Summary

  • The lightsaber duels in Obi-Wan Kenobi were criticized because the fluorescent blue lightsaber darkened the images.
  • The Acolyte, set during the High Republic Era, featured a range of Jedi with a variety of lightsaber colors.
  • This will play to The Acolyte's strength, allowing the fights to showcase their choreography.

The Obi-Wan Kenobi DIsney+ TV show had major problems with the lighting of Jedi lightsabers, but the upcoming High Republic TV show The Acolyte will avoid the issue. Obi-Wan Kenobi's lightsaber duels were great, with some of the most impressive fight choreography ever seen in Star Wars. They set the precedent for a new approach to lightsaber combat, one that will be followed up on by The Acolyte.

Set a century before the events of Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace, The Acolyte will see the Sth infiltrate the Jedi Order itself - sowing the seeds of the Jedi's destruction. The Acolyte will feature more on-screen Jedi than ever before, and its stars have promised the best lightsaber fights since The Phantom Menace. This is certainly a high bar, but one lesson from Obi-Wan Kenobi will help the upcoming Star Wars Disney+ TV show cross it.

Related: Star Wars: The Acolyte - Cast, Story Details & Everything We Know

Why Obi-Wan Kenobi's Fluorescent Lightsabers Caused Major Problems

Anakin and Obi-Wan training in a flashback in Obi-Wan Kenobi.

The problem lies in Obi-Wan Kenobi's fluorescent blue lightsaber. One of the reasons why other Star Wars projects were successful using blue lightsabers was because they were made on film, not using digital cameras, which were used on Obi-Wan Kenobi. The digital camera allows for fluorescent colors like blue to be reflected and observed by digital cameras making the images look worse. Because of how digital cameras take in color, the amount of blue light used for Obi-Wan’s lightsaber hurt the image by darkening its surroundings. This made it hard for audiences to see and enjoy the show.

The Acolyte Features A Range Of Lightsaber Colors - Avoiding The Problems

Various Jedi from The Acolyte

Fortunately, The Acolyte features a tremendous number of Jedi - and many different lightsaber colors, ranging from yellow to purple. In one shot in the trailer released at Star Wars Celebration, no less than six different lightsaber colors were visible. While there will be at least two blue lightsabers, the variety of colors will mean The Acolyte's lighting avoids the problems seen in Obi-Wan Kenobi.

The Acolyte has the potential to be the Star Wars story viewers have longed for. It features Jedi versus Sith at a time when the Jedi Order was at its height, before the balance of the Force had tilted toward the dark side. The range of lightsabers will play to the show's strengths, and the fluorescence of Disney's lightsabers won't be a problem this time round. Hopefully it won't be long before Lucasfilm release this trailer online, and general audiences can get a sense of just how immersive and beautiful the upcoming Disney+ TV show really is.