Ahsoka Tano’s Influence on The Acolyte’s Stunning Lightsaber Duel

August 26, 2025

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Ahsoka Tano had a massive influence on Disney Star Wars‘ best lightsaber duel, one of the high points in The Acolyte. As controversial as The Acolyte may have been, Leslye Headland’s High Republic TV show certainly had some stunning lightsaber fight choreography.

The Acolyte had the best live-action lightsaber duels since the prequels themselves, and in truth only one can compete: an animated duel between Ahsoka Tano and Darth Maul in Star Wars: The Clone Wars season 7. But it turns out Ahsoka herself had a profound influence on the show, as revealed by Dafne Keen at Fan Expo Canada.

Dafne Keen’s Jecki was a young Padawan who engaged in a stunning duel with Manny Jacinto’s mysterious Sith Lord in The Acolyte episode 5. Looking in detail, it’s easy to see why Keen’s fight choreographers drew inspiration from Ahsoka.

Like Ahsoka Tano, Dafne Keen’s Jecki Uses Two Lightsabers

Jecki was only a Padawan, but she put up a surprisingly good fight against the Sith Lord known as the Stranger. This was partly because she had trained to use two lightsabers; there’s a smug smile on her face as she draws the second blade, taking the Stranger by surprise.

Jecki shares Ahsoka’s lightsaber form, Djem So, an unusual form for the High Republic Era; an aggressive variant of Form V, it’s notable for a distinctive reverse-grip used by both Ahsoka and Jecki. It’s perfect for lightsaber duels, which explains why Anakin taught his Padawan that technique, believing she could need to go up against the likes of Asajj Ventress.

Rewatching The Acolyte‘s lightsaber duel now, it’s easy to see Ahsoka’s influence; it’s particularly notable in that trademark reverse-grip, one that requires particularly careful choreography. Oddly, Keen’s choreography is much better than anything we saw performed by Rosario Dawson in the live-action Ahsoka TV show (so far).

Dafne Keen Uses Shoto Blades Too

Jecki Lon (Dafne Keen) holding her lightsaber while lying on the ground in The Acolyte season 1 episode 5

There is another similarity between Jecki and Ahsoka, though, and it’s a subtle one that most viewers would miss. Dafne Keen uses a shoto blade, a shorter weapon than most lightsabers, and there was a practical reason for it. As she explained:

The shot that you see in the trailer where we all pull out our sabers – I’m 5’2”, okay, and the ‘sabers are all the same size. Mine kept hitting the ground, because I’m too short! They had to make me a custom ‘saber for someone who’s 5’2”, they’re supposed to hit your waist, and mine would hit my chest. It was so long and ridiculous! They were like, ‘No, we need to give you a short ‘saber, because this looks silly.’ It was like I was skiing.

The shoto blade was created by Luke Skywalker in Star Wars Legends, but it’s most well known in canon because it is the preferred weapon of Ahsoka Tano. Ahsoka combines a primary blade with a shoto, the variation in lengths giving her an edge in combat. No doubt this, too, made Ahsoka the primary source for The Acolyte‘s lightsaber choreography.