Fans of the Jedi and Sith, take note! Star Wars is gearing up for yet another epic lightsaber duel that is set to rival the most iconic fight scenes in the Star Wars universe. The Acolyte, an upcoming Disney+ series, promises a galactic showdown that will keep viewers on the verge of tears of excitement.
Star Wars: The Acolyte seeks to surpass the epic lightsaber battle that viewers witnessed in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, which was released 25 years ago. Every Star Wars narrative attempts to elevate aspects of the franchise.
Dafne Keen claimed that her forthcoming live-action series might even surpass Star Wars: The Phantom Menace in terms of establishing the benchmark for lightsaber combat.
Mastering the Art of Lightsaber Choreography in The Acolyte
Ahead of the show’s June premiere, the cast of The Acolyte is presently touring. One of the cast members, Dafne Keen, recently shared that the series is set out to outstrip the fight scenes from The Phantom Menace.
Fans consider the scene, which features an intense and highly acrobatic battle between Obi-Wan Kenobi, Qui-Gon Jinn, and Darth Maul in the film’s climax, to be the most breathtaking in the entire series. However, The Acolyte’s confrontation will definitely whip it.
Keen, who plays a Padawan in this series that takes place a century before The Phantom Menace, revealed in an interview with Entertainment Weekly that the cast and crew aim to surpass this duel:
“Yeah, that was a very frequent conversation we had. It was very much: We want to top the Darth Maul fight — the most iconic fight, I think, in the Star Wars cinematic universe. It’s such an amazing fight and we were all so excited about the saber fights. There’s such a skill and a craft to it that it feels so OG Star Wars and feels so impressive when you see it as a viewer.”
Although setting such a high standard means that the lightsaber duels must be phenomenal in any case, this ambition makes it possible. While The Acolyte is set during the period of The High Republic, Keen’s comments imply that the emphasis will be on intimate interactions rather than large-scale, pageant battles.
This contrasts with the more action-packed elements of the Star Wars franchise, which have allowed us to scout intense combat in numerous locations throughout the galaxy.
From Sticks to Lightsabers: Dafne Keen’s Evolution
With his menacing presence and amazing lightsaber duel, Darth Maul gained popularity as a character in Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace. Actress Dafne Keen joyfully remembers how she used to think of sticks as lightsabers when she was younger. During the same interview, she said:
“I remember watching Star Wars when I was a kid, then playing with sticks on the street and being like, ‘I have a saber!’ And now finally getting to learn these incredible choreographies that the stunt team put together was just honestly such a privilege, because we had such an amazing stunt team.”
Keen also hailed Leslye Headland, the showrunner (The Acolyte), for having a “broad understanding of Star Wars”. In a different interview, the actress told EW:
“Leslye is one of the most amazing people I’ve ever worked with. She’s such an interesting director in the sense that she has an innate trust with actors and her crew that it makes you trust her more. She’s so confident in the people she’s hiring, and she has such a broad understanding of Star Wars and of cinema in general that I truly feel like I would follow that woman to the trenches.”
Two episodes of The Acolyte will air on Disney+ on June 4.
