Star Wars fans are presently debating whether or not Duel of the Fates has finally been dethroned as the greatest lightsaber duel in the history of the saga. However, is the suggestion fair, or is it not even a remote possibility?
Of course, the duel that has brought up the question is the lightsaber showdown from episode 5 of The Acolyte, which is receiving rave reactions from fans of the space saga, and is currently the talk of Star Wars-related social media.
The duel technically started at the end of episode 4, when the Sith now known as The Stranger begins to take on several Jedi at once.
Episode 5 kicks off with Osha spotting the duel from a distance, thanks to the glow of the lightsabers. This moment is what the dishonest among the Star Wars fandom prefer to show you, as they try to laugh at the suggestion of this duel being compared to Duel of the Fates, mostly because they have an unhealthy and misguided hatred for the show. Of course, the honest among us know that this moment lasts just a few seconds, and quickly focuses on what becomes a lightsaber sequence for the ages, lasting 20 minutes if we include the moments when the action is temporarily halted for a scene elsewhere, or for a rather revealing conversation between combatants.
It all starts when Osha sees one Jedi already killed and three more suffering the same fate rather quickly, which leads to The Stranger facing Yord Fandar and later Jedi padawan Jecki followed by Jedi master Sol.
I have no idea what to call this battle but, for purposes of this article at least, I will refer to it as the Duel with The Stranger.
There are many elements to the conflict, and it’s difficult to describe it further without offering spoilers, but the scenery in the forest, the dialogue, the acting — especially from Manny Jacinto — is all perfect. It’s a well-crafted episode of action, and I’m usually not a fan of an almost all-action episode of any kind, but somehow it actually works here. It certainly helps when thought-to-be main characters perish in the battle. It was rather surpassing to see so many meet their end.
Along with the choreography, another point of praise is that the duel features something new to a Star Wars show or film. The Stranger is able to temporarily disable the power of lightsabers, causing his opponents to be without a weapon for a few seconds, handicapping them tremendously in a battle where they are already overmatched.
He does this because he wears a metal called cortosis, which his helmet is also made from. Cortosis, as mentioned briefly before in Star Wars lore, can short circuit a lightsaber upon contact. The Stranger is dangerously equipped with the metal and it will likely play a role late run the series as the surviving Jedi try to figure out how to defeat him.
There is no doubt that the Duel with The Stranger is outstanding but is it really better than the Duel of the Fates?
Often considered the greatest of all lightsaber duels — with the one-on-one Anakin vs Obi-Wan duel it’s main challenger — Duel of the Fates featured a two-on-one battle between Darth Maul and Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn teaming with Obi-Wan Kenobi. Maul’s double-bladed lightsaber and martial arts skills steal the show in Star Wars – Episode 1: The Phantom Menace.
Not only has there been nothing like it since but, before that, the best lightsaber duel was Darth Vader vs Luke Skywalker. It was light years — pun intended — ahead of anything seen before in Star Wars and was the new beginning for the saga as the previous movie was 16 years earlier.
The music by John Williams was also exceptional, elevating the duel in a way that has not yet been duplicated, and may never be. However, the duel itself is difficult to match, even just from a choreography standpoint.
Duel of the Fates practically saves Phantom Menace, and certainly gave fans a new hope for the future of the saga.
So, is Duel with The Stranger better than Duel of the Fates?
No.
However, it’s all subjective. Some will say Duel with The Stranger is better — in fact, many already have — and some will say it’s not even close to matching the Fates. I say it’s up there as the second best, though Revenge of the Sith fans might say nay to either, considering the duel on Mustafar.
This Acolyte showdown — Duel with The Stranger — is applause-worthy, and will likely be considered by many to be the best lightsaber duel of any Star Wars show and maybe even the second greatest lightsaber duel of all time, including Star Wars films, but its impression and importance to the saga is not quite at Duel of the Fates level. Also, Duel of the Fates is more focused between the three combatants, whereas Duel with The Stranger is somewhat chaotic in its focus, seeing The Stranger changing opponents often. Duel of the Fates also has something that Duel with The Stranger doesn’t, and it’s rather important. Fates concludes with the death of the main protagonist and, at the time, the thought-to-be death of the main antagonist. Duel with The Stranger does not have either.
Nonetheless, to be discussed in the category of Duel of the Fates is an honor and an excellent achievement, especially for a show as opposed to a feature film.
Perhaps the wildest thing about all of this is that there are still three episodes remaining in The Acolyte series and they are three episodes that I dare not miss.