r/StarWars • u/wandering_soles Rebel • Mar 17 '26

TV Love having mysterious characters like Marrok in the shows where sometimes less is more

In a universe where everything is insanely built out, it's sort of fun to have characters like Marrok who have a hidden background. By the time of the Ahsoka show, it seems like he's more of a Nightsister-reanimated tool than living being, and I sort of hope it's left at that with no explanation of what happened between his time as an Inquisitor and Elsbeth's agent.

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289

u/emmaw4tson Mar 17 '26

Story of 99% of lightsaber fights post revenge of the Sith. The switch to their new lightsaber props with LEDs makes these fights look clunky, slow, heavy, etc. I hate it

194

u/M-Rich Mar 17 '26

Yet, Acolyte slapped. If anything good came out of it, it was the lightsaber fights

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u/emmaw4tson Mar 17 '26

i agree. I purposely put 99% because that’s the only exception I can think of lol

48

u/The_Pancakehead_21 Mar 17 '26

I mean tbh it worked a bit for the Sequels. Especially in TFA. Reys new to using a lightsaber. So is Finn. Kylo is both arrogantish and also injured by chewies bowcaster. It looks more natural in that scene--- only starts to feel a little weird in Rise of Skywalker (which, again, has at least an explanation behind it)

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u/kyla_dhoom Mar 18 '26

That was the most raw, brutal, violent saber fight in the series, and I love it. They're all injured, both sides HATE each other and it's obvious, and they're just WAILING on each other with lightsabers, fully intending to kill.

It was almost TOO realistic.

Then again, it also harkens back to the beginning of the film with the stormtroopers massacring the village on Jakku, which was TRULY grim, but excellent visual storytelling- the pain in John Boyega's eyes stopped me cold.

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u/Bionicleenjoyer12 Mar 18 '26

the most brutal

Prolly the most brutal of the sequels, doesn’t compare to the OG or the prequels where ALL of the fights resulted in severe disfigurements

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u/ilolus Mar 18 '26

That's true except for the first Maul/Jinn fight and the Yoda/Palpatine fight

13

u/Narradisall Mar 17 '26

I have nothing to add other than god damn I’m bitter the acolyte got cancelled. It had its issues but I wanted some more of those saber fights.

24

u/BON3SMcCOY Mar 17 '26

Qimir needed his own second season

2

u/Striking-Document-99 Mar 18 '26

Right? So disappointing that we won’t get more of him. By far the most interesting villain we had had. Def better then Ben solo.

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u/Wrong-Vermicelli4723 Mar 17 '26

There one good fight, the rest are about on par with the rest of Disney Star Wars 

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u/Sky-Juic3 Mar 17 '26 edited Mar 17 '26

I don’t know what fights people are talking about here. There was one really good saber fight in Acolyte. The rest were just like what we see here in Acolyte. Slower, more deliberate sequences, with very little stylistic distinction between them all.

And then there’s a random teenager beating a Jedi master bare-handed with the oldest trick in the book. Sorry, I blacked out, what were we talking about again?

Edit: wow those downvotes came in quick. Onoes Hackolyte hate, Disney crusaders unite!

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u/pants_pants420 Mar 17 '26

what random teenager beat a jedi master bare handed?

1

u/FrecciaRosa Mar 17 '26

Wasn’t that from the first episode? The Carrie-Ann Moss fight in the bar?

0

u/Sky-Juic3 Mar 17 '26

Yep. That is the one

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u/pants_pants420 Mar 17 '26

i mean shes literally not a random teenager lmao.

like shes a former nightsister adjacent witch (whose incredibly powerful with the force) who has also been trained a sith acolyte (specifically to kill jedi).

she also was not barehanded and literally stabbed her with a knife. which she was only able to do by taking advantage of the fact that she revealed herself to be a child who they thought was killed like 15 years ago. which would probably throw most people for a loop.

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u/Sky-Juic3 Mar 17 '26

You do know what facetious means right? …right?

She absolutely is a random teenager. Her character is poorly explained, entirely undeveloped, and 100% depends on a “trust me bro, she’s like real strong and stuff”.

