Sword Expert Reacts To Star Wars Sequel Trilogy | Lightsaber Fight Scenes

We got Matt Easton, a Historical European Martial Artist, Antique Arms Dealer, and owner of the fencing club Schola Gladiatoria, to react to the sequel Star Wars Trilogy. Telling us his sword-fighting expert opinion on just how realistic Episode VII - The Force Awakens, Episode VIII - The Last Jedi, and Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker is when it comes to lightsaber (or sword) combat
From breaking down Finn and his battle against FN-2199 with his riot baton, to Rey and Kylo taking on the Praetorian Guards, and more, Matt breaks down these iconic Star Wars battles!
Want to watch more of Matt's own videos? Make sure to check out his Scholagladiatoria KZbin channel: / @scholagladiatoria

[@IGN]

MASSIVE thank you to the legendary Matt Easton, for all the help and for his expert reactions in this video and the previous Star Wars videos as well! Although this SW Expert Reacts trilogy has come to an end (for now), what other Star Wars fight scenes from games or TV would you like to see Matt react to? Let us know! And for more on Matt and everything swords/HEMA, make sure to drop a hello over on his channel: kzbin.info/door/t14YOvYhd5FCGCwcjhrOdA - Jesse

[@cy9884]

The Clone Wars lightsaber duels (Mainly Ahsoka vs Maul)

[@LilSaske27]

@@cy9884 yes and sidous vs maul x savag opress and obi wan vs maul in rebels too

[@asooakeel]

The Old Republic cinematic trailers maybe?

[@LordDagovere]

Hey, fam. Just a lowly star wars content creator here. Could you please ask him to react to the Star Wars The Old Republic Cinematic Trailers? Thanks for your work.

[@yutaoGOATsu236]

Old republic cinematic

[@101Phase]

According to Mark Hamil, the reason why the original trilogy characters didn't do fancy one handed twirls or held their lightsabers with one hand in general was because the props they used were surprisingly heavy. He compared it with Excalibur and if you try to use it with one hand you would drop it.

[@MkZuO12345]

Also during the shooting of "A New Hope" the lightsaber props had "blade" parts made from glasslike material and were very brittle so any hard hitting was also out of the question.

[@DainLaguna]

That makes sense! The thing is, the actors here had to deal with heavy props too, with LEDs inside them no less. Way heavier than what they used in the prequels.

[@firenza9792]

Also, Lucas's original idea was to make lightsabers really heavy to use.

[@kiba_the_lucky]

Uh... Darth Vader?

[@extantsanity]

@@DainLaguna It wouldn't be the LEDs that weighed them down, because diodes have just 2x the density of plastic, and very little of that material is needed to generate light. The heavy part would be the metal batteries (9x density of plastic), with a large mass of batteries to support a small mass of LED material.

[@scholagladiatoria]

Thanks for having me on again - it was an absolute pleasure to review these fights!

[@AikenFrost]

Captain Context is back again!

[@FaceEatingOwl]

Hi Matt, loved all these, thanks. For me the lightsabre catching whip is a bit daft, as couldn't Rey just off and on the blade and be free? Unless it somehow prevents it retracting, which I'm pretty sure they didn't show.

[@KesinX]

Love these! If you haven't yet, please please please do the fights from the Star Wars The Old Republic trailers. Probably the coolest lightsaber fights ever!

[@stormtrooper253]

Thanks for doing this! Gives me a different way of appreciating the Sequels, especially TFA! 🙂

[@EfnysYersina]

SALVE!

[@GuitarHeroRocks99]

it's neat to point out that once Finn landed the hit on Kylo, that Kylo disarmed him and ended the fight instantly. like he was just done with toying around

[@lord2.0works]

Just like Vader in TESB after Luke hit his shoulder: 2 moves later and hand just goes off

[@chrisgeorgiades4081]

@@lord2.0works heh as most us say these two aren't so different

[@DavidDavid-lr6uu]

21:09 "They couldn't show a human being chopped in half." *Angry Darth Maul scream*

[@ed1rko17]

Darth Maul isn't a human.

[@DavidDavid-lr6uu]

@Starkiller 5555 Yes, but he is a humanoid being.

[@CRYSTAL_CUSTOMS]

@@DavidDavid-lr6uu still, dathomir zabraks arent humans

[@user-xx6vy9ri8p]

Sad Dooku and Anakin noises...

[@Araararauna7]

Prequels werent bothered by that, Disney is

[@Daedy]

Something maybe worth pointing out when he said there wasn't much thrusting at all in the Prequels - when Palpatine fought Mace Windu and the Jedi Three, and then Yoda, he was all about the thrusting.

