Anakin's Most Impressive Kill Was A Blink-And-You-Miss-It Moment
Battles across the galaxy were still raging on. Palpatine had just implemented Order 66, causing Jedi to fall at the hands of once-loyal clone troopers. Anakin Skywalker had completely succumbed to the twisted machinations of Palpatine, who had expertly bent the once-promising young Jedi into the next Sith Lord Darth Vader. One would be forgiven for missing one of Vader’s quickest kills. It was an encounter against one of the Jedi Order’s greatest warriors.
Soon after Vader’s march on the Jedi Temple, and sometime after his most notorious murder of the younglings (“Master Skywalker, there are too many of them. What are we going to do?”), we see Obi-Wan looking at security footage, and witnessing first-hand his once-pupil and good friend Anakin cut down two Padawans and their instructor. This man, whose students affectionately referred to as “the Troll” for his unrelenting and punishing instruction, was Jedi Master Cin Drallig. His end, captured ever-so-briefly, was arguably an unceremonious one for a Jedi Master of his caliber.
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Cin was the Jedi Temple Chief of Security, charged with the protection of the temple and those inside. He also oversaw the temple guards. More relevant to this conversation, he was also the Jedi Temple Battlemaster, and possibly one of the most skilled lightsaber duelists alive.
Time and expansion of the world have allowed us to take a closer look at the life and legacy of a man who was trained in combat by none other than Grand Master Yoda himself. Many in the Order revered the serious and harsh Cin for his unmatched abilities. He became the overseer of youngling and Padawan lightsaber training, instructing even Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker for a time. He was known throughout the Jedi Order as perhaps the greatest lightsaber master of them all, and as someone who was extremely skilled in all forms of combat.
Cin's first appearance in canon was as a defender of the Jedi Temple from the likes of Cad Bane (who was actually able to sneak past him) in The Clone Wars Season 5 episode titled “Sabotage.” Following that, he would appear in a flashback in the limited comic series Kanan, training a young Caleb Dume/Kanan Jarrus, one of the stars of Star Wars: Rebels. Cin could also be seen defending the Jedi Temple from an attack by Separatists in that same issue, battling alongside Mace Windu and Obi-Wan Kenobi.
Shortly thereafter, Cin would meet his end at the hands of Darth Vader, fighting valiantly alongside two young Padawans, Whie Malreaux and Bene, all while Obi-Wan could only watch in the security footage later and feel the horror of seeing what Anakin had become.
As a fun side note, the actor who briefly portrayed Cin in Revenge of the Sith was actually the prequel trilogy’s stunt coordinator Nick Gillard. The name Cin is just Nic without a K written backward.
How could this man, as skilled and able as he was, be dispatched so easily by the newly minted Darth Vader? It is not that surprising seeing as Vader had also just killed Mace Windu, possibly the only Jedi Master whose lightsaber skills rivaled Cin Drallig’s. On the flip side, nothing can adequately prepare someone, let alone a highly-skilled Jedi Master (who had defeated Separatists, insurgents, and trainees), against a full-blown Sith Lord at the height of their powers. Not to mention, this is someone Cin himself helped train.
Even though he only had a lightning-quick moment on screen, as with anything Star Wars, a little bit of digging can reveal an unbelievable amount of information about these characters. Cin Drallig is one worth remembering. Perhaps we will be able to see his story expanded some more in the future.
Credit: phil-cho
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Source(s): CBR