We finally have an explanation for Star Wars’ famous “I have the high ground” moment, courtesy of Lucasfilm stunt coordinator/fight choreographer Nick Gillard. As it turns out, there’s quite a funny story behind one of the most important moments in the nine-episode Skywalker Saga, and it stems from a mundane trip to a restaurant.

During Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith’s climactic lightsaber duel between Obi-Wan Kenobi and the newly-turned Anakin Skywalker, the two former friends clash across a glowing river of lava on the fiery planet of Mustafar. Suddenly, Obi-Wan leaps to safety on a nearby hill, telling Anakin to surrender since he now “has the high ground.” Driven by his dark side-induced hubris, Anakin makes a daring leap at his former mentor, only to be cut down and dropped onto the burning shore. From here, he is set ablaze as Obi-Wan watches, leaving him in a such a state he requires Darth Vader's iconic black armor to sustain his life.

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In an interview with IGN commemorating the release of Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker, Nick Gillard says that the idea for this classic moment came when he and Hayden Christensen (who plays Anakin in Attack of the Clones and Revenge Of The Sith) were headed out to grab a bite during filming in Australia. “We would eat in this restaurant every night that was up a hill,” Gillard explained. “You could walk up the road and down to this restaurant, or you could walk across a steep bank to it. For me, I always want the most direct route so I'm going for the bank, and [Hayden] hates walking on a slope, so that was in my mind about the higher ground. If I can get [Anakin] on the slope, Obi might have a chance.

The moment would spawn several memes over the years since Revenge of the Sith’s release in 2005, with such images as Obi-Wan injecting himself into the argument between Tony Stark and Loki during the climax of The Avengers to brag of his fabled “high ground.”  Many fans also joked about how the Jedi Master was able to survive a similar situation in his duel against Darth Maul in Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace, where he was on the lower ground. A reference to it would later be made in episode 5 of The Mandalorian, where the titular character claims that his latest mark won’t give up her position on “the high ground.

Just to think, this moment was brought on because Hayden Christensen didn’t want to climb a slope. Perhaps if Anakin had followed his actor’s lead and walked the long way around, he would have avoided spending the rest of his life trapped in a lumbering life support suit. On the other hand, fans wouldn’t have gotten to see Anakin being encased Darth Vader’s iconic armor, so thanks are in order to Christensen and Nick Gillard for coming up with this classic moment in Star Wars history.

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Source: IGN