[@mikenotic8430]

The only time it was seen, never again

[@rexalivera5058]

@@mikenotic8430 thrusting “is not the Jedi way”.

[@dixonb.tweenerlegs4225]

Palpatine's facial expression while thrusting his lightsaber made it look like he was thrusting something else

[@tedtsangg]

@@rexalivera5058 HAH this comment fills me with star wars fandom pride

[@GrandMarshalGarithos]

@@rexalivera5058 Is it possible to learn this power?

[@leonprowse5806]

Here's a tip: If you find your lightsaber caught up in an anti lightsaber whip thing, just turn your lightsaber off and then on again. Works for my computer

[@Zlittlepenguin]

Or just… don’t hold it straight up…

[@diavolojaegar]

That's against the jedi/sith conduct but surprisingly works well

[@RC-7206]

There is fighting form in which you activate and deactivate your lightsaber repeadetly, by that confusing your enemy and making blocking more difficult

[@whyareyouhere6274]

Yes, just like you can do that against a lightsaber user. However apparently it's frowned upon

[@lexhowardtanque6751]

@@whyareyouhere6274 form 7- vaapad, shit's forbidden, made by Samuel S. Windu himself

[@MisterTingles]

"The heroes... or 'the people we don't want to die yet'..." perfect phrasing to explain plot armor xD

[@prathamgupta1653]

Let’s be honest. If you have a lightsaber you will twirl it. It’s just cool.

[@chrisd8180]

Definitely

[@yuhyuh7603]

The internet will laugh at your self dismemberment

[@logicplague2077]

You will twirl it once, and it won't be cool.

[@ChargeQM]

Always use that V key in KotoR.

[@Imakeplaylists-in1pw]

Yeah like martial artists doing 360 degree flying kicks out of nowhere. There's no reason to do it but it's cool.

[@ovni2295]

This review of the Kylo/Finn fight is probably the most positive one I've seen. You're the first person to notice how easily Kylo just slips out of the way of Finn's heavy-handed swings. And lets' not forget, Finn has had stormtrooper training. He's probably used that lightsaber-resistant tonfa. He has SOME idea of how to block. That's why he does as well as he does, but like you said, Kylo is literally just toying with him.

[@HandofOmega]

So, a reverse grip is basically the swordsmanship version of holding your gun sideways?

[@colbunkmust]

It's arguably worse, there are plenty of situational reason why a shooter may need to cant the gun to one side. There really aren't any situations why you'd want to use a sword in a reverse grip. Dagger sometimes, especially in armored combat, but not swords.

[@jamescowan8695]

Never... ever hold your sword in a reverse grip. It halves your range, limits the number of moves you can make and makes it easier to hurt yourself

[@HandofOmega]

Hm, maybe he shouldn't review any of Ahsoka's duels then, as the reverse grip is pretty much her signature style!

[@Compucles]

On the other hand, a gun held sideways still maintains most of its functionality. It's not ideal, as you can't aim down the sights, but it still shoots just as well.

[@roffels11-gamingandhistory69]

Indeed. It's very suicidal to hold your sword in a "reverse grip".

[@SmilesTheRat]

The reason you often won't see people using the technique at 17:32 (turning the blade on and off in the middle of a battle) is because it was frowned upon by both the Sith and Jedi. The rare lightsaber form known as Tràkata, utilized this ability of the lightsaber. The Jedi thought this form was unsportsmanlike, while the Sith thought it showed a lack of power.

[@ohawwgeez3112]

If he hates reverse grips he’s going to loath Ahsoka

[@revolver_oshawott7305]

And Starkiller

[@ryanbwags]

I'm happy to find out he agrees with me on the useless reverse grip. Looks great, almost totally useless.

[@brucechmiel7964]

@@revolver_oshawott7305 In The Force Unleashed, Galen uses the reverse grip as a ready stance and switches to a normal grip when he strikes. The reverse grip is used to defend against blasters and other projectiles it's a variant of Shein great for hoards of stormtroopers not so much against other lightsaber enemies. Makes sense because he utilizes overwhelming force power to defeat his enemies. It's the only reason he beat Vader and if you remember Vader was the hardest boss in the game. In TFU2 its a mess with two blades.

[@SarahLandry577]

My thought exactly

[@eps200]

She usualy uses one blade normally and the shoto in reverse grip. That's less ridiculous.

[@GrandMarshalGarithos]

Do them old republic cinematics, they’re great.

[@macattackk]

Yesss! Old republic cinematic trailers! My favourite lightsaber fights in all of Star Wars (visually at least)

[@Fish2049]

They’re cool to watch From a HEMA or any serious martial art point of view they’re not great

[@macattackk]

@@Fish2049 would still be interesting to see a breakdown. To me they are just the flashy/spinny prequel choreography, but done much faster and more fluidly and it just looks amazing visually. And it’s also fighting that, taken with a grain of salt, could potentially make sense for people who have superhuman senses, speed and reflexes thanks to the force.

