Jedi face Dooku

Attack of the Clones

I’m going to be honest here folks. I was really torn over which scene to post as my number 37 and in the end, the following 500 words or so are going to be the product of a cop out – I’ve basically clubbed two together as deciding between them became impossible.

Conveniently, the two scenes occur consecutively during the closing stages of Attack of the Clones. Yep, it is the most slow-burning Star Wars flick ever made, but the final act will keep bringing you back for more.

And when our Jedi heroes Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker finally catch up to Count Dooku, meeting the Sith in a Geonosian hangar, Skywalker is not ready to wait around. He charges at Dooku, Kenobi drops the best Star Wars “no” since Luke Skywalker reacted to Vader’s paternal revelation. 

For what it’s worth, two very different “nos” but both earn top marks for delivery.

I might be getting bogged down here.

Anakin is halted and lifted from his feet under assault from Dooku’s force lightning, which sends him crashing into the stone wall and out of action – for now.

Kenobi tries to challenge Dooku alone but is swiftly beaten. The grin on Dooku’s face right before he slashes at Kenobi’s arm and leg is brilliant bad guy form from the legendary Christopher Lee.

As Dooku shapes to kill Kenobi with one last strike, Anakin swoops in bravely blocking Dooku’s attack. And so begins one of the most aesthetically pleasing lightsaber fights.

It’s all thanks to Anakin, ever the drama queen, cutting a cable to turn out the lights. From there, his and Dooku’s faces are largely illuminated by the colours of their lightsabers. It’s a beautiful set piece that makes for great cinema and a distinctive duel.

That moment was always set to be my #37. But when I re-watched Attack of the Clones in preparation for writing this feature, the excitement didn’t stop at the end of the Dooku v Anakin tussle, (spoilers; Dooku wins). Instead, it swelled, just as the score does, when our little green friend Yoda appears to save the day.

Here comes an honourable mention – lets call it #37.5 – for the moment in which we finally see Master Yoda’s lightsaber skills. There is just something effortlessly cool in the way he uses the force to guide the hilt of his saber from belt buckle to hand, before igniting his green blade and leaping into combat with his former apprentice Dooku.

Yoda’s combat style is distinctive. We knew it had to be in order to compensate for his size, but this was finally the answer to playground questions. Does Yoda have a lightsaber? How does Yoda fight with a lightsaber? What colour is it – green would be a little on the nose, right?

On the nose, it was. But I wouldn’t have it any other way.