Thoughts on the New Lightsaber from The Force Awakens Teaser.

Main Villain

Well, it didn’t take long before we got our first big controversy of the new era in Disney Star Wars was the “sexist casting” of Episode VII. Ooops. That really wasn’t a controversy since the full cast wasn’t, nor has been, released. So the REAL first big controversy came along with the first teaser trailer — What do we call that adorable Ralph McQuarrie rolling robot? Beach ball droid or soccer ball droid? Burning questions, I know . . . anyway, I’m just kidding. The REAL, REAL first big controversy for The Force Awakens is the mysterious red lightsaber of the purported villain, which forevermore shall be known as “Sithcalibur” — enter Nerd Rage in full effect, so we’ll take a closer look after the break.

 

Star Wars may be a fantasy set in outer space, but in reality may have its heart and roots in Earth’s Arthurian lore. Recently, I released my shot-by-shot breakdown in which I briefly mentioned this connection:

EXCALIBUR

 

And one sword to rule them all . . . Excalibur was the sword of King Arthur, knight of the round table and King of the realm Camelot. One of the oldest and greatest mythologies in human history, it speaks to ancient wars between light and dark, good and evil. The controversial new sword taps into this wealth of mythology in one fell swoop. Mark Hamill spoke of this back in ’83 so it’s easy to see the connection: “He (George Lucas) at one time asked, ‘would you consider playing an Obi-Wan-type character handing Excalibur down to the next generation?’” Hamill said, apparently mixing his Star Wars and Arthurian mythologies even more than usual (Alternatively, Luke’s lightsaber had a name and no-one ever knew). “I said, ‘When would that be?’ and at the time he said, ‘Aww, around 2011.’” This ancient artifact, one of the first lightsabers IMO, with its angry red blade, unstable like fire, vented to the sides as a sort of hilt. I cannot fathom the consternation this has already caused without knowing or understanding what it is, but everyone is entitled to their opinion and mine is that it is sufficiently E P I C !!!

 

Star_wars_old

While we all know that George Lucas’ Star Wars has been influenced by everything from Akira Kurosawa’s The Hidden Fortress, to westerns, and even to the Viet Nam war, this Arthurian connection should come as no surprise as Arthurian legend is perhaps the most romantic and deeply loved mythology revolving around knighthood, chivalry, fantasy, and epic battles between good and evil the world has ever known . . . well, before Star Wars that is. And it seems that I am not the only one that has drawn the comparison to Arthurian legend as we read from USAToday.com:

There was always some Arthurian legend in the the story of Hamill’s Luke Skywalker growing from farm boy to heroic Jedi Knight, and there is one cloaked figure in the teaser with a lightsaber that is Excalibur-esque — though it shines red, the color of Darth Vader and the evil Sith.

 

But some of you may be asking yourselves, What is this Arthurian legend you write of? In today’s age of technological dominance the ancient classics are starting to fall away. So this is a brief review for the uninitiated. The legend of King Arthur gained a very wide popularity thanks to the writings of Sir Thomas Malory in his compilation of knightly tales called “Le Morte d’Arthur.” From this masterpiece of medieval literature we were given the John Boorman film classic — perhaps one of the greatest films no one ever talks about — Excalibur.

 

1981 John  Boorman classic

Excalibur was the name of King Arthur’s magical sword, the one sword to rule them all. Sound familiar? It was forged by a wizard named “Merlin” who was friend and advisor to a mighty knight named “Uther Pendragon.” In exchange for a magical spell to fool Pendragon’s enemy Merlin requested Uther’s first born son. Uther agreed and made his pact with the devil, conquered his enemy, slept with the man’s wife, and begot a son named “Arthur.” But, having forgotten the pact, Uther was enraged when Merlin came to collect the boy. Uther without the aid of Merlin was defeated, but before he died he cursed the sword and drove it into a stone. Merlin took Arthur, the once and future king, to be raised by a foster father who was a good man and brave knight — this element resembles Luke being taken to his Uncle Owen — where Arthur was raised until adulthood when he would be confronted with his destiny that would eventually include facing the realization of his once noble father fallen to the dark side. This is a woefully cursory summary of the story, but suffice it to say this is a MUST watch film for any Star Wars/fantasy fan who will no doubt draw many connections and correlations between the two beloved sagas.

