Prime Luke or Prime Anakin: Who Would Win in a Fight, According to Jon Favreau?
The Mandalorian's creator weighs in on one of the biggest fan debates.
For many years there has been a never-ending debate among Star Wars fans. Who would win in a duel, Luke Skywalker or his father Anakin/Darth Vader, considering both are in their prime?
In a recent interview with The Cyber Nerds, The Mandalorian executive producer Jon Favreau gave his two cents on the matter.
"I think it has to be Anakin, right? I mean it has to be. I mean who– a prime Anakin? And there's so many different phases of it. But… we never really got to see– we saw a little bit of prime Luke with what we did.
We alluded to it, but who knows what he's been off to? But Anakin faced so many more challenges… He was in his prime in a more dynamic period in Star Wars history, right?" the showrunner said.
Most fans tend to agree. Although the two have faced off in Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (1980) and Episode VI: Return of the Jedi (1983), neither instance can be considered a fair fight.
In the first case, Luke was nothing more than a young apprentice who hadn't even completed his training under Jedi Master Yoda, while in the second, Lord Vader was already in his decline, not to mention that the battle was partially won by Luke persuading his father.
It is also common knowledge among the fandom that Vader's prosthetics and armor were intentionally made as clunky and uncomfortable as possible to prevent him from rising up against his master, Emperor Palpatine.
As for Vader's Jedi training, it is undoubtedly superior to Luke's. During his servitude to the Galactic Republic, Anakin was trained in the Jedi Temple when the Order was in its golden age, while Luke was trained by only two old Masters on the swamp planet of Dagobah and barely received the combat training he needed.
Of course, Luke later improved his lightsaber skills, but it is highly questionable whether they were on the level of the Jedi Masters of the Republic era.
It's clear that Favreau's statement will not end the debate forever, but the members of "Team Anakin" can rejoice for now, as they welcome yet another supporter of their side.