The Acolyte is being compared to Duel of the Fates' lightsaber duel

(Image credit: Lucasfilm)

We were already excited about The Acolyte, 2024’s new "mystery-thriller" Star Wars show set hundreds of years before the prequels. Now, next year can’t come soon enough – thanks to a pitch-perfect tease from star Manny Jacinto about the Disney Plus series’ use of lightsabers.

"If you loved that sequence with Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan and Darth Maul, I think you're going to enjoy this show," Jacinto told Entertainment Weekly, referring to ‘Duel of the Fates’, the climactic lightsaber duel at the end of The Phantom Menace that wowed a new generation of Star Wars fans.

Co-star Charlie Barnett, who plays a Jedi in The Acolyte, adds, "I will say too – not to shade, but we have a lot more tangible physical moves than I saw in that fight. As badass as it is, there's a lot more grounded work that goes into our stunt training and our stunt performances."

He continues, "We have an awesome stunt team. Doing so much without cables, without CGI, without a lot of effects – it makes the fight seem so much more visceral."

Color us excited. Duel of the Fates – along with Obi-Wan and Anakin’s Revenge of the Sith duel – is often regarded as an action high-point for the series. If The Acolyte can match that, we’re in for a treat. It’s a little wonder, then, that this show will have more Jedi than you’ve ever seen before in a Star Wars movie or show.

If The Acolyte has passed you by, let’s fill you in. Created by Russian Doll’s Leslye Headland and starring Amandla Stenberg, Lee Jung-jae, Manny Jacinto, and Dafne Keen, the series revolves around a former Padawan reuniting with her Jedi Master to investigate a series of crimes. Unfortunately for them, what’s standing in their way is "even more sinister than they ever anticipated."

The High Republic-set series will also focus on "emerging dark side powers" in the waning years of the Golden Era of the Jedi.