[@racyagentmac]

@@Fish2049 still better than these fights though

[@trueblade39]

In the old Expanded Universe, it's stated that certain kinds of cortosis ore can block lightsabers, but they also have the added effect of shutting down lightsabers on contact. However, the ore is very fragile against blaster type weapons IIRC, making it impractical to coat on standard infantry armor

[@TY-km8hj]

Didn't stop the CIS in legends or palaptine in canon

[@jeffbrewer1580]

It only shut down lightsabers if it was pure cortosis. Most armors were not pure, it was a costly material

[@dragonstryk7280]

Yeah, it was insanely expensive stuff. Same thing with Beskar, of which, neither was used in Kylo's lightsaber. The writers just didn't care, and threw out anything that might be considered rules, so they could make things look cool without having to do any work for it. See also: Why Kylo survived the bowcaster shot that would've explodded literally IN his kidneys.

[@RJALEXANDER777]

Y'know how odd that is? Given that a lightsaber is essentially a sustained blaster bolt in blade form. Why should cortosis work against one but not the other?

[@dragonstryk7280]

@@RJALEXANDER777 Actually, it isnt. Blasters use a form of gas for their shots (Bespin Gas is one of those gasses), while lightsabers use essentially a crystal for their light. They're not actually the same.

[@ryanm0257]

It would be interesting to see him react to the combat in Jedi Fallen Order.

[@allknowingfreddybear9291]

That would be difficult review as it is a game.

[@sev00177]

@@allknowingfreddybear9291 Maybe not as clear cut as a film since there's not a lot of choreographed fights, but considering that Fallen Order used mo-cap it'd be possible. Ahsoka vs Maul would also be cool to see.

[@daanabbring5409]

It's here now

[@marszxc]

Love that you got someone who clearly loves the source material and knows what he’s talking about.. Bringing in an expert to review a fictional universe like this, it’s way too easy to harrumph and critique things that don’t make sense in the real world or are impractical. It’s so much more fun when the expert involved can pull facts and details from within the franchise to give these scenes extra context! Cheers

[@nathanieltheanimal3694]

Matt Easton: “why does everyone spin and twirl so much?” As someone who knows how to do that, it’s purely because it’s fun

[@chrisd8180]

Also jedi can move at extremely fast speeds, were spinning a sword could be confusing or could disorient the opponent confusing them on were the attack is coming from.

[@rhaelfixer2584]

@@chrisd8180 try twirling around in a circle repeatedly, u will get disoriented because your equilibrium will cause u to be dizzy, this is why the suit actor don't land a hit and their coordination for the fight stunt are way off. In prequel they do twirl their lightsaber. Not their body like a fool. If u spin in a circle u will obviously be dizzy after a few spin. In that throne room fight they spin non stop almost they think it look cool but is like a ballet dance lol

[@rockylikm]

@@chrisd8180 this part. Especially in the prequels. The Jedi are at the height of their order. Trained since they were 4-5 maybe 6 years old at the lastest. And Lightsaber skills were almost an art form for them as well.

[@Axidic]

looking at the comment section "This is where the fun begins"

[@Lord_Andrew88]

"oh I'm not brave enougth for politic"

[@tedtsangg]

@@Lord_Andrew88 your lack of faith is disturbing

[@Crocthunder]

People really are this fragile , they cannot accept that people will talk about this movies without needing to complain about it

[@techno639]

Surprisingly not too bad down here actually

[@Obi-Wan_Kenobi]

@@Crocthunder People are allowed to complying my dude. The lackluster fights were one of the criticisms fans like my had regarding the sequels, it's far more fragile to complain about the complainers than anything the complainers can do themselves.

[@blobfishman5225]

17:16 Not going to lie, once you've seen the disappearing dagger, you cannot un-see it.

[@Petaurista13]

to begin with problem with this is that if you fail to catch it and you're not my ex who carried like 4 different weapons you're screwed.

[@Compucles]

I'm so glad you made specific mention of that bowcaster wound holding Kylo back. Too many critics gloss over that.

[@Zlittlepenguin]

Canonically, he uses that wound to harness more power from the dark side so theoretically he’d actually be more powerful than usually :P but he isn’t

[@dannymotionless3417]

@@Zlittlepenguin Where does it state that?

[@mongooseunleashed]

@@dannymotionless3417 In the books. Plus, his wound didn't stop him from beating Finn.