 

Father of the lightsaber

One connection that people may have never been aware — and I must admit I am one of those people — is that Roger Christian won an Oscar for his work on Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope. Christian worked on Return of the Jedi and The Phantom Menace as well. I definitely encourage everyone to read the link to a BBC article about this man. But recounting his work building the original lightsabers for A New Hope he reveals a telling quote:

“I knew the laser sword, as it was first known, would be the iconic image of Star Wars. It was as important as Excalibur in the legend of King Arthur.

 

“I searched and searched for something suitable to adapt and, as time was running out before the first day of shooting, I found a dusty box of old Graflex handles in a photographer’s shop in London and I knew I had hit the Holy Grail.”

 

Okay. So a Brit who knows the Arthurian legend has influenced Star Wars and creates a connection. Understandable, except that it’s a lot more than that. Aside from working on several Star Wars movies Christian also directed a short film entitled Black Angel that appeared before The Empire Strikes Back in 1980:

Black Angel is an Arthurian tale of a knight who rescues a princess while he is returning home from the Crusades.

 

Shot in Scotland on a shoestring budget in 1979, it was shown the following year in cinemas in the UK, Scandinavia, Japan and Australia as part of screenings of The Empire Strikes Back […] Christian’s friend, Star Wars’ creator and director George Lucas, had given him free rein to make Black Angel as the short to accompany Empire.

 

Black Angel disappeared and was thought lost but was re-discovered in 2012 in the Lucasfilm archives. (I hope it makes it to the fans in some fashion.) Regarding the new era of Star Wars:

Christian said: “George Lucas’s genius was that he made a space film that people got, it was gritty and dirty, and also this fantastic mythology he created around the films.

 

“I hope with the new film they don’t just go for the ride and forget the mythology.”

 

Sithcalibur

And from the first teaser trailer we’d have to conclude that not only has JJ Abrams and co. remembered the mythology, but that it will feature prominently. But this is not all that Roger Christian has to say about The Force Awakens. The father of the lightsaber had these remarks about the controversial new “laser sword”:

“Looking at the lightsaber in the trailer it has to be a found, older one as the blade is rougher, it’s flame-like, so not as smooth as the newer blades.

 

“The snowy environment would hint that someone has found an ancient saber so I surmised this is an older laser sword.

 

“For sure there is a lot of debate going to be blogged now about the little blade protection side flames. They look cool, but aren’t practical, and that was the original Star Wars mantra, everything had to look used and real. George wanted it that nothing ever stood out as designed, just a used universe that was real.

 

“So there has to be a reason coming for this laser sword. J J Abrams would have considered every visual in this first teaser.”

 

From the mouth of the father of the lightsaber who was influenced by Arthurian legend and helped instill it into Star Wars. While there are many, many materialistic similarities between the two legends, the consternation surrounding the new Excalibur-esque lightsaber is rather confounding. First, I am making no claims that this new lightsaber is some sort of magical or otherwise otherworldly weapon. However, it cannot be denied that it seems to have been influenced by medieval swords. Second, we don’t know anything about it. To me, like roger Christian, it appears to be a crude and perhaps ancient [seminal] version of lightsaber. It appears crude in that the laser blade is less refined than what we’re accustomed to. I dissagree with Christian though about the hilt’s “imrpacticality.” In this regard the “hilt” appears to be a vent for the blade. While many speculate that it is a hilt designed for protection, but poorly so because, as the argument goes, “the hilt could be sliced off by opposing saber” is really irrelevant. The lightsaber itself is a fantasy weapon so when we start arguing about the plausibility of fantasy weaponry all arguments become moot. The real point is that Sithcalibur looks freaking cool and is a very nice addition to the collection of lightsabers in our far away galaxy. However, aside from looking freaking cool, here’s an uber-Star Wars geek’s verbal smackdown to the internet “trolls” hating on the “impracticality” of  the new lightsaber and you’re gonna bleed out of your ears when you realize how right he is. Enter Stephen Colbert — preach it, brotha!

 

 

BOOM! Scientifically proven! And just for the record, I happen to be a stuck-up, half-witted, scruffy looking nerfherder and I have gone on record as saying I love this new lightsaber. So don’t be hating on all us nerfherders — some of us win, too, sometimes! And if Stephen Colbert didn’t win enough this laughable argument that the hilt design is “stupid” then I’ll just pile on some more EPIC WIN!

