“This was the formal weapon of a Jedi Knight. Not as clumsy or random as a blaster. More skill than simple sight was required for its use. An elegant weapon. It was a symbol as well. Anyone can use a blaster or a fusioncutter—but to use a lightsaber well was a mark of someone a cut above the ordinary.” These were the exact words of the great Obi-Wan Kenobi in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, and truth be told you won’t find any true Star Wars fans disagreeing with that statement. Designed as much for elegance in combat as for ceremony, the lightsaber is probably the most recognized weapon in sci-fi history, the very image of which was inextricably bound with the mythos of the Jedi Order and their polar opposite, the Sith. The lightsaber has become synonymous with Star Wars and the symbol of the film series with millions of fans around the world owning a toy version or replica of it. But how many things does the average Joe know about this incredible weapon? How many know its history and the little intriguing details about it? In case you are one of those who want to learn more about them grab a bag of popcorn and check out these 25 Things You Might Want To Know About Lightsabers Before Star Wars Episode 7.
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The lightsaber is the weapon of a Jedi, an elegant weapon of a more civilized age. It can be used to cut through just about anything.
Source: starwars.wikia.com, Image: Wikipedia 24
Although use of the lightsaber is the mark of a Jedi, it is also used by their sworn enemies, the Sith.
Source: starwars.wikia.com, Image: flickr.com, Photo by JD Hancock 23
In fact, lightsabers were essentially created by the Dark Side. The first proto-lightsaber was called a forcesaber, and was essentially Dark-Side energy channeled into a blade via crystals and alchemy. If, say, a Jedi picked up a forcesaber, he or she would run the risk of immediately and unwillingly turning to the Dark Side simply by using it.
Source: starwars.wikia.com, Image: deviantart.com 22
There are seven forms of lightsaber combat: 1) Shii-Cho, or “the Way of the Sarlacc”; 2) Makashi, or “the Way of the Ysalamiri”; 3) Soresu, or “the Way of the Mynock”; 4) Ataru, or “the Way of the Hawk-Bat”; 5) Shien/Djem So, “the Way of the Krayt Dragon”; 6) Niman, or “the Way of the Rancor”, and 7) Juyo/Vaapad, or “the Way of the Vornskr.”
Source: starwars.wikia.com, Image: deviantart.com 21
Each Padawan would travel with their master to the secret Jedi planet of Ilum, where they would gather the crystal for their lightsaber and construct it. The Padawans would put themselves into a tranquil state and use the Force to construct and assemble their lightsabers. This was a difficult task, as Padawans were often plagued with terrible mental visions during the process.
Source: starwars.wikia.com, Image: deviantart.com 20
Are you familiar with the term “Cho Mai”? No? Well, this macabre term stands for the technique of cutting off somebody’s hand with a lightsaber. This explains why so many people get their hands cut off in Star Wars films.
Source: starwars.wikia.com, Image: Scene from Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back 19
When Darth Sidious (the dude most of us know as Emperor Palpatine) ruled, he outlawed lightsabers, forbidding wielding them or even possessing them—even if only as a collectible item.
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Not all who wielded lightsabers had Force powers. Lightfoils were a variant of the traditional lightsaber that were constructed by non-Force sensitive individuals. They were popular duelist weapons used by nobles.
Source: starwars.wikia.com, Image: Wikipedia 17
George Lucas originally intended for many of the lower ranks, such as Stormtroopers and rebel troops, to have lightsabers. Later on, it was decided that only the Sith and Jedi would possess these weapons, to build mystique and reverence for the characters who wielded them.
Source: starwars.wikia.com, Image: commons.wikimedia.org 16
Shockingly, lightsabers can’t cut through everything. There are a few materials that resist lightsaber blades, and thus have often been used to make armor. Cortosis, for example, is the most popular, and its original state actually had the ability to make lightsabers that touched it lose power.
Source: starwars.wikia.com, Image: Wikipedia 15
Luke’s new lightsaber was going to be blue, and was even shown as such in early Return of the Jedi promos. But Lucas made the call to switch it to green solely because the blue blade was more difficult to see during the fight scene above the Sarlacc, as it was getting lost against the blue sky.