[@HyraxusPrimus]

@@mongooseunleashed It also didn't stop him from Force throwing Rey into a tree before the fight even started.

[@entropy11]

@@Zlittlepenguin Novelization went into that a bit. He thought killing his father would bring him power but it just brought him more doubt. So he was using the wound for darkside power, but his being conflicted evened it out.

[@mrblackout22]

The electric field deflects light sabers and it's a riot control weapon not designed for lightsabers. But because Finn was a trooper and knows these dudes they know he doesn't know how to use a saber hence why he just goes at him. The storm trooper armor isn't light saber proof for the same reason our soldiers aren't bullet proof...Cost. Not worth it to the Empire or the U.S. for that matter to equip their infantry with better armor.

[@user-xx6vy9ri8p]

Why didn't he just shoot Finn?

[@Nghilifa]

@@user-xx6vy9ri8p Did he have a blaster?

[@SeiryuuX]

@@Nghilifa Yes, but he threw it away before the fight. Specifically, the trooper recognized Finn as the turncoat, yelled "TRAITOR!", threw away their blaster and then switched to the tonfa, signifying that this fight was more personal to this seemingly random trooper

[@tallietorchersproductions2740]

Plus, how many lightsaber wielders are in this era??

[@user-xx6vy9ri8p]

@@tallietorchersproductions2740 Kylo, Luke and Leia.

[@nathanielwilcox4947]

Matt should react to the Obi-Wan and Maul fight from Rebels.

[@thistledownsname]

It won't take long

[@nathanielwilcox4947]

@@thistledownsname Haha, no it will not.

[@d3athperception828]

Sadly, it wasn't long enough, but it did reach an emotional connection between the two characters. That at in the end, Maul wanted to finish the fight for decades and was fine that it finally finished. It made me almost choke up at the end of that fight. The hatred Maul felt for Kenobi was finally layed to rest in a poetic fashion, but the fight was criminally short. Edit: my dumb spelling mistakes.

[@AllaMortify]

Glad to see Matt mention the issue with lightsaber combat around the lack of any actually defined edge and the lack of weight. It makes the handling of them absurd in how they are portrayed, especially the big heavy swings because not only do you not have to consider edge alignment at all but also it'd basically be like using a torch/flashlight. A flick of the wrist would be as effective a cut as some big exaggerated movement, in fact you'd get killed by someone just flicking with it whilst you executed some huge cut.

[@matthewbreytenbach4483]

Though, lightsabers are described as feeling heavy in Rebels. And in the old cannon they were described as having a gyroscopic effect that makes wielding them difficult.

[@infinitesheldon5710]

Lightsabers have a lot of weird in-universe lore to explain why they behave like weapons with actual weight. As someone else mentioned, they've got a gyroscopic effect. Once they're in motion, they want to stay in motion. Also as a result of the magnetic field around them, lightsaber blades are actually drawn toward each other, and stick against one another in much the same way metal edges on swords "bite" into one another during the bind. Lastly, lightsabers still require some force to actually cut through things. They don't effortlessly pass through everything they touch. We've seen lightsabers bouncing off of a variety of hard surfaces in Star Wars. Just like an actual sword, if someone wielding a lightsaber wants to cleave straight through something, sufficient force is required.

[@JainaSoloB312]

Sounds like you'd be interested in Form 2: Makashi Subtle wrist movements and occasional lunges are all that's needed for a weapon with constant cutting power, so foil fencing is a natural fit. Small accurate jabs and cuts, expending as little effort as possible, this was the aged Count Dooku's preferred form.

[@vetarlittorf1807]

@@matthewbreytenbach4483 No. Rebels described lightsabers being not weightless but become lighter as the crystal connects with the wielder.

[@matthewbreytenbach4483]

@@vetarlittorf1807 Oh Okay, thanks.

[@HalSchirmer]

The 1st Order trooper nicknamed "TR8R" does make sense, in universe- from Supreme Leader Snoke's point of view. If you've got Kylo Ren, a short tempered apprentice with anger management issues AND a light saber, then it makes sense for Snoke's self-preservation to keep a squad of troopers equipped with ANTI-light saber weapons around Kylo.

[@b.johnathanwarriorinagarde7980]

Matt should do Kanan and Ezra's training scene and Sabine's. He explains it better in that scene than most.

[@eps200]

He has a video about it on his own channel.

[@christophergraham3160]

If you look closely at the stormtrooper's riot baton, it has an energy beam running down it. THAT'S what makes it lightsaber proof. The problem is, now that baton is just as dangerous to the wielder as it is to the target, making it even MORE impractical

[@Sean-hk9dd]

maybe it uses magnetic fields to repel the field containing the lightsabers plasma.