 

 

So there you have it, a little backstory behind Sithcalibur and, to the minority of fans who hate the the awesome new blade, plenty of reasons why you shouldn’t. As always we welcome your comments on this article and, to those that have them, be sure to let us know in The Cantina if this post has swayed your negative opinions at all.

 

+ posts

91 thoughts on “Thoughts on the New Lightsaber from The Force Awakens Teaser.

  • December 4, 2014 at 8:15 pm
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    I like this design, it looks dangerous and feels as though it must be wielded by a more vicious mind. But the best part in my opinion is, by going back to a darker age in terms of this weapon the new trilogy moves forward and side steps the prequel without having waste time on the science of the force (Thanks George) and focus on the mythology of the Power that the Jedi used for good and the Sith abused for their own selfish desires. Regardless of its practical use it sums up the roots of the dark side as being unstable and how its discovery by someone unfamiliar with the consequences makes for a more deadly foe. This in Juxtaposition with Luke’s own untamed abilities (So we assume) will make for a clash of forces unseen before in Star Wars and give rise to a future in need of heroes
    and a steady supply of villains wanting the power at all costs. With a decade of films on the cards they have gone in the right direction and I can only see good things come from the new trilogy.

  • December 4, 2014 at 8:17 pm
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    To me the cross blade suggests it be an ancient artifact. As many have said in various other boards, possibly a relic found on the sith homeworld of morriban. Also, dipping into the Star Wars game universe, the non-uniform appearance and unpure sound looks identical to what they called “unstable” blades in The Force Unleashed. Unstable could suggest both that it was indeed a relic or perhaps a homebuild this new sith out together. Just my thoughts

    • December 5, 2014 at 2:52 am
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      New take on the Banes Heart?

  • December 4, 2014 at 8:20 pm
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    To Be Honest I would think it would take great skill to use it. you would have to be careful not to get get your self with the side blades. My thinking that this will be someone older and more powerful in the force.

  • December 4, 2014 at 8:23 pm
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    I happen to really like the “new” sithcalibur look, and it is pretty menacing. I was watching Star Wars last night (old VHS copy, pre-Lucas messing with so there was no “A New Hope” in the title…except during the opening crawl…and Han did shoot first, but to be fair to Han, Greedo did have his blaster out the whole time pointing it at Han and threatening to kill him, so it was a justifiable first shot)…anyway, as I’m watching the duel between Vader and Kenobi, and this has bothered me since I first saw TPM, is that they were so stiff in their motions and it was a pretty boring sword fight. The one thing I think Lucas got right in the prequels were the lightsaber battles. I just kept wondering when Lucas would come out with a “New and Improved” update on A New Hope and have Kenobi and Vader digitally doing flips, fighting mid-air…

    • December 4, 2014 at 9:22 pm
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      My god!! That is the most horrible idea I have heard in a really long time. Luckily Lucas has sold sw and so is finished f*cking up the ot. One item n the long list of things wrong with the pt is the aweful cgi geriatric gymnastics.

    • December 4, 2014 at 9:44 pm
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      I always like the OT saber fights better for one reason. They had more emotion behind them. There was too much acrobatics in the PT. They were fun to watch but they just didn’t capture the emotion behind the fight. I always found the ANH battle to be more about Kenobi delaying the inevitable while Vader was too nervous/hesitant to take him down sooner.

      • December 4, 2014 at 9:46 pm
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        *too

        (no edit button)

      • December 4, 2014 at 11:59 pm
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        Totally agree! The PT made it look as if they were performing a dance ritual or something haha. In ESB Luke and Vader’s first fight looked more like raw fighting. Vader was just timing Luke tho, just to get him in carbon chamber. Then in ROTJ it got real, Luke basically hacked at Vader like he was chopping at a tree!

      • December 5, 2014 at 11:02 am
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        I feel like you should take each fight whether (OT or PT) as for what they were and what the differences were pretty obviously shown. Lucas was pretty adamant about showing what a fully trained jedi/sith, all their life in light saber combat, could do. Especially with the power of the force behind them. Of course they could encorporate flips, and miraculous things. Whereas in the OT we only see what a broken down, basically immobile darth vader can do (with a one handed grip because of limitations of his suit, something Lucas also was very obvious about) versus luke, who basically was a complete novice saber duelist.

        So I honestly can’t understand why people get so thrown off by that. It’s an obvious time difference cinematic tone and idea. Vader vs luke= light saber novice against basically a half cripple. Vader vs Obi-wan= cripple vs old man who probably hasn’t picked up a light saber since the clone wars. I love the OT fights, and PT fights. ESPECIALLY when you take that in mind. Negative perception of a movie series makes you ignore any insight.

