There is no denying that Star Wars and lightsabers go hand in hand. The lightsaber quickly becomes one of the most iconic weapons of all time. If you see a glowing blade anywhere these days, there are very few people that would not immediately think of Star Wars. Space wizards with laser swords are what it is all about. Across the Star Wars franchise, we have been treated to many glorious lightsaber fights. The debate still rages on as to which lightsaber fight is the best with each of the three trilogies offering up at least one candidate for the title. There is a lot less talk though about the deaths that were inflicted with a lightsaber and how that is represented in live-action Star Wars movies and television shows.

The Phantom Menace kicks things off with the Darth Maul versus Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi. Here we have a double death in the same fight. First up is Darth Maul killing Qui-Gon Jinn with a simple run-through. Obi-Wan Kenobi then avenges his master by completely cutting Darth Maul in half with one swing. Before anyone jumps up and down in protest, I know that technically Darth Maul does not die here.

Attack of the Clones then gives us the beheading of Jango Fett by Mace Windu, and Anakin Skywalker slaughtering Tusken Raiders.

Revenge of the Sith offers up Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader beheading Count Dooku, killing younglings, and wiping out the Separatist cabal on Geonosis. All of these deaths were quick and to the point with very little shown (and in some cases just implied).

Rogue One sees a Fleet Trooper killed by Darth Vader.

A New Hope is where it all started with Darth Vader killing Obi-Wan Kenobi in their duel. Here we see nothing other than Obi-Wan Kenobi’s body disappearing and his robes falling to the floor.

Return of the Jedi has Luke Skywalker dispatching a number of Jabba’s crew above the Great Pit of Carkoon.

The Force Awakens goes for a serious surprising emotional impact with the death of Han Solo at the hands of his son Ben Solo/Kylo Ren.

The Last Jedi delivers another unexpected lightsaber death with Kylo Ren manipulating the Force to kill Supreme Leader Snoke. We then have Kylo Run and Rey Skywalker dispatching Supreme Leader Snoke’s elite guards.

The Rise of Skywalker then sees most of the Knights of Ren killed by Kylo Ren’s lightsaber.

The one thing of note in all of these previous lightsaber deaths is that they are mainly very brief, do not really labor the point, and are usually more shocking due to the actual person dying (i.e. Han Solo or Supreme Leader Snoke) rather than that act itself. We can argue that Anakin/Darth Vader killing the younglings in the Jedi Temple is a notable exception, although that scene was implied rather than visually represented.

The Book of Boba Fett Chapter Five (set between Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens) changes all that and gives us what could be considered the most brutal death by lightsaber to date. In this episode we see Din Djarin (The Mandalorian) tracking down his latest bounty to a meat factory. He addresses his quarry Kaba Baiz and after issuing his classic warning, “I can bring you in warm, or I can bring you in cold” and reaches for his gun.

One of Kaba Baiz’s guards bites Din Djarin and after throwing him off we expect a good old fist or gunfight. Instead, he activates the Darksaber. After making short work of the remaining guards, Din Djarin stabs Kaba Baiz with a knife and then dumps him onto a table. He then makes a two-handed downward swing with the Darksaber and cuts Baiz and the table in half. The icing on the cake is then seeing Din Djarin exit the room carrying the head of Kaba Baiz wrapped in a cloth.

Unlike previous deaths by lightsaber, which have been quick and to the point, and either the result of direct combat or as an order to complete ulterior motives, this one was unusual. Din Djarin has his target on the table and he could have just taken him “warm” and possibly reaped a bigger bounty, assuming that the knife wound is not fatal. Kaba Baiz is no threat to Din Djarin at this point. However, he takes a very deliberate action to cut Kaba Baiz in half.

This impulsive and out-of-character move is what makes this more brutal than anything we have seen before. It is not necessary and certainly raises some questions. The scene itself, being set in a meat factory, carries a horror movie/slasher flick vibe to it, which further enhances the violence that is being meted out.

Boba Fett might not be being represented as a hard killer in The Book of Boba Fett, but this scene is definitely a stark reminder that underneath it all, bounty hunters, even our anti-hero Din Djarin, are cold-hearted killers.

To see Din Djarin pull off this shocking execution, watch The Book of Boba Fett, now streaming on Disney+.

Source(s): CBR

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