[@TheFlamingChips]

Again, great job getting Matt Easton doing these

[@AshanBhatoa]

The Z6 baton was utilsed to aid in imposing/maintaining First Order occupation on dissenting worlds. As a result the replulsion shock delivered from the weapon itself, is meant to be non-lethal, although it is meant to harm a target, and perhaps incapacitate, in the possession of a skilled user. Therefore useful, in repelling populations in active insurrection, revolt or uprising and sustaining order. It was not intentionally designed as an weapon to resist lightsabers. The property of energised blades or staffs results in the effect of lightsaber resistance and even to a greater extent. Since a lightsaber is essentially confined energy, energised weapons can be impervious to them. The energy field, generated by conduction vanes prevents the baton being sliced into. If it were deactivated, it does not possess such an capability.

[@jauntychad3363]

17:01 The Guard does actually have TWO blades/daggers (he's the guy who split his staff in half) and could have easily stabbed her in the back, but his second weapon gets editted out

[@lookingforwookiecopilot]

If Kylo hadn't just killed his father and wasn't dealing with Wookie blaster pain, then I'd agree that he should have looked more skilled.

[@rifway22]

Yeah the patricide just destroyed his mind, you can see it on his face immediately after Han fell. Great acting by Adam Driver BTW.

[@wintersoldier164]

You can see in the rise of skywalker that he won the fight, but leia took his attention

[@chrisgeorgiades4081]

@@wintersoldier164 indeed when hes a 100% hes very dangerous

[@captainpep3]

He shouldn’t have lost that fight with Rey in episode 7, it made no sense

[@braydenbisley8150]

@@captainpep3 it made alot of sense kylo was injured from a shot that would kill anyone else also he was weak from killing his father

[@Nishaa]

17:15 where did the other knife go? He got her locked in his arm and could have stabbed her in the back..but his knife just dissapear

[@Scuzzlebutt142]

magiced away by VFX so Rey doesn't get stabbed.

[@rhaelfixer2584]

Is called shitty movie after production effect after they realize their mistake

[@user-xx6vy9ri8p]

Not only that, but when Rey drops her lightsaber, he just stops pushing his other knife and waits to be killed...

[@ObesityStupidity]

@@user-xx6vy9ri8p And remember when she kicked three enemies at once without actually hitting them. Force kick, lol)

[@ryancornwell8563]

There actually was a lightsaber form that you would switch on and off the lightsaber but was highly frowned upon because the Jedi thought it to be unsportsmanlike and the sith thought it was petty and unskillful.

[@T.N.C_HATNAN]

It was called Tràkata

[@Killerbee4712]

its like pulling out a pistol in the middle of a duel

[@Glitchrat_YT]

Jedi fallen order laughing in the corner

[@karr1265]

Not the most practical when the enemy is going for your organs and you disable your block halfway through

[@ZeroShaneBob]

Watched all 3 of these Star Wars sword fight breakdowns. Genuinely, these are super interesting.

[@JaredLautenslager]

"There is... another."

[@TootsyBootsy]

In defense of the twirling of the prequels we know that Jedi and Sith use precognitive defense, making them appear faster than they actually are. We also know that the best way to overwhelm a Jedi is to be as random as possible as quickly as possible. Considering lightsabers don't have an edge they can theoretically end the twirl at any point of the twirl to land a blow. In other words every twirls adds different possible angles it could come from to possibly gum up that precognitive defense.

[@ConcordiaJedi]

Well according to the logic applied by the fandom menace, if it's not explained clearly onscreen, it doesn't count.

[@ConcordiaJedi]

@@strangelyukrainian7314 In seeing future events. Not in determining your opponent's next move. The Force increases your reaction time and physical abilities. That was made clear. Not that you can forsee your opponent's next strike.

[@karr1265]

@@strangelyukrainian7314if thats true, every force sensitive that dies is incredibly weak then. Fights would never end if theyre constantly predicting eachother

[@user-vy2in6zp8q]

Would love to see him react to the old republic cinematics.cheers

[@josephdennis2510]

we requested it and they did it. Thank you guys

[@eddyguey5895]

Lol who requested this garbage to be broken down? 😂😂

[@BabushkaTwerking]

@@eddyguey5895 exactly

[@loljay3281]

​@@eddyguey5895 so it could be made fun more of course

[@erichusayn]

Loving these videos. Definitely need to see more of Matt in these type of videos.

[@MegaMetallicaMASTER]

Been looking forward to this!

[@betterlatethannever4529]

Rey's opening with a thrust is why fans thought she was connected to Palpatine, at least it was a start down that road

[@501Rex]

Please let him react to the ahsoka Fight in the mandalorian!!

