The verdict is in: The Acolyte episode 5 has some of the best lightsaber duels in Star Wars history

Warning: This article contains spoilers for The Acolyte episode 5. Make sure you’ve seen it before reading any further!

Star Wars doesn’t get much more action-packed than the latest episode of The Acolyte. Despite its sparse runtime of just 30 minutes, the new outing is full of lightsaber battles – and fans have already been calling them some of the best ever in the franchise.

The action kicks off right where we left off in episode 4 as the mysterious Sith lord (lovingly nicknamed Darth Teeth) attacks the Jedi. Over the next few minutes, he dispatches several fighters, before going on to battle Master Sol, and kills two major characters before the episode is through.

You barely have time to catch your breath, and there are some particularly epic moments that have already been compared to some of the most legendary battles in Star Wars. 

Sharing a montage of some of the moments, one viewer tweeted: "I’m a lifelong Lightsaber choreography nerd. When Dafne Keen said #TheAcolyte was trying to top ‘Duel Of The Fates’, I’ll admit, I was skeptical. But not only did they succeed, but the choreography in ‘Night’ is without a doubt some of the best ever put to screen. I’m in awe."

They’re not alone, either. Another tweeted: "The choreography blew my mind. It had the pace of the prequel trilogy." There’s been one moment too that fans have been going crazy over: when Qimir kills two Jedis in one move with his lightsaber. "The Force pull into the double kill was one of the sickest moves I've seen in Star Wars, possibly ever," commented a fan on Reddit. Meanwhile, another called it "a Sith Kebab". Check out some more reactions below.

The Acolyte airs on Disney Plus on Tuesdays in the US and Wednesdays in the UK. For more on the Star Wars show, check out our guides to:

• The Acolyte release schedule
• What is The High Republic? The Acolyte's new Star Wars era explained
• When does The Acolyte take place on the Star Wars timeline?
• New Star Wars show The Acolyte's sets were so big and detailed, the actors needed a map to get around and were literally “tripping on mushrooms”
• Squid Game’s Lee Jung-jae on joining The Acolyte, making history as a Jedi, and why he thinks Russian Doll’s Leslye Headland has a "fresh take" on Star Wars
• The Acolyte creator talks pitching The High Republic – and the biggest challenge behind the new Star Wars era
• Star Wars' cute new droid has an incredibly wholesome inspiration behind it
• The Acolyte crew built lightsabers for the new Star Wars show that could be used "the way Darth Maul and Qui-Gon Jinn use them"
• Upcoming Star Wars movies
• Star Wars timeline
• How to watch the Star Wars movies in order