This week’s episode of Star Wars: The Clone Wars on Disney+ is titled “The Phantom Apprentice.” It’s an appropriate name for a few reasons — but particularly because it contains maybe the best lightsaber duel in all of Star Wars since the Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan faced off with Darth Maul from the climax of Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace.

Plus Maul (who, if you haven’t been following The Clone Wars, didn’t actually die when he was sliced in half and tossed down a bottomless pit because that’s actually a very simple injury to recover from) is one half of this terrific fight — with him and his signature two-sided saber squaring off against Ahsoka Tano with her two lightsabers. Their battle takes up most of the final third of “The Phantom Apprentice” and it spans multiple locations. To watch the whole thing, you’ve got to watch it on Disney+ — but here is a pretty solid excerpt to give you a taste:

How did they get such convincing movement and action into an animated lightsaber duel? A peak at the closing credits of “The Phantom Apprentice” reveals that Ray Park, who played Maul in The Phantom Menace reprised his role here; he’s credited with “Maul Performance.” The woman credited with “Ahsoka Tano Performance, Lauren Mary Kim, is another well-respected stunt performer who’s also worked on The Mandalorian. Clearly there was some live-action fight work involved here.

Lucasfilm
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New episodes of The Clone Wars premiere on Fridays on Disney+; there are two episodes left in this final season. It’s gonna be tough for anything in those last two weeks to top Ahsoka versus Maul. For even more on this week’s Clone Wars, check out our latest breakdown of the show’s Easter eggs and secrets:

Gallery — Every Star Wars Movie, Ranked From Worst to Best:

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