      • December 5, 2014 at 12:16 pm
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        Well focusing more on gymnastics is not the problem, the REAL reason why the PT fights were worse was that the gymnastics was the ONLY good thing about them, if they had a well executed story PLUS gymnastics that would have been AWESOME.
        If I had to pick between the two, I pick Story.
        Hopefully we’ll get some of both worlds in Ep VII, but hopes aren’t high, that scene in Star Trek where Sulu pulls a katana on that ship/anchor/floaty-thing was just awful (and I like katanas which makes it worse!!)
        Not too sure about JJ’s action scenes :/

        • December 5, 2014 at 2:41 pm
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          I also don’t get that complaint either. It’s not as if gymnastics were his focus! All fights in the PT other than the two with dooku, I thought were pretty incredible. Especially the last two in EP 3. They were epic, and not to mention incredibly gripping. The problems with the PT were plain and simple, the screenplay was written by Lucas. He is an overly cheesy writer. His ideas are incredible obvious, so it would have been best for him to just write the first treatments.

          As far as story, the problem with the PT is simple…it is too complex for most people. Couple the complexity of the story, crammed into 3 movies, that should have been at least 3/4 hours each (thus the need for the clone wars show which is incredible) with cheesy dialogue and a character that apparently just ruined a whole trilogy for everyone, and you get a fail in most closed minds. If anyone dares to argue that it is not complex, you’re simply proving my point. And most likely have only seen the 3 PT movies.

          If you watch the movies, the clone wars, or even go above and beyond and darth Plagueis the novel, you will realize the complexity of the story Lucas was trying to pull off. It’s actually pretty incredible. People just can’t connect the dots. Lucas was too ambitious, and unrealistic expectation of fans (particularly older fans) was the downfall. So many fans cling on to that “dream and wonder” of seeing them first as a kid back in the day. Well guess what, if you expect that to happen going in with the mindset of an adult, of course it was going to be a letdown. Sometimes you just have to pull ur head out of your adult ass, stop breaking down every scene to a fucking fault, and take it as face value…entertainment. That is all it is.

          • December 5, 2014 at 7:12 pm
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            i agree with you rybo, people often say the PT story was terrible, and i think, woah, wait a minute, the story itself was BRILLIANT, palpatine seizing control from the inside out. yeah the trade federation and taxes and politics werent as much fun or felt like “traditional” starwars, but i thought the actual story was pretty amazingly drawn out… its been said a billion times the shortcomings, the acting, dialogue, etc, and perhaps many of us would have interpreted the story in a different way, edited some scenes, shown different things, style, etc, but the core story itself was pretty darn good..

          • December 5, 2014 at 8:30 pm
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            I’d love you to explain why the idea of trade dispute made any sense whatsoever to get Palpatine to where he needed to be. There are so many things that had to happen PERFECTLY for this “plan” to work over 10-plus years. It’s just all too much. Doesn’t work. Sorry….. “brilliant” is NOT a word I would use to describe the overall strategy of the PT. I, like most fans, could probably come up with a better outline in about an hour…..

          • December 5, 2014 at 8:15 pm
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            Completely agree that the two Duku fights were the most choreographed and worst ones apart from that though I think they were all great, I don’t think anyone can doubt the emotion in the fight between obi and anakin and my personal favourite is the darth mule battle

          • December 5, 2014 at 8:25 pm
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            It’s not “complex”. That is the wrong word choice. It’s “convoluted”. Very different meaning. In simple terms, it’s a mess. Far too much plot in the PT makes little to no sense. Add in the overuse of CGI, the emotionless acting, poor character story and the wretched dialogue and well, that’s why the PT is divisive among Star Wars fans.

            That said, there is some very “Star Wars-y” stuff that happens and the visuals are cool and all that, so they are watchable as action flicks. But what I have learned is that if you want to watch them seriously and have them make sense and all that, you are going to walk away very frustrated. Better equip yourself with the reason they are not very good movies to further the enjoyment of them, sad to say…..

  • December 4, 2014 at 8:32 pm
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    What really works for me about the shot is not the lightsabre itself, but rather how aggressively the character ignites it. They jolt the laser blade out with their hand in a manner I’ve never seen a SW Jedi/Sith do before. I’m more excited about seeing this character in action than anything else.

