How ‘The Acolyte’ Consistently Delivered the Most Epic Lightsaber Battles in the Franchise

‘Star Wars: The Acolyte’ faced criticism on several fronts. Its pacing was often deemed erratic, and both fans and critics pointed out awkward dialogues and scripting issues.

As a result, the show’s critical reception suffered, with the critiques extending beyond the perceived wokeness of the series.

However, there was one area where ‘The Acolyte’ truly excelled: the lightsaber battles. Even before the show premiered, the cast and crew hinted that it would surpass one of the franchise’s most iconic duels, The Duel of the Fates. Whether or not it achieved that is up to personal preference, but it undeniably stands out.

We’ve witnessed some impressive duels fitting for the High Republic Era. In her latest interview with Collider, Leslye Headland explained the creation process behind these epic fights:

[Second unit director] Chris Cowan and I, we were shooting for immortality. We were like, “We are fucking going for it. We want to top Duel of the Fates, we want to top the train station in The Matrix. We will settle for nothing less.” I will leave it up to the viewer as to whether or not we achieved that, but in my heart of hearts, I was like, “We achieved that.” As far as I’m concerned.

Headland was also open about the show’s influences from Wuxia and Samurai films. She explained how ‘The Matrix’ impacted the fight sequences and how these battles were designed to reflect the characters’ emotional turmoil.

What I love about both of those sequences is obviously the artistry of it and what the stunt team did and the wire work, like you said, and all the slow motion, and Lee Jung-jae’s performance. He does all of his own action, and all of his expressions, the way that he conveyed both the confidence and the frustration of wanting to defeat this person.

But here’s the thing, on an emotional level for the audience, now having watched Episode 7, you’ve got the light side and the dark side, Jedi and Sith, but who are you rooting for? Am I finding myself now rooting for The Stranger, who I feel incredibly drawn to, who’s made himself literally exposed, and Sol, who has been hiding this thing? So, that sort of emotional impact of, like, “I hate what Sol did, but this is the bad guy! He’s got the red lightsaber. What am I supposed to do?”

With the girls, it’s similar. Who am I rooting for? I’m kind of rooting for Osha because I want her to restore her strength in the Force and tap into her negative feelings, but I’m also rooting for Mae because she was framed by everybody. She was on a quest to find justice in her own way, knowing that the institution would never hold these people accountable.

Which fight do you think comes closest to surpassing the Duel of the Fates? Share your thoughts in the comments below!