Why Obi-Wan Changed His Lightsaber Form to Fight Vader [Why It Worked] - Star Wars Explained

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Twitter: @StupendousWave

Composer: Whitesand (Martynas Lau)
Year: 2017
Title: Eternity Additional Music Terminus by: Scott Buckley
Released under CC-BY 4.0.

[MultiArchangel]

That man Obi-Wan is a master of the trolling arts. The man literally switched to form IV ataru just to frustrate Vader. No one does it better than Kenobi.

[BHRamsay]

It also explains why when they meet in another nine years, Vader is more cautious and measured. He knows Obi Wan can flip on a moment's notice to be dangerously aggressive so he doesn't rush in

[Strongmount]

This is the coolest thing to me. When I saw this, I realized immediately that Obi-Wan changed up his style. Even being *the* master of soresu wouldn't be enough to stop the sheer power and cunning of Vader. We saw a bit of it earlier in the season, though Obi was much weaker, he tried to play it defensive and Vader steamrolled him. His only hope was to jump in and swap strikes to try and create an opening because he couldn't afford to wait for one. For most Jedi, this would be suicide, but not for Obi-Wan Kenobi. He had just enough skill, just enough power, just enough cunning, and just enough heart to pull through and topple the juggernaut of Darth Vader. Love this fight❣️

[WonderfulHayden]

This was expected. Obi-Wan is an experienced swordsman. There's a reason he attained the rank of Master. He knows when to stay on the defense and when to go on the offense. Doing the latter would require him to switch from Soresu to another form like Ataru. If Obi-Wan had just stuck to Soresu for an entire fight against another experienced swordsman like Vader, that I would have found surprising.

[kylepollard]

Two more important notes:

1. Obi-Wan used this same tactic against Count Dooku in Revenge of the Sith, first using Form III to lure Dooku into a false sense and quickly using Form !V as a sort of surprise attack.

2. Form IV is most effective by allowing the Force to flow though one's body to overcome one's own shortcomings(as with Master Yoda). The Force would actually aid you in your movements and your attacks so you can better attack your enemy. And in the beginning of this fight, we see Obi-Wan's connection to the Force still strained despite his heroic actions at Fortress Inquisitorius. It wasn't until he let go of his demons and remembered why he was truly fighting(for Leia and Luke) was he able to fully restore his connection to the Force and why he became the victor in the second half of the duel.

[kw]

I noticed this immediately. Obi-wan's action rolls were a bit out of character for his normal form, and his hits on Vader's chest plate were exactly like Qui-Gon back-handing Maul on Naboo. It was a great tactical choice.

[abandonallhope.]

Kenobi putting Vader of all people on the defensive in the second half of the fight and then going for the suit with his saber's hilt was ingenious; I want to see more of this aggressiveness from the master of defense.

[TheJojop]

I respect obi-wan more and more each day, this season really helped connect ep3 and ep4 together very well for me

[grtbigtreehugger]

Kenobi also moved the duel from the open plain, where Vader could use his reach advantage, into the rock canyon, where Vader was even hitting the cliff faces several times with his lightsaber. Also points to Vader's loss of control, because the best lightsaber duelist wouldn't be swinging wildly into a wall!

[davidbrooks]

Kenobi later outsmarted Vader in the Death Star. Knowing he could no longer hold against Vader for much longer, yet distracting him enough and instilling caution if his hidden power to allow Vader's kids get away.

[gregmcghee]

I'm sure that I'm not only speaking for others & my self, but I appreciate the lengths you go to explain the depths of the Star Wars saga..

[aftamath]

This is why I love this universe. When they actually have good writers and producers making the show, they are able to use more than just dialog to tell the story. There's just as much storytelling and lore in the fight scenes as the ones with spoken dialog. These are very subtle details that only true Star Wars fans would know to include.

[PinkyJujubean]

He always knew how to adapt to various situations. Seems like a lot of Jedi learned what they could and then their abilities leveled off and they stayed the same with no real growth. Kenobi was constantly evolving

[OldHenryLee]

Largely due to your past uploads I could actually tell Kenobi switched to a more aggressive style whilst first watching. ... LoL, ... but, didn't know what style he switched to until this one.


- Thanks & sincerely appreciate your time & efforts 🙏👍😃. ... Takes it smooth & be well

[michaelbell]

I don't know the fighting styles because I never really studied the Star Wars content. I just watched, but I did notice the change in Obi-Wan's aggression during the duel. Thanks for pointing this out! I'm learning so much from your videos!

[andrewfung]

3:20 I love this tactic because Anakin and Obi Wan did it against Dooku in the revenge of the sith novelization and Obi Wan did it to Maul in rebels

[ravenswod]

If you notice in the fight, Obi-Wan used a style that Anakin used . The backwards lightsaber twirl was so epic to witness when Obi-Wan used it against his old padawan.

[danmarusan]

Obi Wan changed his tactics because he knew that Vader knew that he(Obi Wan) is a defensive specialist.
If Obi Wan did the same thing he did on Mustafar, he would've lost to Vader because he would've expected exactly that, since this literally ruined Vader's live.

Obi Wan defended himself with Soresu, switched to Ataru and later in the duel Obi Wan even used Niman's integration of force abilities into lightsaber combat when he bombarded Vader with rocks.

Obi Wan once again demonstrated that experience, ingenuity and perseverance can bring even the mightiest to their knees.

[LOTUG]

I absolutely love the breakdowns from this channel. The time to explain everything and have it all make sense is 👍

[RipCityBassWorks]

I don't think that is all: I think Kenobi probably realized that form 3 wasn't the best option against someone who can't move well but instead relies on their brute strength - Kenobi got a sample of Vader's fighting style in their first duel. A more acrobatic style seems like the most logical way to fight someone like Vader. This worked relatively well for Ahsoka also in Rebels.