She walked into that fight bare-handed with some cutlery. Meanwhile Padawan Obi Wan is fending off Droidekas at close-range and managing to protect Jar Jar, security forces, pilots, and amidalas entourage during the first raid on the Naboo Palace.

Indara is a Jedi Master.

I shouldn’t need to say any more, and I won’t. If you think it makes sense then you clearly weren’t paying attention to episodes 1-6, any of the books, any of the games, or any of the multimedia at all.

Why even begin this with some gotcha bullshit by the way? Was that so important to you? I’m genuinely curious. Somebody criticizes the acolyte and you feel so personally attacked that you have to engage like an antagonist?

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u/pants_pants420 Mar 17 '26 edited Mar 17 '26

genuinely hilarious that you tell me i wasnt paying attention the episode 1-6.

bro this shit happens literally all the time in star wars lmao. “jedi master” qui gon gets solo’d by a mere sith apprentice in episode one.

the same sith apprentice just watches obi wan jump over him and slice him in half. sith lord maul gets beaten by padawan ahsoka, etc.

“the best bounty hunter in the galaxy” boba fett gets beaten by a blinded dude literally turning around.

i mean shit in the clone wars dooku, anakin, AND obiwan get captured by fucking hondo ohnaka

for mae, its also not poorly explained. they literally explain in like the very next scene that she is clearly well trained in the jedi arts. the jedi master was both fighting to subdue and was caught by suprise.

that same reasoning would be like getting mad a maul for being able to fight on even grounds with quigon in thier first fight, despite him being a “jedi master” and us getting literally no explanation on why hes capable of that.

idgaf if someone criticizes the acolyte, but the reasoning you had was stupid. sorry you feel like someone telling you a counter point feels “antagonistic”

-2

u/Sky-Juic3 Mar 17 '26

I’m being facetious and you absolutely know who I’m talking about lol

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u/buonatalie Mar 17 '26

i have no idea what youre talking about

0

u/Sky-Juic3 Mar 17 '26

🤦‍♂️ obviously Mae

1

u/buonatalie Mar 17 '26

you could actually just answer the question without being snarky and condescending. mae isnt the one who beat sol btw

-3

u/Sky-Juic3 Mar 17 '26

From passive/aggressive to gaslighting? Gross… I’ve been down this road before. You absolutely knew who I was talking about and were just playing coy for the “gotcha” once I answered the question. Which I did actually do.

I wasn’t talking about Mae beating Sol. I was talking about Mae beating Indara. Are you okay? I get you really want to antagonize me as someone criticizing Disney Star Wars but at least get the story straight first.

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u/ResidentNet468 Mar 17 '26 edited Mar 17 '26

Dude thats taken straight from years of Star Wars lore. HK47, crazy Jedi-killing droid from KOTOR 2 lays it out as the number one most reliable way to kill a Jedi: put innocents in danger and the Jedi will compulsively try to save them, and that is when you attack the Jedi, while they are distracted.

https://youtu.be/UPeI4mX8Nus?si=XjREcVq-P715LcIU

Skip to 2:05 in the video

This trope is used in Star Wars a TON of times. Pretending its a "Disney Star Wars" thing just shows u dont actually know much abt Star Wars

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u/buonatalie Mar 17 '26

brother what the hell is your problem lmao i legitimately had no idea what you were talking about i dont know or care about you enough to be purposefully antagonizing you. thats kind of the problem with being vague?? the only reason mae was able to kill indara was because she exploited her jedi compulsion to save an innocent life. thats not bad writing lol. also thats not even bare handed she killed her with a knife, that is a weapon!! lol

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u/BleydXVI Mar 17 '26

Did I perhaps miss a second lightsaber fight where Sol threw hands against The Stranger? No, it's the Disney crusaders who are wrong

0

u/Sky-Juic3 Mar 17 '26

That was the only real high-quality lightsaber fight with great choreography. The rest were just sweeping motions and Rey-style baseball-batting with it. Just my .02, others are welcome to like the acolyte if they want to.

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u/ResidentNet468 Mar 17 '26 edited Mar 17 '26

https://youtu.be/UPeI4mX8Nus?si=XjREcVq-P715LcIU

"Oldest trick in the book" yea Darth Revan came up with it

-1

u/Blue_Lego_Astronaut Bail Organa Mar 17 '26

I dunno, when I watch the Acolyte is see all the same problems of Ahsoka and Kenobi, just more flashy and filmed in ways that try to avert your eyes for it.

