One of Star Wars’s most entertaining potential lightsaber duels with Luke Skywalker is, for better or worse, impossible, yet fascinating to think about. Count Dooku – also known as the Sith Lord Darth Tyranus – died before Luke’s birth, having been executed in cold blood by Anakin Skywalker, bringing him even closer to falling to the dark side and clearing the way for him to take Dooku’s place as Palpatine’s next Sith apprentice.

Luke Skywalker’s fighting prowess and kindness are renowned in equal measure, especially in the Star Wars Legends continuity, making a hypothetical Luke Skywalker vs Count Dooku duel intriguing. Even though his Jedi training was highly truncated, Luke Skywalker is one of the Star Wars galaxy’s finest pracтιтioners of lightsaber combat Form V – Djem So – and his sheer strength and skill at using the Force is arguably the greatest among the Jedi, especially in the original Legends timeline.

Luke ascended to Jedi Knighthood and later became the Grandmaster of the New Jedi Order during a full-scale war, so he has no shortage of combat experience. But how would Luke Skywalker fare in single combat against Count Dooku, one of the ᴅᴇᴀᴅliest Sith Lords in the dynasty of Darth Bane?

Count Dooku Would’ve Been A True Challenge For Luke Skywalker

In both his original Legends and modern canon iterations, Count Dooku is one of the galaxy’s ᴅᴇᴀᴅliest Sith Lords. Dooku was one of the last members of Darth Bane’s Sith dynasty, whose Dark Lords, for the most part, grew more powerful with each successive generation. As the predecessor to Darth Vader, Dooku, unsurprisingly, was a master of dark side Force powers, from telekinesis and Force lighting to more esoteric abilities like Sith sorcery.

Count Dooku was also one of the galaxy’s finest strategists and manipulators, training the non-Force sensitive General Grievous to defeat multiple Jedi (including Jedi Masters). While Count Dooku’s dark side powers and incredible skill as an administrative manipulator served him well while executing his and Palpatine’s plots, he was also one of the galaxy’s finest lightsaber duelists, easily being one of the most skilled users of lightsaber combat Form II – Makashi.

Makashi was tailored specifically for combatting other lightsaber wielders, using finesse and precision over brute strength. Even in his eighties, Count Dooku was skilled and powerful enough to battle the likes of Jedi Grandmaster Yoda and the Master of the Order Mace Windu during the Clone Wars. He even bested both Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi at the same time prior to the duel that ended in his death.

Could Luke Counter Dooku’s Makashi?

Luke Skywalker’s version of Djem So was tailored to defeat Darth Vader. Luke’s fighting style is extremely strong, using wide swings and footwork designed for power and control, whether dueling a single opponent or multiple blaster-wielders. Pitting Luke’s Djem So against Dooku’s Makashi would be an entertaining battle of strength vs finesse. When comparing Count Dooku’s feats to Luke Skywalker’s in both continuities, however, it becomes obvious that Luke, despite surely being challenged by Dooku, would most likely win their hypothetical duel. Luke’s fighting style is as swift as it is powerful.

The fact is, Anakin Skywalker was arguably as skilled in Djem So as Luke, and Anakin, after all, defeated Count Dooku aboard the Invisible Hand. As the New Jedi Order’s Grandmaster, Luke Skywalker exceeded his father’s skill in lightsaber combat and even bested him as an aspiring Jedi Knight in Return of the Jedi. Moreover, Emperor Palpatine was an even ᴅᴇᴀᴅlier lightsaber combatant than Dooku and Luke dueled and defeated a reborn Palpatine during Operation Shadow Hand. Count Dooku is an exceptionally ᴅᴇᴀᴅly lightsaber duelist and dark side user, but he would not be able to defeat Luke Skywalker.

Luke’s Goal Wouldn’t Be To Destroy; It Would Be To Redeem

Although Luke Skywalker could defeat Count Dooku, despite the Sith Lord being a challenge to him, Luke’s goal would likely be to redeem Count Dooku, not kill or maim him. ᴀssuming that Luke knows of Dooku’s Jedi past, he would focus on reaching the good man who Dooku used to be and convincing him to reject the dark side and the Sith. The Star Wars Legends continuity’s New Jedi Order did not believe that those who fall to the dark side are condemned to it forever, and Luke would only resort to killing Dooku if he could not redeem him.