New Star Wars BTS Video Celebrates The Best Fight Choreography The Galaxy’s Ever Seen

The upcoming Star Wars Disney+ series, The Acolyte, is looking to take the franchise’s fight choreography to the next level, according to a new BTS featurette. Set 100 years before Episode 1 – The Phantom Menace, The Acolyte shows the end of the High Republic era, as a string of mysterious murders are tied to a young Padawan who abandoned the Jedi Order. The series features a whole new cast of characters, led by an ensemble cast including Carrie-Anne Moss, Lee Jung-jae, Amandla Stenberg, Manny Jacinto, Dafne Keen, and Dean-Charles Chapman. As well as new characters, The Acolyte also introduces audiences to a whole new kind of Jedi fight choreography.

In a BTS video shared on X/Twitter, showrunner Leslye Headland shared her excitement about audiences witnessing the show’s impressive fights. She shared her vision for the show’s action, saying “It was very important to me that the show feel visceral and that the fight sequences feel jaw-dropping.” The video features behind-the-scenes footage of the cast and crew shooting some fight scenes, including a tense duel between Indara (Moss) and Mae (Stenberg). Carrie-Anne Moss is no stranger to science fiction universes, famously portraying Trinity in the Matrix franchise, and some of her fights in The Acolyte feel reminiscent of The Matrix‘s iconic hand-to-hand combat. Moss described working on The Acolyte, saying:

“Training for
The Acolyte
was really challenging. Today I feel a tad like a truck hit me.”

2nd Unit Director, Chris Cowen also outlined some of the real world influences on The Acolyte‘s fight scenes. Traditional martial arts have always been a staple of the Star Wars franchise, with the first duels in A New Hope being inspired by Samurai cinema and the Japanese art of Kendo. According to Cowen, The Acolyte blends traditional and contemporary fighting styles, featuring “Tae-Kwon Do, Karate, Krav Maga, [and] Western Boxing.”

The Acolyte Has Already Faced Backlash from Fans

As the old(ish) saying goes, no one hates Star Wars more than Star Wars fans. This is especially apparent when it comes to female characters in the franchise. A portion of the fan base is convinced that a strong female character is the most absurd aspect of a franchise set in outer space with aliens, lightsabers, and space cults. Social media platforms like X/Twitter and Instagram have given these fans a platform to share their opinions, and they rarely hold back.

Lucasfilm president, Kathleen Kennedy (a frequent target of these disgruntled fans) recently addressed the pressure the show is under, and the unfair online abuse women working on Star Wars projects receive. Kennedy said:

“Operating within these giant franchises now, with social media and the level of expectation — it’s terrifying. I think Leslye [Headland] has struggled a little bit with it. I think a lot of the women who step into Star Wars struggle with this a bit more. Because of the fan base being so male-dominated, they sometimes get attacked in ways that can be quite personal.”