So here is my experience doing SCA fencing. My preference was sword and dagger, though I did often fight with or against case (dual weapon same length).

1) With two relatively inexperienced fighters, you will either see the single sword wielder get overwhelmed, or the two sword wielder will tie up his own blades blocking with both blades at the same time.

2) As the dual sword wielder gets more experience, you start seeing cane and sword. What I mean by this is the off hand tends to be primarily used for blocking and then the primary hand attacks. With some experience the single sword wielder will start to win once they realize that they should focus on the off-hand side (parry the off-hand weapon from the outside forcing it toward the primary hand weapon, either bring the blade down on the wrist or arm, or step forward and attack the torso).

3) Eventually the dual sword wielder will start to develop some ambidexterity. At this point the single sword wielder will start to get overwhelmed until he has gotten used to it. As the single sword wielder gets more experience, it becomes harder for the dual sword wielder to win (for example, a common habit of dual sword (at least in fencing) is to either hold the off hand weapon out and perpendicular the body leaving the hand exposed, or to point the tips both at center of mass, allowing you to tie up the blades with a figure eight motion).

4) Once you have two good fighters, the dual sword will have an advantage, but not nearly as much as you would expect. There is a point where the fight is more about creating and exploiting weaknesses in your opponents defense than in overwhelming that. A dual sword wielder has more options to create/exploit a weakness, but also has more options to mess up in a way that can be exploited.

Interesting topic here are my thoughts although some have been covered already...

Star Wars Universe: I don't know if this is true but it seems like in the movies to do a force push or the lightning they always use an empty hand. Vader did smash Luke with stuff in ESB in the middle of the fight but Vader was ultra powerful.

Real World: There are several two weapon fighting styles that exist so they merit decent respect otherwise no one would have used them. As many people have pointed out it is the skill of the duelist that matters the most. That said one advantage you will notice is familiarity. Similar to the southpaw in boxing but again a well seasoned fighter may have the experience required to nullify that. Now, an ambidextrous individual(both hands and feet even more so) can be very dangerous in either regard because of the ability to change fighting stances at their leisure granting greater mobility. Marvelous Marvin Hagler from boxing was known for his ambidexterity but he did favor a southpaw stance often. In my opinion it was because of the difficulty that righties have with the southpaw even if they are experienced.

I am a proponent of training with a single blade, but learning techniques right and left handed. Once you are proficient with both hands, dual wielding become far easier.

As far as dual sabers being overpowered... I'd have to disagree. There's a reason most people don't dual wield, regardless of how good you get, you're still dividing your attention between two blades, three two four or mor depending on your opponent(s)

That's a lot to focus on, and it takes a very keen mind to keep track and still outplay your opponent. Who if utilizing two hands on one blade will have more strength and leverage.

All in all I think it boils down to personal preference.

Actually jedi DID use two blades, it was a variant of Ataru called Jar'kai I believe.

HOWEVER, using dual weapons DOES NOT GIVE YOU an instant advantage!

I've been swordfighting for around 18 years, and realistiically what it comes down to is your experience, and how you've trained.

Because, while having a second blade DOES increase your attack opportunities, it however has certain weakness as well.

Firstly, unless your ambidextrous, your off hand is going to be weaker, not as flexible, not as precise. Because of that, a Lot of dual wielders (unless they train themselves to avoid this weakness) develop certain patters in their style that you can watch for.

Second major weakness, is your sacrificing strength, and a lot of it. Your only using one hand, meaing your going to be forced to use redirection more then blocks, because your one handed blocks won't be able to resist a strong blow from a two handed saber grip. Honestly that's how I deal with dual wielders, knock their sabers aside, or force them back.

Now, of course, with experience comes skill, I'm not saying dual wielding is NOT an option, I'm just saying that just because someone uses two sabers doesn't mean they will automatically win. It comes down to training and skill. The most trained fighter will win, Regardless of what their using

I come from the world of Boffing. (fencing with padded plastic core weapons) and dual wield is not an instant advantage there either. Two handed single blade is faster, can have a longer blade (with control) and much more strength/leverage. The leverage is important to push through and opponents block and on lockups.

Dual Wielding is awesome.

However, as Sapherno says, there is a trade off from power to versatility and speed.

In Spanish Espada y Daga (Sword and Dagger), the dagger was used mainly for defense, and occasional close-quarters attacks (if somehow your opponent let you inside his guard). The sword being the main offensive weapon. Usually the off hand was defending.

In Japanese Nihon-do (Katana and Wakizashi), there was an equal emphasis on attack and defense with both weapons (though the quicker wakizashi tended to work better in defense). Again, usually the off hand held the smaller weapon.

In Chinese Double Broadsword and Tiger Twin Hook Swords, one weapon would be defending at the same time the other attacked. An equal amount of proficiency was needed for both hands.

I believe it all goes to preference. The style of swordsmanship, the stance chosen, the weapon held, the angle of the opponent's gaze- all these things tell you subtle things about your opponent and what you'll have to contend with in a duel.

As far as saber choreography goes, the more sabers, the cooler it looks as people flip and flourish.

Just be safe. Happy sabering!

I have always loved dual wielding visually but unless your just a proficient with your off hand, which takes a ton of practice even for those of us who are ambidextrous, its just not as practical as a good 2 handed blade with a reach advantage. With a longer weapon the end of your blade is faster and can cover more distance with less motion and more stability.

Typically with good footwork and reach you can keep a duel wielder (with shorter blades) out of their range and in your sweet spot until they get frustrated and dash in usually exposing themselves in the process. As always there are going to be exceptions to this with skilled duel wielders, but I have yet to meet anyone who more than dabbles in it.

Remember these are light sabers and theoretically it only takes one swipe or touch to disable your opponent in cauterizing pain or in a very permanent way.