Obi-Wan who?
Unless you’ve been living this past fifty years you probably heard of a little franchise called Star Wars. It’s a space opera with space wizards, elements of western, pulp and samurai films. I’d recommend watching it before reading this article. Jokes aside I’m pretty sure most of us who practice martial arts are or were into Star Wars. Especially the ones into Asian martial arts or sword fighting. And the last installment of this franchise is a show about Obi-Wan Kenobi. I love Star Wars and especially everything Jedi related. So I expected some lightsaber duels and maybe a fight or two. And I was given all that and more. Not only the fights are great but there’s a few connections (probably unintended but who knows) to traditional martial arts and related pop culture. Now this won’t be a review of the show but it will contain spoilers.
Brief summary
The show centers on Obi-Wan Kenobi post Revenge of the Sith, of course played by Ewan McGregor. Obi-Wan has spent the past 10 years on Tatooine hiding from the Empire and watching over a very young Luke. He no longer carries his lightsaber and has cut himself off of the Force. All of this comes to an end when young princess Leia is captured and Bail Organa asks Obi-Wan to rescue her. To get Leia to back to safety Obi-Wan will have to forsake his current status and fight against smugglers, mercenaries, inquisitors and of course his former padawan turned Sith lord, Darth Vader.
The action
To say that at the beginning of the show Obi-Wan is rusty is an understatement. He carries his lightsaber but he is disconnected from the Force. He relies mainly on empty hand techniques and a blaster. This is in direct contrast to his pursuers the imperial inquisitors who do use lightsabers. This empty hand techniques look a lot like Aikido. And according to sources and this video, it actually is Aikido. If you’re somewhat familiar with the style it’s queite evident in the way Obi-Wan moves and throws his opponents. There’s a clear use of tai sabaki or body positioning (in an Aikido like way) and at least one kotegaeshi (a classic Aikido throw).
The lightsaber action
Lightsaber fights are also quite interesting. Three characters use lightsabers and each has a different style. Obi-Wan starts very rusty, he hasn’t used his weapon in a decade or so, but as the series progresses his confidence and skill come back. The second character Reva aka Third sister, is an imperial inquisitor. Every move she makes channels her rage and hate to fuel her connection to the dark side. So her fighting style is brutal and barbaric, she puts all her strength in every strike, but to a master she’s telegraphing her moves. Last but not least, Darth Vader, who fights with confidence, expertise and knows how to break an opponent.
Vader fights Obi-Wan twice, and Reva once. In that first fight with his former master Vader is an imposing figure while Obi-Wan is terrified of what his pupil has become. Vader’s fight against Reva reminds me of Pai Mei and other classic kung fu movie villains. In that episode, we see flashback of a sparring session between Anakin and Obi-Wan. There, Anakin fights aggressively while Obi-wan fights smart. He uses his body as well as his lightsaber and the force and ultimately wins. Back in the present the roles are reversed. Now Vader is the master and Reva the brash pupil. He parries her lightsaber attacks using the force or dodges them entirely, all without breaking a sweat. Needless to say he wins, and even uses some the same moves Obi-Wan used against him in the flashback.
I could go on describing every lightsaber fight in this show but that would make this a very long post. Watch the show or at least the action scenes and you’ll see why I love them so much.
Obi-Wan and martial arts theory
Now this part is most likely not a thing the show creators had in mind. Though it’s evident they took inspiration from martial arts cinema, I very much doubt they have a deep interest in martial arts theory. Especially traditional Chinese martial arts concepts. But to me this is a personal interpretation of some aspects of the show and Star Wars lore.
There is a concept present in Xingyi Quan and similar styles that use focus on the method of expressing power or fajin. Particularly in Xingyi there’s an established three stage progression. There’s ming jin (obvious power), an jin (hidden power) and hua jin (changing power). Now I don’t know about the third stage but the first two are very self explanatory.
And I believe there’s a clear parallel in this show. Reva is clearly in the first stage. Every strike, every use of the force, it’s obvious, the effort it takes is evident. She even literally screams at times. Vader on the other hand is a seasoned fighter and force user. He’s more on the second stage. He barely shows any effort when he fights Reva. Obi-Wan, especially in the flashbacks shows he’s also at least in this second stage. Furthermore I think this concept is applicable to other Star Wars shows and movies. How masters use the force vs novices. Anakin in the prequels vs Obi-Wan. Rey and Kylo in the sequels are obviously in the first stage, while Leia is closer to the second. I’d say Luke’s there too but we don’t see him that much. I’m sure there are more examples in animation but that’s a topic for another post.
As always thanks for reading and feel free to leave any thoughts in the comments section
- Hidden applications in traditional martial arts - October 30, 2023
- The Kung Fu in Kung Fu Hustle (part 2) - November 1, 2022
- The Kung Fu in Kung Fu Hustle (Part 1) - October 5, 2022
Leave a Reply