The Star Wars Lightsaber Duel Too Brutal for the Big Screen
A martial arts legend brought a game-changing fight to Star Wars, but the scene was cut before punters ever saw it. Discover what made this lightsaber moment too much for the galaxy.
After making waves in The Raid: Redemption, Iko Uwais landed a role in the much-hyped 2015 instalment of the space saga. Alongside his The Raid mate Cecep Arif Rahman, Uwais was cast as one of the blokes on Han’s tail. Director J.J. Abrams, clearly impressed by Uwais’ Pencak Silat skills, asked him to put together a fight sequence for the film. Uwais even came up with a finishing move he reckoned would shake things up for lightsaber battles.
His idea? A fighter would quickly retract their lightsaber, slip behind their opponent, and then, in one swift motion, jab the deactivated hilt into their back before firing it up. As Uwais described it, “with a swift move, puts the dead lightsaber into the back of his opponent, and turns it on.”
But this bold new take on lightsaber combat never made it to the final cut. The scene was dropped, with the official line being that it was a bit too much for a PG-13 rating. There’s another, more technical reason fans have tossed around for why it got the chop.
Why the Scene Was Left on the Cutting Room Floor
It’s no secret the film was aiming to keep things family-friendly, so a particularly lethal move was always going to be a tough sell. But there’s a bit more to it than just the rating. For years, fans have wondered why Jedi and Sith don’t just flick their sabres off, get in close, and then switch them back on for a sneaky win. Turns out, this tactic was considered a bit dodgy—an dishonourable way to finish a fight.
There’s even been chatter among diehards that both sides agreed not to use this move in duels, seeing it as crossing a line. So, while Uwais’ choreography might have been a fresh take, it clashed with the unwritten rules of the galaxy’s most famous warriors.
From Local Action Hero to Hollywood’s Radar
After his breakout in The Raid: Redemption, Uwais started getting calls from the big end of town. Hollywood was keen to tap into his unique fighting style, and he soon found himself fielding offers from all over. Reflecting on the experience, Uwais said:
Getting calls from Hollywood has been quite surreal to be honest. Making a living out of my real passion, which is Silat; that’s certainly a privilege for me.
Since then, he’s kept busy, racking up roles in international productions and lining up several new projects, including Road House 2 and Wings of Dread. Not bad for a bloke who started out in Indonesian action flicks.
Key Details and Fan Reactions
The film, directed by J.J. Abrams and starring Daisy Ridley, Harrison Ford, and John Boyega, hit cinemas on 18 December 2015. It scored a solid 7.7/10 on IMDb and a whopping 93% on Rotten Tomatoes, pulling in a massive $2 billion at the box office. Lucasfilm produced the flick, and it’s now streaming on Disney+ for anyone keen to revisit the action.
Fans have long debated the ins and outs of lightsaber duels, with some arguing that the move Uwais designed would have changed the game forever. Others reckon it’s best left out, keeping the fights about skill rather than sneaky tricks. Either way, Uwais’ influence on action choreography continues to be felt, both in the galaxy far, far away and closer to home.