    • December 4, 2014 at 10:09 pm
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      excellent observation…just what i thought when i first saw the teaser…definitely gives the feeling of evil intent…got a good feeling about episode seven

    • December 4, 2014 at 10:36 pm
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      That was awesome. He’s poised for attack!

  • December 4, 2014 at 8:33 pm
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    Couldn’t it that the hilt lasers are there to act like daggers rather than protection. That would seem more Sith-like at least.

    • December 6, 2014 at 3:44 pm
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      I think the purpose is to prevent someone from slipping through your defense in close combat. Anakin beat Doku by getting close enough to trap his hands. That would be hard against this blade.

  • December 4, 2014 at 8:39 pm
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    I like the new saber and Echo-7 your analysis of the saber and mythology makes a good argument as to why the saber is even in EpisodeVII. Good article Echo!

  • December 4, 2014 at 8:42 pm
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    Love it

  • December 4, 2014 at 8:44 pm
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    Are there any saber-proof metals? It would be a smart idea for the hilt to be made out of it, if it exists.

    • December 4, 2014 at 9:22 pm
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      Beskar, but I don’t know if that would be considered cannon now or not?

      Then again, they could invent something since it’s a whole new galaxy.

    • December 5, 2014 at 7:37 am
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      I think Disney really bought Marvel so they’d own the rights to Captain America, and therefore, to vibranium.

      George Lucas: “But there’s one last thing before I’ll sell it to you…this could be deal breaker… You’ll need vibranium for the lightsabers.”

      Disney Rep (eyes narrowing): “Got it covered, Dude. Got it covered.”

  • December 4, 2014 at 9:08 pm
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    It looks cool. I will forgive the ridiculous design if it is an ancient design or fumbling first effort. Just tilting your wrist and stading most defensive staces will burn gour forearm.

  • December 4, 2014 at 9:09 pm
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    I don ‘t get why everyone (and I’m sure its note literally everyone) is saying that it has to be an ancient sith artifact and outdated blade. I take the wild blade to mean that its a (possibly new) more powerful blade than the previous smooth blades. Its rough appearance is intended to strike fear into opponents. It is out of control, possibly like the person who yields it.

    • December 5, 2014 at 12:07 am
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      More powerful is fine . . . but if it is newer you would think better. As in it would improve upon existing design. This design would either make many common sword movements un-usable because you would cut off your arms.

      • December 5, 2014 at 4:43 am
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        Yeah- but this is star wars, not real life. There are plenty of old swords that had a cross at the handle. Also, Lucas’s early description of light sabers was that they were heavy, not light (as in weight). Thus, it would make total sense to have the cross guard.

        • December 5, 2014 at 6:47 am
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          How many times do people point out the practical lived universe of the original trilogy verses the shiny cgi of the prequel triology. This looks cool like the fonze jumping a shark . . . But it does not feel real because it will cut its user if he tilts his wrist. Something you do with such weapons.

  • December 4, 2014 at 9:11 pm
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    I like it.

    But now i’m here for something else. 😉

    Do you guys think The Big bang theory main characters will give us a real reaction of the teaser in next episodes?
    Could be so funny to see them reacting for the first time in Sheldon and Leonard apartment… 😛

    Every day i hate not to record my reaction

  • December 4, 2014 at 9:13 pm
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    Whenever I see that Sith mask it reminds me of a statue from early Egypt. Don’t remember which one. Dog?

  • December 4, 2014 at 9:21 pm
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    I like it, but I hope there aren’t many if not any other lightsabers like this – both in the aspects of the three blades and the look of the blade itself. Can’t wait, though!

  • December 4, 2014 at 9:30 pm
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    I heard one interesting thought.. that the side ways “blades” are actually exhaust ports… that actually makes a lot of sense to me because it looks like a very erratic high energy weapon.

    • December 4, 2014 at 10:44 pm
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      exhaust ports
      Yeah!
      i seriously like that point, man! 😉

      • December 5, 2014 at 4:45 am
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        See, there’s and exhaust port right below the main port. Its ray shielded so you’ll have to use proton torpedoes.

  • December 4, 2014 at 9:58 pm
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    Perhaps it is a relic intended only for ceremonial purposes; sacrificing of Jedi for example. However this dude is taking it beyond it’s intended purpose… The fool…

    • December 5, 2014 at 4:49 pm
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      interesting idea!