[@OneTrueNobody]

3:19 - There are definitely materials that can block lightsaber blades, yes. In fact if you get into the elements introduced in Knights of the Old Republic (which is literal THOUSANDS of years before the movies), you find out a lot about this, since it came up in a big way during the Mandalorian Wars in which the Mandalorians fought Revan's faction of Jedi and put up one hell of a fight. There's also a particularly rare material that shorts out lightsaber blades on contact, though you don't often see stuff made of it because it's a really hard-to-come-by thing to make something out of.

[@Pro_Butcher_Amateur_Human]

For anyone wanting specifics. Beskar, or Mandalorian Iron by it's other name, can block lightsabers. Mandalore is the only place in the galaxy where it has been found. Cortosis is another mined ore, but this can short out lightsabers not just block it. During The Clone Wars, a Seperatist Droid Factory tried making B-2 Battle Droids out of cortosis. Anakin managed to defeat some by deflecting their blaster shots straight back down their blasters, causing internal explosions. It has also been used to make lightsaber resistant weapons and armour. The Yuuzhan-Vong had genetically engineered snake-like lifesforms they turned into staff or whip weapons which were lightsaber resistant. There is also Ultrachrome, Neuranium, Phrik, and Songsteel, but they're all a lot less interesting. Don't think there are any others.

[@tiz6581]

Well I’m the mandalorian we’ve seen how much you need to effort when you want a full beskar armour

[@chengkuoklee5734]

Star War WHAT IF- What if Mendalorain didn't get destroyed but assimilated into Jedi culture. Imagine Jedi Knights with Beskar amour.

[@jeffreymonsell659]

Putting the "knight" back into jedi knight.

[@rosshall6475]

In the prequel trilogy the Jedi have not used lightsaber combat in battle, other than for deflecting blaster bolts, in several centuries. In that time lightsaber styles or forms had become largely ceremonial. They are twirly and dancelike because of that. These styles were pretty much lost after the Jedi were destroyed and new techniques had to be developed by the remaining lightsaber duelists like Vader, Luke, Kylo, and Rey. That is just the "in universe" explanation for the twirly styles of the prequels and how they pretty much faded out. As for the baton, it likely uses "vibro" technology to generate an energy field around the baton that fluctuates between different frequencies so that it can resist a lightsaber blade. It is the same technology used by Grevious's bodyguards.

[@silverswordsmith5424]

It's too bad all the bits where Finn used a lightsaber were just red herrings and that after the first movie he was just relegated to comedic relief side character status.

[@rosshall6475]

JJ Abrams's mysterious box failed once again

[@flygonkerel781]

when rey had her arm locked by the staff/knife guy, she sould not have been able to do that move, unless the guy changed his position while the camera was off of him. he was pushing his blade against her and her hand was the only thing holding him back, as soon as she moved her hand the blade shouldve gone throgh and slicked he rhead,neck,or upper torso

[@Compucles]

Well, he pulled back in surprise when Rey dropped her lightsaber, but that does make him seem very poorly trained for one of Snoke's royal guards. It also doesn't explain where his other blade went.

[@tones9_6]

In regards to the storm trooper wielding the tonfa in real life weapon systems will have tungsten parts to prevent failure in the field but that doesn't mean the army is going to start dishing out tungsten plates. Might be a cost, weight or even availability issue

[@FeaRdaMaggot]

Finally a great and actually non-biased down to earth breakdown

[@hinglemccringleberry7265]

While crossguards generally would work it was this specific crossguard design that was silly because the lasers do not touch. So in a fight it would converge the opponents swings towards the vulernable part of the handle and towards your hand.

[@rainbowdash4898]

Quick question. Did you cover the duel with Moph Gideon and The Mandalorian?

[@cyrisssmith8830]

Random question, will you do the blade trilogy sword fights?

[@fffx2]

Matt's assessment of the episode 8 fight feels super moderated compared to the rest. Can tell he's taking it easy, considering the reputation of that scene in the fight community.

[@shaidrim]

Yeah, and he ignored the edited-out weapon of the last guard killed by Rey.

[@Unknown-hb3id]

He ignored a lot of the utter stupidity, but he's on IGN, so what would you expect?

[@kyleruiz7167]

@@Unknown-hb3id quite biased much?

[@Unknown-hb3id]

@@kyleruiz7167 And correct, yes.

[@Adam_okaay]

He's completely holding back. He picked quite a few nits with the OT and the prequels and just praises the sequels essentially. He doesn't mention that the guards spend 90% of the time spinning in and out of attacks, it looks like a power rangers fight.

