Galan007
|Quantum Observer|
Even in a pure saber battle, Kenobi is at a disadvantage, imo. Both Nick Gillard and George Lucas have made multiple comments pertaining to how fuggin good Palps is with a blade:
"Sidious' abilities are beyond anything we've experienced." - NG
"It took a really long time for Nick (Gillard) to work out Sidious' fighting style, and he has a style that's constantly changing. His style is one in which you'll never get the better of him. It is ambiguous --- he'll fight less than you and draw you in; you're a sucker if you think you're going to better him." - GL
"Sidious is a master of every weapon and every style."- NG
"He's better than Yoda in a way because he has the extra power of the dark side," Gillard explains. "His character is so shrouded that his fighting style should be shrouded as well. The Emperor is deadly dangerous."- NG
So even though the particular form(s) of combat Palpatine uses are yet a mystery, clearly Form VII/Juyo is one of the key components in his hybrid style-- which makes sense given that Maul was a very proficient practitioner of Juyo, and Palps is who taught him those skills. Anyway, this is important because Kenobi's Form III is inherently weak against Form VII:
"While [Juyo's] attacks can eviscerate defenses---even the blocks of a Form III master..." - A Manual for Students of the Force
Regardless, I'm not saying that there isn't a potential for Kenobi to put up some sort of fight-- Kas'im made it clear that finely tuned lightsaber skills can bridge a significant gap in force power: "Someone well trained in lightsaber combat can defeat an opponent who is stronger in the Force." However, where saber skills are concerned, Palps is pretty much as good as it gets + he appears to use a form of combat well-suited for breaching Kenobi's defenses.