  • December 4, 2014 at 10:28 pm
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    Though I’m decidedly underwhelmed by “Wilson-too” the soccer ball droid, I actually like the new saber design.

    I didn’t at first. I saw the image that was leaked a month or so ago, and my initial reaction was that it was more of the PT thing of designing things strictly for the sake of making them KEWL!! rather than with the eye toward at least some degree of functionality as was the case with most of the OT designs.

    Then life got in the way, like it does, and I forgot about the saber design.

    When ol’ Dark Cloak suddenly fired it up in the teaser, I had a momentary twinge of “Oy…”, but that quickly passed as I realized how much the new design reflected what I could see of the character. There is a wild, feral quality to the way this character carries himself (or herself) and this new saber also has that feel to it. On that level, I think it works very well.

    I still don’t think it’s a particularly functional design, especially if it’s going to be wielded in that flashy PT one-handed style rather than the primarily two-handed style from the OT. If ol’ Dark Cloak starts doing baton twirls with that thing, it’s going to look really hinky when it doesn’t take off a forearm.

    So for me, much depends on how the saber is actually used in the film. For now, though, I actually dig it.

  • December 4, 2014 at 10:48 pm
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    “Ralph McQuarrie rolling robot”

    It’s a bit misleading to attach Ralph’s name to the new droid, since he never did a design that looks like that.

    Trying to stay open-minded about ‘Sithcalibur’.

    • December 4, 2014 at 10:54 pm
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      I agree, it’s nothing like the early R2 designs with the rolling undercarriage. There are plenty of McQuarrie-inspired designs in TFA from what we’ve seen so far. “Wilson-too” isn’t one of ’em! ;^)

  • December 4, 2014 at 11:14 pm
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    I hate the look of the new lightsaber.

  • December 4, 2014 at 11:22 pm
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    Looks homemade i think its awesome

  • December 4, 2014 at 11:33 pm
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    This thing has gotten hate since it was posted here back at the end of October. I’ll admit, I also didn’t think it was real and thought it was kinda silly looking. But then I read more about the “sith collector” rumors(possibly Driver), I thought the exact same and then posted the same thoughts. There is a reason this thing looks this way and I’d like to think that it’ll be explained in some detail. It looks as if it may have been one of the first sabers. Everything before PM is now up for grabs and again, that was only a lifetime away. I’d like to think Jedi v Sith has been around long before The Skywalker’s stories, so maybe these were what they used in “old days” haha? And didn’t they change the name of the Sith homeworld? for what reason? Movie plot possibly? Set this up? Either way it won’t ruin it for this fan! Waited years for a sequel to ROTJ and its finally here…almost

  • December 4, 2014 at 11:46 pm
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    Bono is the Sith collector. He was involved in a bike accident and now needs cyborg implants to stay alive.

    Lets not get carried away this is the mystical lightsaber of the current Sith generation’s founder, Darth Ruin. Driver/Solo Son takes Ruin’s name in tribute. Part of that rumor maybe true. Or he built it himself. Curious to see.

    One thing for sure, Driver is evil at the beginning of the film. He leads the Stormtroopers in an invasion on the desert world in the opening scenes with Boyega.

    • December 5, 2014 at 1:27 am
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      It’s Bono, alright! Trying to gain possession of a powerful and dangerous relic. He’s hunting them all down because ‘He still hasn’t found what he’s looking for!’.

  • December 5, 2014 at 12:12 am
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    So, what doed anybody think saying this blade is unstable? Fo you need a hi power of determination to control the blade? Does it flicker and loose its power during fight? Doed it absorb the energy from whoever it carries- like some certain ring bearer. Does it create a symbiotic bond between carrier and sword- the carrier may die once he lays down the blade? Is it possible the blade, made of this fire like material is able to stretch, sort of like a dynamic flame that moves like a whip when swung?