[@Alpha_Synergy]

The electro tonfa could stop a lightsaber in the same way Grevious's guards staves could: they conduct energy, allowing them to redirect the energy that would otherwise melt them back into the end

[@TheSenjuShow]

“I’ve been looking forward to this”

[@racenturtlez]

This is what we needed

[@Arkilonn_]

It would be great to see that type of reactions to Clone wars duels

[@TheSenjuShow]

“This is where the fun begins”

[@McRino1]

waheyyy great choice bringing Matt Easton on

[@ericwalker5388]

Would the reverse grip work any better with a smaller, lighter weapon like a kunai or something?

[@TheChach19]

They gotta hire this guy! These are fun to watch.

[@VideoMask93]

He's got his own job(s), and his own channel, but it would be neat.

[@TonkarzOfSolSystem]

When you realize the Stormtrooper's tonfa thing is basically Rayne's arm knife thing.

[@fauxmarmorer9544]

It was definitely cool seeing Matt on another channel

[@kittylux5394]

Ray is self-taught in hand to hand combat that's why she's better the Fin.Well Fin is a soldier from birth.He should be much better.

[@calinm242]

most likely he’s been trained with blasters and other firearms, not close combat weapons.

[@AK-lx1cr]

@@calinm242 And yet the stormtrooper with the baton fights more skilled than Rey does... hmmm.

[@brand9415]

@@calinm242 One of the novels explains that Finn was indeed trained in close combat.

[@randalthekidd7006]

@@AK-lx1cr she also was trained in a staff. Which could not be more opposite from a sword.

[@velazquezarmouries]

But Rey has the thickest plot armor ever smithed that would rival the armoured plates of the yamato

[@smilodnfatalis55]

For the first fight- supposedly those are riot suppression batons, and the electrical field, not the material, is what allows them to repel lightsabers. In that case the electrical field is to give the baton some extra umph when you smack an uncompliant civilian with it. Why not make the whole uniform fielded? Supposedly because that would be difficult to engineer without shocking the wearer.

[@LeonidSaykin]

If he knew what he was doing, he would be twirling

[@rogerhalt3991]

Will Matt also answer where the Throne Room sword drop idea came from?

[@lightspeed2854]

The spark of the lightsaber through the tonfa is like on the mandalorian scene its like the saber hitting the beskar and produces the same exact spark so probably the tonfa of the trooper got some modification which involves beskar in it since the empire gathered tons of that material it makes sense that they would be equipped with some of it

[@AkiraSpectrum]

Awesome video, really enjoyed it!!!! Loved the Sequel films.

[@twilightalfa8852]

Rey could have turned off the Skywalker saber to untangle it from the whip

[@metalcorps100]

Or you know, since the guy was pulling the lightsaber towards himself, just impale him in the face...

[@mistertwister2000]

I’ve noticed there are lots of moments throughout the whole saga where someone could’ve just turned off their saber, remember Anakin and Obi also made the mistake of leaving their sabers on when tangled in whips in TCW

[@bharnden7759]

One of my fav techniques was was when someone rotated, and the turned on the sabre causing a thrust, killing the sitting bad guy.

[@danielcermak2474]

Love to see someone give the sequels a fair shake.

[@inarencommander4663]

Meaning missing a lot of the bad stuff in episodes 8 and 9 fights? Yeah the one in 7 is decent though.

[@darmansbar7900]

@@inarencommander4663 The first thing he points out of the Throne room is that they do take turns so no, he doesn't miss

[@clawedsimian]

There it is: lightsabers are penetrating rods!

[@anthonygordon9483]

Beskar is lightsaber proof but it is very expensive and rare. Mandalorians wear it. And a well skilled Jedi can still kill them. Example is mace windu cutting off the head of Jango Fett.

[@ruebo2817]

Well, Jango didn’t wear full beskar. No one did. It’s so expensive, no one can afford that. The people that could afford a full beskar armor are the ones that don’t fight themselves. Most armors only had a very small amount of beskar in the metals. Therefore, you can still cut through it with a lightsaber relatively easy. Din Djarin is wearing full beskar because it was the payment for Grogu. To the empire he was worth the beskar they gave Din Djarin.

[@archmagemaclaren4568]

What about the 4k re-releases of the cinematic trailers for SWTOR next?

[@mikielsahagun6054]

Okay getting my popcorn for this one 😅🤣

[@parallelworld8450]

Just a thought.....If my guy can wrap the whip round his arm...which is armoured. You'd think they'd be lightsaber proof no?🤷

[@wronge2005]

No cause it was different to lightsaber material lightsabers have plasma but with The Whip it is used by a really strong electrical current

[@OniLink147]

The Praetorian Guard's armor is lightsaber resistant. There are a couple of times in the fight where you can see their armor tanking saber blows, but it isn't proof. With enough direct force the plating can be pierced. It's also worth noting that the body glove isn't lightsaber resistant, only the plating.

