure that this replica not only meets but exceeds the prospects of the most sapient suckers and collectors.

More Info: https://readnewsblog.com/bm-lightsabers-reveals-darth-maul-lightsaber/

[charmwasjess]

Strap in for the Soresu form III Obi-Wan lightsaber post. This is gonna be a sad one, girlies. We’re getting into Obi-Wan’s Fucking Trauma. 

Qui-Gon’s death changed literally everything about Obi-Wan’s life, right down to the lightsaber form. Still a Padawan himself, he had to watch as an extinct monster from his nightmares* utterly took apart the form he’d learned since he was a child, and then, to complete the destruction, slaughtered the teacher who’d taught him the form and raised him. The devastation of Qui-Gon’s actual death had to be the last in a cascading series of horrors that started with the gut-sinking realization that Qui-Gon was losing. And if all of that weren’t enough, Obi-Wan also loses his own lightsaber in the same duel, a psychological blow to his personhood which we don’t have to guess at the significance of. Obi-Wan tells us the cost of it himself in AotC: this weapon is your life. 

The Duel of the Fates on a sheer physical level is a devastating thing to consider. It’s a grueling, full out running battle, the likes of which we don’t see elsewhere in the saga. The beauty (and pounding musical score) of the fight distracts from the sheer brutality of it. Maul is physically attacking them at every turn; he manages to kick Qui-Gon hard enough to knock all 6’3 of him off his feet; he dumps Obi-Wan into a fall that seems to be several stories high. We don’t see Obi-Wan get back up off the floor with Qui-Gon’s body at the end of the duel, and I’d be surprised if he was physically able to even stand again so after the adrenaline faded and the soreness and exhaustion took over. He just been whirled in a lightsaber blender. 

I can’t imagine how hard it was for him to pick up a lightsaber again after the trauma of that battle - much less, a new, unfamiliar one, not the kyber crystal that had been his since he was a child. The new canon’s emphasis on the spiritual relationship between a Jedi and their crystal makes this detail even more excruciating. The Ataru form itself must have felt broken and unusable. How can you put your trust in a form once you watched it be broken so ruthlessly?

And this is where Obi-Wan is so endlessly beautiful as a character. He goes through this horrifying experience of violent unmaking, and instead of avoiding lightsabers as an understandable trauma response, or picking up an overwhelming power and dominance form like V, he remakes himself into a master of Soresu: a form of simple, complete defense. He doesn’t attempt to become a weapon of attack like Maul did to disintegrate Ataru; he makes himself invincible, untouchable, with a perfect defense. Soresu works the pieces that fell apart for the Jedi in the Duel of the Fates to an advantage. It is a form of ultimate endurance, of playing out your opponent and staying up in a fight until the attacker is exhausted or angry. It preserves and it lasts. It is philosophical. It is considered. It lacks the showy flash of Makashi or Ataru and returns to the basics, even working in some of that battlefield meditation that Qui-Gon so believed in. And in that simple economy, it’s gorgeous and effective. 

I have to wonder: is Soresu, on some level, a form of kinetic self-soothing for a person who faced an incredibly traumatic battle at a young age? Does Obi-Wan use it that way?

All of this is perfectly in keeping with the themes of the character. Obi-Wan’s story remains about life, about hope, about survival. The word he uses to describe the Jedi to Luke in the OT is important to me. “Jedi knights were the guardians of peace and justice.” Guardians. And what better lightsaber approach for a person who sees his role as one of protection than a form whose signature move is called “The Circle of Shelter?”

*Maul, of course, is a tragedy in his own right, but that’s a different post. 

[elijones94]

💥 One of the things I about Obi-Wan Kenobi is his use of pieces of clone trooper armor in “Star Wars: The Clone Wars”. In the “Clone Wars” canon, some Jedi view the clones as insignificant, but in the case of Obi-Wan, he wore pieces of clone trooper armor as a means of making genuine bonds with the clone troopers under his command and as a testament to his belief that the clones had their place in the galaxy just as much any other living being.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=GMqH73lzSHU&pp=ygUbb2JpIHdhbiBjbG9uZSB0cm9vcGVyIGFybW9y

[gaeasun]

Rewatched the Phantom Menace yesterday, and I can’t help but think that half of the problems would have been solved if Plo Koon had said anything during the Council meeting. I have no idea what it would be. But it would have solved so many problems because Plo Koon is just like that.

I’m not blaming Plo Koon for this to be clear, I’m blaming the writers who kept him quiet. He would have been too powerful and problem solving and so they had to silence him.

[rustic-space-fiddle]

Half hour sketch before bed! Gill holds his own for a while…

[dookudidnothingwrong]

This dude was wildly overconfident considering he knows who trained AND she kicked that absolute shit out of Maul at the ripe age of 17. She didn't make it this far by being weak.

[c-m-li]

I have come to believe that no live action lightsaber fight will be able to stand up against animated lightsaber fights.