    • December 5, 2014 at 12:21 am
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      Just to say im writing on my phone as always. Since the website was update, whenever im writing a comment when the line hits the edge it starts skipping around like crazy, the writing part is outside the edge and repointing the cursor will make it skip around at relocation, when i try to select one of the bottom 2-3 lines. So this is extremely annyoing i just never said anything, but yeah it annoys rhe hell out of the writing process and usually makes it 5x longer. It must be something because my screen is slightly smaller than the text box. So when it rraches the side i cant see the text. Trying to correct a typo and relocating the cursor brings me into skipping hell, trying to refocus the screen will skip it back after 1-2s, so i have to select the proper part during that moment and hope it doesnt skip back. Thats why i get a lot of typos recently, because i lost my nerves for this crap

  • December 5, 2014 at 12:12 am
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    the saber is fine. people are freakin out over it and im pretty confident its just this one character’s blade. either ancient or roughly put together. we’ll see it in context during ep7, and im sure therell be plenty of “normal” lightsabers. as usual, the overreaction of the net has been insane to the saber and the ball droid. good grief, imagine they made ANH hope now and showed chewie howling at the mouse droid, people would be losing it. the ball droid is no big deal, its nothing, another starwars droid. it may turn out to be pretty frigging cool. the new saber is gonna have its meaning for the character who’s wielding it. i think its killer. the instant activation and cross guard add a mystery and almost frightening aspect to it. all good in my book

    • December 5, 2014 at 12:47 am
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      Agreed. There’s no way JJ would take it upon himself to make such a drastic change like, “all of the ST lightsabers will have crossguards.”
      That’s preposterous.

  • December 5, 2014 at 12:24 am
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    I was doubtful about the new sabre until I saw Colbert’s explanation. I know it’s a fantasy but I do still like things to have some kind of logic. I also like the idea that this is a rough, ancient blade. One of the things that annoys me about the Expanded Universe is that technology never seems to progress. The droids and sabres of KOTOR are basically identical to the PT even though they’re set thousands of years apart.

    • December 5, 2014 at 12:39 am
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      I get what your saying, me and my friends had this same conversation. We came up with a possible explanation. During the PT, it felt as if the galaxy was a more richer and prosperous time. Everything was just more colorful(CGI :p) and fancy. OT however, felt as if it was in a darker and in a much more poor state after all the wars etc… Now I don’t know if this will help you accept it better but we felt that the OT galaxy basically lived off of what was left over from PT. Now that being said, I have no idea how this one is gonna start but the way the concept art looks, I think its gonna be an even MORE poor state after the rebel/empire war. May help, may not, just thoughts.

    • December 5, 2014 at 12:42 am
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      Wait, you were talking about KOTOR-PT, sorry. I was describing more on PT-OT. my bad

    • December 5, 2014 at 1:28 am
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      Paul December 05, 2014 at 00:24 AM

      Yeah all of the video games made them to similar. If you read the original comics from the early 90’s of KOTOR, There were organic ships and everything looked far more primitive.

  • December 5, 2014 at 1:13 am
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    OMFG, stop with the sidenobs being cut off in a fight, you all know there are some rare metals in the SW universe where Lightsabers cannot or have a hard time cutting through, end of discussion. I saw a video by a sword expert and he stated any bozo who gets hit by his own cross guard is either a newbie or amateur. A light saber cross guard would be no threat for self injury to a trained let alone master swordsperson.
    It is my opinion that trolls and naysayers have latched onto this just because they love debating and negativity, especially those who want the new film to fail, because they are just those kind of people.

  • December 5, 2014 at 1:21 am
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    I agree 100% I think that this new saber is a great new design that pays homage to the ancient Arthurian legend.I know people are never all going to enjoy or understand something,but people gotta wait to watch the actual movie before bashing it so much.Echo as always great article, I always enjoy reading a true fans point of view.

  • December 5, 2014 at 3:09 am
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    Looks awful. Worst lightsaber ever.

  • December 5, 2014 at 3:20 am
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    guys, i know how they can make that new lightsaber work, hear me out:

    that lightsaber’s design goes back to the original george lucas’ concept of the weapon, they were meant to be like excalibur, really heavy and hard to use. Very well, judging from the size of that blade that sorta looks like a bastard sword, my guess is that this new villain’s fighting style will be something more “bare bones” without too much saber spinning and acrobatic jumps, otherwise he would cut himself with that laser hilt. he could have a fight style that’s more similar to medieval sword fighting from europe, instead of the heavily acrobatic lightsaber fights from the prequel, he could use the size and the weight of that gigantic blade to beat his opponents into submission with pure brute strentgh. if they do that (which hopefully they will) then i think that laser wouldn’t be stupid, and would be actually pretty badass

  • December 5, 2014 at 4:55 am
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    My question is, if it is indeed an ancient lightsaber, then who did it originally belong to?

