Screenshot via Disney Plus
if there is one thing Star Wars the fans love it, it’s a good debate. Star Wars Fan spaces are always full of fascinating debates, and these debates have only gotten more interesting with the release of Obi-Wan Kenobi. And right now, fans are arguing over who wields the franchise’s signature weapon, the lightsaber, the best.
This discussion started on Reddit Star Wars subreddit when user GOTGMUSIC posted a thread titled “Change your mind: This is the best pose in all the Star Wars movies.” This was accompanied by an image of Obi-Wan Kenobi striking his trademark lightsaber pose with one arm raised.
Other users quickly dove into the thread to give their opinion. Some users talked about real world fencing poses. One user called attention to the original movies, noting his love for “a little moment in Luke’s final duel with Vader.” They describe her love for her by saying that it is: “100% a proper fencing pose. Which, as you probably know, Vader’s stunt performer and choreographer was a sports fencer. They both jump onto this raised walkway. Probably a bit disoriented, Vader extends his arm to its full length.” They go on to explain that “this sets the distance, a common technique for when you feel pressure from the opponent and want to hold them back, if they press forward they will just bump into your sword”, showing how body language can be used to tell a story in combat.
Many users came to praise Makashi’s stance, often referred to as Form II. In tradition, this stance was Count Dooku’s favourite. It was often used in duels. One user describes it by saying how it is: “Essentially just an old fencing stance to greet an opposing duelist, as far as I know. So simple but so amazing.”
While another user simply describes it by stating, “The Makashi Salute is the ultimate lightsaber fencing piece.”
Of course, you can’t talk about famous lightsaber users without talking about Darth Vader. And many users pointed out Vader’s resting posture. One user summed it up by saying, “I love Vader’s stance, he looks so scary when he’s holding his saber across his chest.”
While others point out that Vader’s stance doubles as a fascinating piece of character development as the prequel movies progress by saying, “Anakin does that a lot in the prequels too. It’s great to see the transition from feeling arrogant in Episode II to legitimately scary in Episode IV.”
Many people came into the thread to argue that while Obi-Wan’s stance is great, Count Dooku’s is better. One user points out that Dooku’s original actor, Christopher Lee, was a trained swordsman, which explains why his pose looked so good.
Some users stepped back to pay tribute to Star Wars’ influences, noting that Obi-Wan’s pose is a “traditional martial arts movie stance, so he shows up a lot, and not just with Obi-Wan.”
Others were quick to join the thread to throw in some classic memes and pay homage to fan-favorite character Obi-Wan. One user described the pose as the “signature stance of a connoisseur of elevated feet.”
Obi Wan Kenobi now streaming on Disney Plus.