Source: starwars.wikia.com, Image: commons.wikimedia.org 14
Even though lightsabers can be any color, there’s only one black-bladed lightsaber, known as the Darksaber. It’s an ancient weapon the Jedi had that was stolen by the Mandalores, way back.
Source: starwars.wikia.com 13
In case you didn’t know, Luke’s and Darth Vader’s lightsabers were made out of camera flashes.
Source: starwars.wikia.com, Image: Wikipedia 12
Originally they used to be called “lazerswords.” Well, not in the Star Wars universe really, just in George Lucas’s earliest drafts of the Star Wars script. I know we will all happily agree that “lightsabers” sounds way better.
Source: starwars.wikia.com, Image: Wikipedia 11
The earliest lightsabers—also called protosabers—didn’t include internal power cells, mainly because they hadn’t been invented yet. Protosabers had external power sources, meaning the Jedi had to carry around battery packs on their backs or waist.
Source: starwars.wikia.com, Image: commons.wikimedia.org 10
Ever wanted a trident-style lightsaber? Or a knuckleduster version? Well, now you can own one with the Jedi Master lightsaber toy, which was unveiled as part of a global “unboxing” event for Star Wars: The Force Awakens. The new Hasbro lightsaber will impress every Star Wars fan with the ability to form over one hundred combinations, allowing you to build it in any shape or size. And as if this wasn’t enough, it has cracking sound effects too.
Source: mirror.co.uk, Image: flickr.com, Photo by CMFRIESE 9
One important note about lightsaber wounds is that they rarely bled profusely, even when a limb had been severed. This is because the energy blade cauterized the wound as it passed through, and thus even a severe wound did not tend to bleed heavily.
Source: starwars.wikia.com, Image: Wikipedia 8
A lightsaber blade was a mass-less form that neither radiated heat nor expended energy, other than that emitted as visible light, until it came into contact with something solid. The power of the energy blade was so great that it could cut through almost anything, although the speed with which it cut depended on the density of the object.
Source: starwars.wikia.com, Image: Wikipedia 7
The typical lightsaber hilt consisted of a metal cylinder between twenty-four and thirty centimeters in length. However, the size of individual hilts varied drastically, as the weapon was tailored to the user’s specific needs and preferences.
Source: starwars.wikia.com, Image: commons.wikimedia.org 6
According to the holocrons, the earliest lightsabers were crude devices that utilized an experimental “frozen blaster” technology to create an energy beam of fixed length.
Source: starwars.wikia.com, Image: Wikipedia 5
The lightsaber was also referred to as the “laser sword” by those who were unfamiliar with it . . . You know, the nonbelievers who just watched the films by accident.
Source: starwars.wikia.com, Image: pixabay.com 4
Typically, a Jedi’s lightsaber blade is colored green or blue. Other colors are rare but possible, most notably seen in Jedi Master Mace Windu’s purple blade. Sith uniformly use red-bladed lightsabers—an intense, aggressive color that represents their perspective of the Force.
Source: starwars.wikia.com, Image: flickr.com, Photo by Serious Cat 3
While most lightsabers have a simple metal hilt with one blade, others can be more complex and feature prominent designs. Darth Maul wielded a deadly double-bladed lightsaber, allowing him to parry easily in his duel with Obi-Wan Kenobi and Qui-Gon Jinn.
Source: starwars.wikia.com, Image: flickr.com, Photo by Jason Jones 2
Pulp magazines from the early 20th century often featured heroes fighting with ray guns alongside swords and medieval armor. These inspired George Lucas when he created the atmosphere of technology plus magic seen in the films.
Source: livescience.com, Image: Wikipedia 1
As far as “real” lightsabers that work as seen in the films, science says no way. According to engineer Matt Gluesenkamp of General Electric, a lightsaber’s blade appears to be a form of electrically generated plasma. No battery-size power source exists that could provide the required amount of electricity. As for lasers, the beam would not stop at the end of the blade but would continue indefinitely.
Source: livescience.com, Image: Wikipedia Lists Going Viral Right Now
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