Let me explain -

In my mind, the Jedi as Force sensitives, are on the borderline of being eldritch beings and the only thing holding them back is their humanity. They move faster, react faster, and are stronger than their species equivalent. By all rights, they break conventional physics just by existing.

You can't get the right kind of motion out of lightsaber duels in live action without CGI or manipulating the hell out of the recording which will make it seem distorted at some level because the Jedi move faster than people should and they move in ways that should be impossible.

It's only in animation that we can get that crisp clear movement without taking away from the visuals because they can show how fast the Jedi are while still being able to actually see them.

[morganbedrawing]

Young Obiwan, I really enjoyed this as I got to incorporate both Ewan McGregor's features in accompaniment with Obiwans Clone Wars style.

I wanted to imagine Maul in his original The Phantom Menace outfit in a more clone wars style. I will admit I had more trouble trying to keep the stylised/animated look which might have to do with the smoother edges and proportions ( since he's younger here). I hope I can revisit this in the future with perhaps a full body action scene. 
I listened to Duel of Fates quite a few times while making this.

Initial roughs for characterising below. Project was mixed media of photomontage and digital painting.

[miloscat]

[Review] Star Wars The Clone Wars: Lightsaber Duels (Wii)

The waggle is what gives a Jedi her power.

I’m looking forward to Jedi Survivor, so I thought I’d knock a few other Star Wars games off my backlog before it releases. Starting with this, the final game based on the Clone Wars animated shows that I haven’t played yet (apart from an old MMO that is long since shut down, a mobile game that I couldn’t find a non-crashing version of, a handful of Flash games, and Disney Infinity... hmm). I’ve previously played Lego Star Wars III on both console and handheld, Republic Heroes on console and DS, plus the other DS game Jedi Alliance. The latter was actually the companion release to Lightsaber Duels, although they’re in totally different genres. This one is a one-on-one fighting game, mostly centred around the no-brainer concept of translating Wii Remote swings to lightsaber strikes. And, it was made by beloved Aussie studio Krome!

The game was in development at the same time as the show, so it’s only able to pull from first season episodes and the movie. The story mode is fairly brief but adapts certain fights that were seen on screen, with framing cutscenes made up of footage along with new narration by Tom Kane’s narrator. All the characters are voiced by their show counterparts in fact, and the graphics match the show’s 3D animation as well, so it’s nice and authentic. I would have liked to see more new content, but there is one unique scenario at least, with the final battle featuring an advanced dual-saber-wielding droid.

The cast plays pretty safe with the main saber-compatible heroes and villains from the show. Mace Windu, Plo Koon, and Kit Fisto are unlockable by engaging with the Challenge mode, but I couldn’t be arsed. The stages are fun with dynamic layouts and events happening, like droids popping out to ineffectually shoot at you, or bits and pieces exploding and such.

It’s really the core gameplay that lets this down, as waving the wiimote and nunchuck around just never translates to a satisfying and deep gameplay experience. There are combos you can do if you can somehow get the correct directional waggles in sequence, and there are technically dodges, force fling powers, and so forth, but in practice I got through the fights by flailing madly and spamming force attacks while hoping the bot player didn’t just block everything.

Let me pull out a few choice tidbits before wrapping up. I was amused by the tutorial, where Anakin is training Ahsoka on the basics; his fully modelled hands appear on screen holding a Wii Remote and nunchuck to demonstrate the controls, which of course establishes that they exist in the Star Wars universe. The characters pepper quips throughout each duel, which are sometimes surprisingly crass insults, and can be pretty silly when a character is versing themself. Finally I recommend inputting cheats to unlock the concept art gallery, as there’s some good work in there; I wouldn’t mind seeing a comic illustrated by the Krome artists in fact!

Lightsaber Duels works in theory and Krome did a decent job filling the game out in certain areas. But relying too much on motion controls is sadly a fundamental flaw to any game design. As part of the Clone Wars project they could have gone further in the game’s content, but it seems this was compromised by the schedule and even supposedly not wanting to spoil the events of then-upcoming episodes! An absurd concern 15 years later. Still, as a fan of the show I enjoyed the character interactions and how well the game fits the show’s style, even if it’s just a bit of waggly fluff.

[bmlightsabers]

Darth Maul's Lightsaber in The Clone Wars: A Weapon of Fear and Revenge

In The Clone Wars, Maul’s rage and thirst for vengeance against Kenobi are represented through his repaired Darth Maul lightsaber Clone Wars variant. While it retained its double-bladed design, the new saber also reflected his metamorphosis. 

More Info: https://sigmapages.com/blog/darth-mauls-lightsaber-in-the-clone-wars-a-weapon-of-fear-and-revenge

[red-raud-hunt]

Common complaint about Star Wars: "Not enough thrusting in lightsaber fights."

