Duel of the Fates is widely considered to be the best fight scene in Star Wars, if not all of modern cinema. Many directors have tried to top it, including other Star Wars movies, but come out and say it was your intention is surely setting yourself up to fail.
The Acolyte showrunner Leslye Headland has done just that, and it is safe to say that while the fight scenes in her show were good, they still fell short of the climactic battle in The Phantom Menace.
Headland Targeted the Impossible
Talking to Collider, Headland was asked about the impressive fight sequences in The Acolyte, to which she mentioned she was trying to make the scenes feel like they could stand the test of time. She explains:
“[Second unit director] Chris Cowan and I, we were shooting for immortality. We were like, ‘We are f***ing 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.’”
Disney's sequel trilogy reverted to the rougher look of lightsaber battles from Lucas' original trilogy. However, The Acolyte went to the more refined fighting style popularized in the prequels show this was an era where the Jedi were at their peak.
Headland continues, “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.”
The Best Part of the Show
While the series has been pilloried for some story choices, the lightsaber battles have been praised by fans. Not only did they feature the signature choreography of the prequels, but they also introduced all kinds of variants in style including Jecki with the dual-wield sabers and Qimir fighting with his cortosis helmet.
When it came to topping the Duel of the Fates battle though, fans agree that The Acolye falls short; and not just in terms of choreography. The stakes are higher when it comes to the duel with Darth Maul; not to mention John Williams' score is the most memorable pieces of music in the whole Skywalker Saga.
It is fair to say that while Headland's aspiration is admirable and the lightsaber duels have definitely been the most celebrated aspect of the show, they have fallen well short of the epic two-on-one fight that set Obi-Wan and Anakin on their paths.
For now, the fate of the second season of The Acolyte is still up in the air, but Headland and her team have already set up a lot of things for future seasons including the mentorship between Osha and Qimir as well as the presence of Darth Plagueis on the island.
Fingers crossed Disney gives Season 2 the greenlight soon.