Star Wars: The Phantom Menace: The 5 best scenes of Episode I

Photo Credit: [Star Wars: The Phantom Menace] Lucasfilm

1. Duel of the Fates

One of the most important moments in the prequels happens with the Duel of the Fates, in which the name also says a lot about it.

Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi take on Darth Maul. It’s a fight that the whole movie was built on, leading to this moment. Maul worked on separating the master and apprentice, and when he finally did, Maul managed to kill Qui-Gon with Obi-Wan looking on.

We hardly knew him.

Despite the obviously horrific loss for Obi-Wan, he nearly met the same fate, but allowed himself not to be consumed by rage and find a way out of the fight.

He willed Qui-Gon’s lightsaber into his hand at the same time he managed to flip out of a shaft, and whip his lightsaber through Darth Maul’s torso. Maul fell to his presumed death, cut in half right at the waist.

This elegant and brutal fight shaped much of the future storyline that shaped the prequels. First, it revealed the Sith were indeed back when the Jedi had thought they were gone for thousands of years. Second, Qui-Gon’s dying wish was for Obi-Wan to take Anakin as an apprentice because he believed him to be The Chosen One.

While Star Wars fans were disappointed to see such a magnificent looking character like Darth Maul taken out too soon, the Duel of the Fates (listen to the music) is the best moment of The Phantom Menace.

What is your favorite scene from Star Wars: The Phantom Menace?