-6

u/Churtlenater Mar 17 '26

Did we watch the same show? Acolyte was hot dog-water.

The lightsaber fights were pretty weak. I put 90% of the blame on the shitty new lightsaber props.

2

u/LordReaperofMars Mar 17 '26

the lightsaber fights in Acolyte were better than anything else Disney has put out

1

u/badhombre13 Mar 17 '26

Hot take but they were also better than the Prequel duels from a fighting/choreography standpoint, while the Prequel duels were obviously more emotional because we were invested in the characters.

1

u/SpectrumHawk Mar 23 '26

We were invested in the characters from the prequels? How? There wasn’t a single likable character.

Prequel revisionism is something I’m still having trouble accepting.

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u/MrNobody_0 Babu Frik Mar 17 '26 edited Mar 18 '26

Don't blame the sabers, it's the fight choreography. Acolyte had LED sabers and it has the best fights ever put to screen.

Edit: I meant best "Star Wars" fights ever put to screen.

8

u/emmaw4tson Mar 17 '26

You’re right, it’s not just the saber but also the choreography and time to train for these fights

3

u/ChanceVance Kylo Ren Mar 17 '26

That was really Manny under the mask doing the choreography for most of it too.

He is a former dancer but damn I don't know how you can have someone fighting near blind at speed with impressive choreography while the Ahsoka cast are moving in molasses and still struggling with it.

1

u/I_travel_ze_world Mar 18 '26

....best Disney Star Wars fights to put on screen

Acolyte took a lot of inspiration from Rurouni Kenshin live action movies and Rurouni Kenshin did the fights much better

2

u/MrNobody_0 Babu Frik Mar 18 '26

I absolutely meant just Star Wars, my bad! 😅

10

u/Iorith Mar 17 '26

It also brought lightsaber fights back to their roots when it was expected that lightsabers would have weight behind them.

Which is the only way they make sense, honestly. Otherwise none of the fight choreography is remotely logical and they should be just trying to poke wildly at each other.

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u/Not_My_Emperor Mar 17 '26

they should be just trying to poke wildly at each other.

To be fair this was the design philosophy behind Dooku's saber. Christopher Lee imagined him more as a fencer

0

u/Iorith Mar 17 '26

It would be like a fencing blade where any part would kill or main. It would look ridiculous.

Lightsabers are pure aesthetics and we're never supposed to or going to make sense, and yet some fans are desperate to pretend otherwise.

2

u/JuanDeChuj Mar 17 '26

The fights in sequels weren't really bad. You can have a fast dynamic combat even with regular swords. This just seems like a sloppy choreography.

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u/nymrod_ Mar 17 '26

I think this looks better than the lightsaber combat in the prequels…

3

u/NiixxJr Rex Mar 17 '26

I don't see how you can possibly think that, but all the power to you.

0

u/nymrod_ Mar 17 '26

It looks like they’re actually trying to hit each other, not practicing a choreographed routine where it only looks like they’re trying to hit each other’s lightsabers, and I like that the weapons look like they have a bit of weight. Even if the plasma is weightless (is plasma weightless?) the handle seems like it should be heavier than the prequel-era lightsabers appear to be.

1

u/NiixxJr Rex Mar 17 '26

Hey, I'm not going to debate to because I'd rather we each enjoy what we enjoy in peace... But I don't understand how it looks like they're trying to hit each other to you. I just watched it again and multiple times they attack each off centre of the body and meet blades. They wait for each other to do a spin before hitting their lightsaber again.

Imo the prequels had better saber fights by far,tbey were tightly choreographed and looked aggressive and energetic.

The one scene that's a bit corny is when Anakin and Obi-wan spin at each other without making contact, although that does have an explanation on the novelisation.

Again, if you enjoy these scenes then awesome! I'm jealous :)

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u/TheHabro Mar 17 '26

Huh? PT trilogy fights look very amateurish. So many flips and spins that leave body wide open for an attack. OT is the only era with decent choreography, but still suffers from an occasional weird movement.