[@JainaSoloB312]

@@OniLink147 Thank you🙌

[@TheTwistedTreant526]

1:43 because that would have been TOO heavy for a normal Trooper to wear. Vader's armor was KIND OF lightsaber proof, but it was TOO heavy. He was using the force like always to move around and even walk

[@DrWhom]

mandalorians manage

[@hector_2999]

Standing on the spot and duking it out could be a nod to mensur?

[@Four-zp8jf]

the switching on and off move makes any static block that has happened irrelevant tho, right?

[@Foehammer18]

Could you have him review Star Wars: Visions? I'm sure he could have some fun with some of those fights.

[@alexmaverick6647]

This guy is the only person on KZbin who remembered that Rey already had experience with some kind of melee weapon lol.

[@acgproductions7663]

But a two handed long weapon like a staff that can be rested against ones body is very different to a lightsaber, any technique you use with a staff would be extremely ineffective with a lightsaber, if you try to rest your lightsaber against your body you either lose a limb or die

[@ethel_playz1899]

Hi! Just wanted to say the baton weapon at the start is probably based on a Vibro blade, these have been saber proof in the past and can get through most armors.

[@darthbane5357]

Vibroblades are not lightsaberproof. Unless they have cortosis in them, the lightsaber will go right through the blade.

[@Eneeki]

According to cannon sabers are drawn towards each other. Kanen said it to Sabine when training her to use the dark saber in SW rebels.

[@nicholasbarker8596]

This guy would hate Ahsoka

[@friedrice7876]

A video about the sequels? Where the comment section is relatively tame? Is this what heaven looks like?

[@Gotenks7Kid]

LOVE to see a reaction to Star Wars SC38 reimagined ;p

[@crabmaster3338]

Godbless Matt Easton!

[@z00mer]

17:16 surprised he didn’t mention the guard’s left sword magically disappearing or the fact that she should have been eviscerated right there.

[@ncs2000]

next, do review on Clone Wars sword fight

[@michaeldenman6313]

The cross guard on kylos lightsaber are actually exhausts, that's why the blade looks unstable think of it as a sort of overclock that needs the extra heat dissipation.

[@edcliffe2988]

The lightsaber-proof quality comes from the energy. It it were off, the saber would have cut it in half. Materials such as phryk, cortosis or beskar (Mandalorian iron) are excellent against a lightsaber blade. The blade is formed at its base by a khyber crystal and not the material of the hilt.

[@Lord_Andrew88]

Something tells me that it's not what someone wanted to ear 🤣🤣🤣. Great video!

[@stalespaghetti]

Show him the old KOTOR trailers or even stuff from the rebels and clone wars animated series.

[@kingdave7996]

17:33 there was a lightsaber form that utilized the sabers ability to turn off and on but it was seen as unsportsmanlike.

[@thomasbrown3793]

Reverse grip is like the weapon version of martial artists in movies holding their guard out in front of them instead of covering their face because it looks cool lol

[@DPUDDZ]

The metals are probably rare and expensive so they wouldn't be giving storm troopers that stuff, not sure if the energy thats pushing back the LS or materials.

[@joshuahadams]

Iirc it’s some kind of energy edge, like the energy arcing on a MagnaGuard’d staff. To use it on a suit of armour, you’d need to be covered in basically blades, resulting in it not being the best in non-combat situations, which is much if soldier work. Beskar, what Mandalorians use for armour and weapons, is rare and expensive and not the best for mass production, especially after the Mandalorian purges at the end of the Clone Wars, leading to the destruction of much of the beskar available. Cortosis hasn’t shown up much in the more recent canon Star Wars, and isn’t widely used, mostly in weapons like vibroblades, as shown by Commando Droids. It again would be too expensive for mass production for the general army outside of special groups like Commando Droids and the like.

[@SitInTheShayd]

Matt has better opinions on the Sequels than most Star Wars fans at this point

[@bobtimster62]

I'm curious. Do you think that perhaps the reason for twirling might be to blind and confuse your enemy? Lightsabers emit a very bright light that ordinary sabers do not. Just a thought. Really enjoyed your videos on all this. Very instructive.

[@P-tricky13]

This guy is awesome!

[@chrisd8180]

Defend Defend Defend may not be the most successful way to win a sword fight. But what if your opponent is attacking so fast you just cant get an opening to be offensive? Also with the super fast speeds that Jedi can move at, could spinning your sword (lightsabre) not confuse or disorient the opponent into not knowing were the attack is coming from? Just a movie but still possible?

[@DrWhom]

if you just can't get an opening you will die. it is a numbers game.