The Star Wars Universe continues to expand, bringing new stories that extend the franchise’s legacy. The Acolyte is one such show, meant to bring fresh perspective into the sci-fi lore but things are far from good. Although the critical response has managed to stay on a positive trajectory, audiences have expressed lukewarm reactions.
Although their disappointment with the show is pretty understandable, criticizing Qimir’s lightsaber duel for being unrealistic would not be the right thing to do.
Qimir’s Lightsaber Duel in The Acolyte Doesn’t Deserve Hate from Star Wars Fans
The Star Wars fandom has long been enjoying the sci-fi lore since 1977 and the franchise itself focused on expanding the universe with several other stories. The ongoing series, The Acolyte, is one such project that explores the final days of the High Republic era, centuries before the events of the Skywalker saga.
While many had high expectations for the show, the bubble soon burst when the show premiered, leaving the franchise fans with mixed thoughts on the show.
Amid serious concerns, some fans are focusing their hate on a particular sequence, Qimir’s lightsaber duel in Episode 5, claiming that it looks unrealistic. However, things are far different from what it looks, as an X user explains the entire concept, sharing a complete thread to appreciate that the duel is one of the best in the saga.
Explaining his point, he focused on how realistic fights often have confusing and jerky movements, often ending in seconds. Due to that, realistic fights might not come off as engaging or entertaining to the audience.
It also lacks clarity, making it difficult to visually appeal to the viewers unlike fictional fights, which are choreographed for entertainment purposes.
The user reflected on how choreography in in lightsaber fighting changes the arena as it comes up “with several complicated movements and flourishes to show how bada-s the jedi are, make the fights last longer and tell a story.”
With the right choreography, the intensive duel sequences make it seem like the characters are fighting, which we can keep up with, with the narrative element intact.
The user appreciated the show Episode 5’s choreography, which he believed might have been the best in the entirety of the franchise. The X account further added that the sequence doesn’t deserve any criticism as the efforts are well visible on screen.
Why The Acolyte is Getting Mixed Audience Reception
The Star Wars saga is no stranger to controversy and hatred for particular issues, but this list recently adds the new show. Although fans have more than enough reason to make up their mind about the show, it all kickstarted with the showrunner itself.
Leslye Headland who is known for co-creating Netflix’s Russian Doll, handled the show’s command, but her particular remarks garnered controversy among the fandom – criticizing the franchise’s creator, George Lucas, and prequels.
Other than that, a division of fandom is widely disappointed due to the show’s creative choices, with accusations of “wokeness” among others further adding up to elevate the issue.
Many criticized the show for heavily deviating from the traditional narrative of the franchise, bringing characters and plots that are far away from the core elements of the sci-fi gore. However, there is also a segment of fans, who are generally appreciating the show, particularly for elements that are worth a watch.
The Acolyte is available for streaming on Disney+.
