The Best 'Star Wars' Movie Moments
In honor of the 30th anniversary of "Star Wars," Rob and Travis have composed a list of their 10 favorite moments in the "Star Wars" saga, from "Episode I" to "Episode VI." Here are the scenes in chronological order (according to the "Star Wars" timeline, not the movie's release date):
View Star Wars Slide Show (23 images)
Darth Maul Appears At The Hangar Doors, "The Phantom Menace"
Qui-Gon Jinn: We'll handle this.
Queen Amidala: We'll take the long way.
Travis: Unfortunately this moment was spoiled a little in the trailers, but that only meant that I sat waiting during the entire movie for it rather than being surprised by it. What I like about it is that you've got this group of about 20 people, many of them trained soldiers and most of the twenty carrying guns, who stop dead in their tracks when they see one guy who isn't holding anything in his hands. You can see them thinking, "Hmm...this guy looks pretty badass. We should run." Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan walk forward without missing a step like two gunslingers knowing full well that, in just a minute, it's "go" time. Amidala and her entourage know they have nothing to offer this fight and they just need to get the hell out of the way. There's this calm that comes over the combatants as they disrobe and ready their weapons, and this was our first look at the double-edged light saber in its full glory (aside from the trailers). Darth Maul is not concerned at all with stopping the Queen; all he wants to do is destroy these two Jedi who escaped on Tatooine. The fight that follows is not to be overlooked, but the moment those doors opened was the collective audience gasp that makes cinema great. Here's a clip of the scene, plus the entire light saber fight.
Darth Maul makes his chilling, mesmerizing entry in "The Phantom Menace."
Obi-Wan Kills Darth Maul, "The Phantom Menace"
Darth Maul: Ugh...
Rob: We only got a little taste of the extraordinary, acrobatic fighting skills of the Jedi in the first "Star Wars" trilogy. But as the anticipation built for the return of "Star Wars" with "The Phantom Menace," the one thing many fans were looking forward to was seeing the Jedi Knights' powers at their peak, wielding light sabers with a master's skill. And in that respect, "Episode I" delivered. The duel between Darth Maul and Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan is the highlight of "The Phantom Menace" and stands as one of the best fight scenes in recent movie history (see the TwitchGuru story The Top 10 Movie Fights). The scene gets kicked up a level after Darth Maul mortally wounds Qui-Gon and an angry Obi-Wan takes on the Sith apprentice by himself, resulting in a furious light saber clash that is beautifully choreographed. Obi-Wan gets the upper hand by slicing Darth Maul's double-edged light saber in half, but then Obi-Wan gets knocked down into a deep shaft and loses his light saber. Hanging on to protruding pipe, Obi-Wan summons the Force and leaps out of the pit while grabbing Qui-Gon's light saber in mid air and then proceeds to cut Darth Maul in half with a stunning move. Darth Maul falls backward into the shaft, coming apart at the waist. The first time I saw "The Phantom Menace" in the theater, the audience went absolutely nuts with applause. And rightfully so - this was the highlight of the long-awaited "Episode I."
Obi-Wan duels with Darth Maul in "The Phantom Menace."
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