Star Warsis filled with legendary Jedi and Sith characters known for their prowess in lightsaber combat. Characters like Obi-Wan, Anakin, Yoda, and others, display some of the most spectacular dueling skills in the history ofStar Warscanon. Many will remember, however, that the old Legends continuity also had its fair share of extraordinary Lightsaber users, some of which may still exist in the current canon in some capacity.
These duelists span the vast history of theStar Warsfranchise, fromthe age of the Old Republicto the era of the New Republic founded by the Rebel Alliance after the end of the original trilogy. Here are just a few of these famously skilled lightsaber duelists, who graced Legends media in decades past.
8Exar Kun
The Original Double-Bladed Master
WhileDarth Maulis the most well-known user of the double-bladed Lightsaber, Exar Kun beat him by many thousands of years (although only by a short time as far as publishing goes). Exar Kun was the primary innovator of the double-bladed Lightsaber, his style rooted in his inner aggression and arrogance that worried many in the Jedi order, even when he was just a padawan.
By the time he was a Jedi knight, he may have been the most deadly combatant in the Jedi order, undoubtedly a result of his thirst for power, which eventually drove him to the Dark Side.
7Revan / Darth Revan
A Legendary Duelist in Both Light and Dark
Revan has walked the paths of the Jedi and the Sith, imbuing himself with the knowledge and powers of both at different points in his life. This made him undeniably powerful as a force user, but it also influenced his Lightsaber fighting style, which many at the time held in the highest esteem.
War with the Mandalorians only sharpened his skills over the years, to the point where he was able to kill Mandalor the Ultimate in single combat, his former Sith comrade Darth Malak, and scores of Jedi and Sith knights. Revan used many different Lightsaber colors, including blue, green, violet, and red.
6Ulic Qel-Droma
A Gifted Yet Tragic Figure
Much like Exar Kun, Ulic Qel-Droma was a gifted Jedi who found himself pulled towardsthe Dark Side of the Force. Qel-Droma, however, originally had altruistic motives before his fall, only embracing the Dark Side while on an undercover mission to dismantle the sinister Krath Cult from within its ranks.
He would eventually join Exar Kun as his apprentice after dueling him to a standstill, which is itself a testament to his skill in Lightsaber combat. Unlike Kun, Qel-Droma would eventually find the strength to abandon the Sith and assist in defeating his former master.
5Galen Marek / Starkiller
Apprentice to Vader Turned Jedi
The Force Unleashedgamesput Starkiller’s Lightsaber abilities on full display, demonstrating his unique force-integrated style in which he is able to combine several different attacks to augment his dueling ability. Whether it’s a single Lightsaber or two, Starkiller proved formidable, not only to former Jedi Council members but Darth Vader himself.
The former apprentice was eventually able to best his dark master, even nearly killing him if not for the consul of his Jedi compatriot, Master Rahm Kota. Starkiller is one of a select few Lightsaber users known for using a reverse-grip technique.
4Mara Jade
Wife to Luke Skywalker
It’s no surprise that one of the few Lightsaber duelists to give Luke Skywalker a run for his money would be his own wife, Mara Jade. Formerlya servant of Emperor Palpatine, she’d been trained as a force-wielding assassin during the height of the Galactic Empire.
In truth, Lightsabers were just one of the weapons Jade was trained in, as her assassin background afforded her a variety of combat skills. After marrying Luke Skywalker, she would commit herself to the Jedi order, though she would be killed by her nephew Jacen Solo, AKA Darth Caedus, another highly skilled duelist.
3Darth Malak
Former Apprentice to Darth Revan
Considered by many to be the most dangerous Lightsaber duelist of his time,Darth Malakwas initially a Jedi knight alongside his comrade Revan. The two fell to the Dark Side after years of bloody conflict with the Mandalorians, whom they chased into deep space. There they found the Sith Empire lying in wait, ready to overrun the Galactic Republic and destroy the remaining Jedi.
Malak was trained specifically as a Jedi Temple Guardian, meaning his Lightsaber skills were of paramount importance, and proved to be nearly equal to the redeemed Revan during their final confrontation.
2Jacen Solo / Darth Caedus
The Legends Version of Kylo Ren
Much like in the current canon, the child of Han Solo and Leia Organa fell to the Dark Side, similar toKylo Ren. Taking the name Darth Caedus, Solo would spend years combating his former friends and allies after the Yuuzhan Vong War. Not only did he imprison and torture his apprentice and cousin Ben Skywalker, but he even bested Mara Jade Skywalker in combat, killing her in a rather painful manner.
Caedus could even fend off Jedi Battlemaster Kyle Katarn with relative ease, though he would fall just short of his uncle Luke Skywalker. He would only fall to his twin sister Jaina after sustaining serious injuries beforehand, and even then it would be a difficult fight to finally put him down.
1Luke Skywalker
This Legends Version Far Outmatches His Canon Counterpart
While it’s true that Luke Skywalker isn’t really a Legends character per se, the version of him that appeared in Legends was much more powerful and accomplished than his canon counterpart. This Luke Skywalker successfully rebuilt the Jedi order and faced many more grave threats in his life than those of Kylo Ren and Snoke.
Master Skywalker achieved near-total Lightsaber mastery, even redefining severalLightsaber formsand training countless Jedi in the process. This Luke Skywalker is in many ways the perfect Jedi, ways in which his canon counterpart simply can’t live up to.
