Darth Vader’s final duel with Luke Skywalker (and subsequent defeat) in Return of the Jedi became even more meaningful thanks to the first lightsaber duel in Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith. Both lightsaber duels were pivotal moments in Anakin Skywalker’s life. In Return of the Jedi, Darth Vader’s defeat – which was followed by Palpatine’s betrayal and Luke’s faith in the good man he once was – led him to reject the dark side and his Sith Lordship. His Revenge of the Sith duel, however, was one of the key moments in Anakin’s fall to the dark side.

In both Star Wars continuities, one of the defining qualities of the Sith since the Lordship of Darth Bane is their adherence to the Rule of Two. This doctrine only allows for two true Dark Lords of the Sith – a master and an apprentice. One of the Rule of Two’s purposes is to mitigate the inevitable infighting among Sith Lords. The master constantly seeks a better apprentice while the apprentice plots to usurp their master. The lightsaber duels in both Revenge of the Sith and Return of the Jedi are characterized in part by the Rule of Two.

George Lucas’ “Rhyme Scheme” Subtly Changes How We See Darth Vader’s Death

In Return of the Jedi, Palpatine wishes to turn Luke to the dark side and have him replace Darth Vader, while Vader wishes to corrupt Luke and overthrow the Emperor with him, naturally. Luke, of course, wishes to turn Vader back from the dark side, ignoring the advice of his Jedi mentors and fighting to resist the dark side’s allure. Anakin’s duel with Count Dooku in Revenge of the Sith is far simpler, however, yet the film presents it as a reflection of the Return of the Jedi duel.

In Revenge of the Sith, Anakin struggles with the dark side’s temptation as he battles Count Dooku and, like Luke, briefly gives in to it, gaining the upper hand in his battle with the Sith Lord. Just as Return of the Jedi had Luke driving back Vader before dismembering him, Revenge of the Sith has Anakin do the same to Dooku. Unlike Luke, however, Anakin wants to kill his opponent, and Palpatine’s goading gives him the perfect excuse to execute Dooku in cold blood.

Darth Vader Became The “Dooku” Figure In Return Of The Jedi

Fascinatingly, the original Star Wars Legends continuity establishes that Darth Vader and Count Dooku both would not have expected Palpatine to betray them at the end of their respective duels, despite both Dark Lords being well aware of the Rule of Two. In the Legends timeline, Palpatine and Darth Vader regularly broke – or at least bent – the Ruel of Two, training beings like Mara Jade, Lumiya, and Kharys as Sith in all but name and тιтle. By the reign of the Galactic Empire, it would be reasonable to ᴀssume that the Sith outgrew the Rule of Two.

Matthew Stover’s Revenge of the Sith novelization explores Anakin and Dooku’s final duel in fascinating detail, exploring the former’s struggle with the dark side and the latter’s surprise at Palpatine’s betrayal. Count Dooku believed that he was destined to rule the galaxy at Palpatine’s side, but was shocked to hear his master goading Anakin to execute him. Among Dooku’s final thoughts was the haunting phrase “Treachery is the way of the Sith.” Having found himself in the same position as Dooku at the end of Return of the Jedi, Darth Vader likely had similar thoughts upon Palpatine’s betrayal.

One Story Ended In Death…The Other In Redemption

Of course, Palpatine’s betrayals are hardly surprising to Star Wars viewers themselves, especially now, given how prominent the Rule of Two has become in the franchise. In the modern canon, which supplanted the Legends continuity in 2014, Count Dooku’s surprise at Palpatine’s betrayal was likely due to him not expecting Anakin to be his potential successor. Darth Vader was most likely not surprised by Palpatine’s betrayal at all in the modern canon, though he nevertheless might have realized that he was in the same position as Dooku aboard the Invisible Hand.

In either case, Anakin’s duel with Count Dooku exemplifies how to properly recreate a scene from another Star Wars film. The parallels between the two scenes – both in cinematography and characterization – make the duel in Revenge of the Sith a dark mirror of the duel in Return of the Jedi. Darth Vader’s defeat ended in redemption, while Count Dooku’s in Revenge of the Sith ended in treachery and death.