Considering lightsabers are some of the deadliest weapons in the Star Wars galaxy, there surprisingly aren't an overwhelming amount of casualties delivered via lightsaber. That being said, some of the most notable deaths in the saga have come from lightsaber duels or wounds.
Lightsabers are brutal weapons for "refined" warriors, but they definitely do the job at being deadly weapons. One touch from a lightsaber could slice off an entire limb, and if aimed correctly, can kill those on the other end. The casualties from these blades cause for some of the gnarliest death scenes ever.
10 Han Solo's Death Was Tragic And Changed The Tone Of The Sequels
Harrison Ford made it a point that if he were to ever return to Star Wars, he wanted his character Han Solo to die. So when The Force Awakens came around, that was exactly what happened. Han Solo's death wasn't particularly special or brutal, but the emotion behind it was gut-wrenching. He was trying to reach out to his son, Ben Solo who hid behind the mask of Kylo Ren. Though Kylo struggled with the light still within him, he ultimately ignited his saber, stabbing Han through the chest.
Han gingerly touched his son's cheek one final time before he fell to his death. The stab wound was rather similar to Qui-Gon Jinn's from The Phantom Menace but the fact that this was the beloved Han Solo and it was his own son that killed him made it all the worse.
9 Trilla's Redemption Arc Was Cut Short Due To Her Death
Trilla was the main antagonist throughout Jedi: Fallen Order, as she served as an Inquisitor chasing down Cal Kestis throughout the galaxy. Trilla was utterly brutal and her fight at the end of the game against Cal was rather intense. But Trilla hadn't always been on the dark side. In fact, she was a Jedi Padawan much like Cal had been and her master was traveling with Cal, Cere.
Cere managed to call Trilla back to the light and apologized for the past. But just before Trilla can switch over for good, her new master— Darth Vader— rose from the steam and slashed her down. The scene was epic and utterly intense. Trilla knew she was about to die. As she says "avenge us," Vader slashed her from her torso apart.
8 Palpatine Made A Game Out Of Killing Savage Opress
Savage Opress was a character from Star Wars: The Clone Wars and was revealed to be Maul's brother. The two traveled the galaxy together attempting to make their own Sith duo. But they were soon stopped when they thought they could best Palpatine.
In the fight, Palpatine seemed more like a cat playing with his food than a struggling sith lord, and he easily slashed Savage down and utterly destroyed Maul mentally and physically.
7 Obi-Wan Kenobi's Death Raised The Stakes Of The Central Conflict In A New Hope
Obi-Wan Kenobi is the first lightsaber death we see from the Star Wars franchise as he is cut down by Darth Vader in their climactic final battle aboard the Death Star. Though this casualty isn't brutal compared to the rest, it is still totally iconic and important.
Obi-Wan ultimately accepts his defeat against the sith lord in order to make time for Luke, Leia, Han, and the rest of them to escape safely. He manages to meditate in his final moments which allow him to become a force ghost and keep aiding Luke in his quest.
6 The Scene With The Jedi In Palpatine's Office Was Unexpectedly Quick
The Jedi who go to arrest Palpatine in his office alongside Mace Windu were utterly destroyed in a moment by the evil Sith Lord. They all thought they were getting the upper hand on Sidious, catching him off guard, but in reality, they were not expecting him to be as powerful as he was.
He ignited his saber and jumped at them, killing Kit Fisto, Agen Kolar, and Saesee Tiin who had all been characters more prominent in The Clone Wars, even making Fisto a fan-favorite Jedi. The scene was so fast, it didn't even allow time to mourn the fallen characters before the next big thing happens.
5 Snoke's Death Was Satisfying But Didn't Stop The Evil Plot That Was Already In Progress
What makes Snoke's death so incredible in The Last Jedi was the simple fact that no one was truly expecting it. This was the second movie in the final trilogy and the main villain is split in half by Kylo Ren after he ignites Rey's (Anakin's) saber into him and pulls using the force.
What made this scene even more incredible was that he killed his own master in order to save the main hero of the story, Rey. The alliance between good and evil cause a massively fun moment and utter shock amongst the audience, not to mention Snoke himself— as he too was definitely not expecting to be killed.
4 Jango Fett's Death Created Boba's Arc In The Series
Jango Fett's murder is more sad than anything else. He and Mace Windu get into an all-out brawl at the very beginning of the Clone Wars that leaves off with Mace chopping off the Bounty Hunter's head. The head remains in Jango's helmet and slowly rolls to his son, Boba Fett's feet.
This later makes Boba absolutely hate Mace Windu and the Jedi for what they did which is the main theme of his arc in The Clone Wars.
3 Count Dooku's Death Was A Sure Sign Of Anakin's Wavering Allegiance
Count Dooku's death at the beginning of Revenge of the Sith was incredibly intense as it not one had been the first few minutes of the film, but also a sure sign of Anakin's wavering allegiance. Dooku was also known as Darth Tyrannus, Palpatine's apprentice and the main villain of Attack of the Clones and The Clone Wars.
So when Anakin finally bests him in a fight, things get pretty intense. He was supposed to wait for Obi-Wan to bring Dooku in, but instead, he is manipulated by Palpatine to just kill him right there. This surprises Dooku as he was betrayed by his own master in his final moments before his head is cut off with his own lightsaber.
2 Darth Vader's Annihilation In Rogue One Brought A Darker Tone To The Series
The scene at the end of Rogue One in which Darth Vader finally appears is utterly intense and a fan-favorite moment out of any of the movies. This scene of him slaughtering the rebel crew shows just how brutal and powerful he is, a brutality that wasn't really shown in the Original Trilogy thanks to the clunky costume.
Vader is supposed to be one of the scariest creatures in the entire galaxy and his murder spree of the rebels. Somehow, that scene alone feels more like a horror movie than a Star Wars movie.
1 Maul's Death Occurred In One Of The Shortest Yet Greatest Scenes Of The Franchise
Maul technically is killed twice throughout the Star Wars franchise and both times are utterly epic. In the first, The Phantom Menace, he is split in half by Obi-Wan Kenobi after trying to flip over him to behead the Jedi, but instead meets Obi-Wan's saber mid-air. He then falls down a massive hole only to be seen many years later in The Clone Wars. Maul continues to hold resentment towards Obi-Wan for this and it is by the Jedi's hand once again that Maul meets his true fate.
The two get into a duel during Star Wars Rebels, where Maul tries to pull the same trick on Obi-Wan as he did on Qui-Gon, but instead was met with a quick slash across the body. This short fight scene was by far one of the greatest scenes in all of Star Wars.