It is ironic that when we do see thrusting, like from Anakin in TCW, we immediately get Darth Vader's theme playing in the background! BECAUSE THRUSTING IS FOR KILLING AND THE JEDI DON'T KILL.

Louder for the people in the back:

JEDI DON'T WANT TO KILL.

So yeah, not a lot of thrusting. I mean, do you see the look on Obi-Wan's face? He's like "bro just take the arm that's holding the detonator." Boom, no death + problem solved.

[Image ID1: A clip from a youtube video of a youtuber in front of a collection of swords mounted on a wall, exclaiming that in Star Wars we see 'cut cut cut cut cut and not enough thrusts'

Image ID2: A gif of The Clone Wars s2e13 where Anakin stabs a man through the back with a lightsaber. The caption is "who will strike first and brand themselves a cold-blooded killer"]

[swreactions]

Welcome to Star Wars Reactions!

For our 189 episode, hosts Aaron Harris and David Modders sit down to discuss one of the Star Wars saga’s greatest assets: the lightsaber duel! The discussion takes us back in time to the swashbuckling days of Errol Flynn to what makes a duel so good, you’ll wont want to miss this one! 

Plus Aaron and David share their top 5 lightsaber duels before Aaron closes things out with a lightsaber themed Star Wars Dad Joke of the Week!

Talking Points:

Episode 189 Opening

Lightsaber Duels

Introduction

What We Like About Them

What Makes A Good Lightsaber Duel?

Our Favorite Lightsaber Duels

Honorable Mentions

Closing

Star Wars Dad Joke of the Week

Star Wars Reactions: Elegant discussions for a more civilized age!

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[elijones94]

💥 Next to Obi-Wan Kenobi, Kit Fisto is my favorite Jedi Master. The “Lair of Grievous” episode of “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” is among my favorites episodes in the animated series. After witnessing the death of his former Padawan, Nabdar Vebb, Fisto duels General Grievous (my favorite “Star Wars” villain). It’s interesting that Kit Fisto can easily take on Grievous in a lightsaber duel. 🌊

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=R-t9GlT9qmk&pp=ygUda2l0IGZpc3RvIHZzIGdlbmVyYWwgZ3JpZXZvdXM%3D

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=uRnrAOOE05A&pp=ygUda2l0IGZpc3RvIHZzIGdlbmVyYWwgZ3JpZXZvdXM%3D

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=f_4RWzwljl4&pp=ygUda2l0IGZpc3RvIHZzIGdlbmVyYWwgZ3JpZXZvdXM%3D

[mastermojo98]

Defeating Darth Vader

[stealthetrees]

Mand’alor Fox the Sith Slayer

Commander Fox choosing to start a war with the Pike syndicate AND Crimson Dawn at the same time is not a decision he concisely makes, but after some politicians tell him not to get involved with organized crime cause that’s CorSec’s responsibility, well…

The problem is not that he’s fighting an actual war in the lower levels, the problem is that Darth Maul takes over Crimson Dawn and takes it personally that some clone thinks he can just kill everyone. Because that’s what the Corries do. It’s not like they can arrest them, cause the rich people who are funding them will just get them out of jail cause the government is so corrupt.

Maul dosnt really care about the syndicate until Fox manages to remove every member from Coruscant. He’s feeling petty and spiteful so Maul sends his brother Savage to kill Fox and “teach those clones a lesson”. It backfires horribly when Fox kills Savage with a slug thrower and claims his lightsaber when he challenged the sith to a duel. It goes like this:

Maul keeps sending bounty hunters and assassins after Fox, including Boba Fett, who gets adopted instead of arrested. The tension keeps escalating to the point that rumors spread about Commander Fox being invincible that cause Maul to start obsessing over him to the point that he hates Fox more than Obi-wan.

The whole thing culminates in Fox going to Mandalore after he kills Palpatine to rescue some of his kids who got kidnapped to lure him there. Fox ends the fight by beheading Maul with the Darksaber instead of Savage’s saber (which he has been using since he claimed it) and the Mandalorians who are present declare him Mand’alor the Sith Slayer.

He decides that ruling a planet could help him finish his to-do list and starts reorganizing the government. Fox lets Saturn Kryze out of jail and offers her a position cause she was the leader for so long and she has valuable knowledge. She’s really bitter about being overthrown by a Sith and replaced by a soldier, and she takes every opportunity to remind Fox of her Pasifistic ideals.

Mand’alor Fox offers an alliance with the Galactic Republic as will as citizenship to all the clones. This, as well as his role in ending the war by killing Palpatine earns him the undying loyalty of the entire Grand Army of the Republic. Fox takes them and conquers Kamino in the name of Mandalore, justifying it by explaining that they are the largest slave exporters in the galaxy, even more than Zygaria, which is up next on the chopping block.

The first time Cody, Wolffe, Bly, and Ponds see their batch mate after thinking he’s dead for nearly three years is when he’s executing Nala Se.