    • December 5, 2014 at 5:18 am
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      An ancient sith

  • December 5, 2014 at 5:38 am
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    I’m honestly surprised at all the hate over it. To me it looks like an early version. I’m sure like all weapons, they evolved in technology over time. From that to the one ObiWan used to Darth Maul’s double lightsaber to the Inquisitor’s one with round handle and spins around. You can’t stop technology from growing. I think this lightsaber is a relic from the past.

  • December 5, 2014 at 5:48 am
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    It’s funny that no one mentions how long it appears. We’ve not yet seen the tip of it! If’s about twice as long as a regular sabre, now that would be pretty cool.

  • December 5, 2014 at 6:15 am
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    @echo7

    Ur welcome.

  • December 5, 2014 at 8:31 am
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    I love this new lightsabre design. It feels giant, more dangerous, and more ancient. But I wonder what these two small “hilts” are for; nonetheless, I wouldn’t mind if they don’t have any use as the lightsabre is cool enough.

  • December 5, 2014 at 11:53 am
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    This debate really is divided, but the best way to look at this design is…if the script contains no scenes where the Sith cuts himself with his own hilt…then I would guess it won’t happen. A bit like James Cameron getting flak for killing Leo at the end of Titanic, but as he stated…”If the script says he goes down, he’s going down” That’s the magic of movies.

  • December 5, 2014 at 12:10 pm
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    Well to me the character sort of gives the feeling, as he ignites the saber that he is on the defense, at least in that scene, as almost his opponent has already made a force leap against him or he has seen his opponent in the dark. Either way he is being prepared to fend off an attack. But that’s just me.

    He walks to his spot and stays there. Either the forest is a pre- arranged duel site and he has figured the best place to be or he stops in that position wiuthout intending to in order to fend off multiple opponents. My guess, please tell me what you think!

    Anyway the fact of matters is that the new blade brings a new kind of awesome in the mythos of the lightsaber and I love it, I love everything about it.

    What really “saves” the new desing for me is the fact that this is an ancient artifact so It’s bound to be different. First of all, despite what the initial ignition stance suggests this blade is

    a) Two handed weapon

    It’s longer than the conventional saber and Lucas once said about the OT that these things, the lightsabers are very heavy to hold, that’s why the epicness of the slow-moviing duels of the OT. This blade not only follows that pattern but its desing anchors it to just that.

    This is one of the reasons I am so excited to see the movie, the old-styl saber duels are back! Less acrobatics more menacing imminent death by caughterized wounds!

    b) It’s designed for adressiing multiple opponents at once. This is true for all two- handed weapons. So I expect Luke won’t be going solo with this guy- far too dangerous with that saber as an opposing weapon. The new blade is desinged to fend off many enemies holding lightsabers at once so this also proves it’s an ancient Sith artifact as in the glortious past the force users were many so the duels should have looked like Episode II full-scale battles between Jedi and Sith. This means many opponents which also means the new saber is indeed an artifact.

    c) The way the new villain holds the saber shows that he is still untrained but powerful. That stance shows that he has no clue how to use that weapon, at least as far as I know about two-handed wielding. He is powerful enough and strong enough to hold it with one hand but again, the stance shows that his training is incomplete.

  • December 5, 2014 at 3:03 pm
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    I admit that when I first saw the concept art, I wasn’t in love with the design. In the photo, the crossguard blades look like sticks used for directing traffic. However, seeing the actual blade ignition on the film was awesome. The raw fiery look was a smart design and it definitely looks cooler with the flame-like blades. As for practicality, I like the exhaust port on the hilt idea. But I also want to point out that not everything in the OT was designed soley for its practicality. For ex. – Vader’s suit…was it practical? Yes, as it was life support for Vader. But was is it practicality that called for it to look like a menacing dark samurai? No, it was not designed for comfort, but to strike fear into the hearts of every galactic resident. When you are feared, you are in control. That’s what this new saber design is all about to me. It is a striking and intimidating image to behold. You see it and you’re like…”Oh, crap…” The sith has already won half the battle at the ignition of his weapon. It wouldn’t make much sense for a Jedi to wield it, but for a sith whose goal is to strike fear and death to his enemies, it makes perfect sense.

    Also – Echo-7, I don’t know if you posted that Star Wars poster for this reason or not as it wasn’t mentioned in the article, but did anyone else realize that the “lazer-sword” in the movie poster has a very unstable look to it? And the horizontal flame that goes across the poster? I have seen this poster a million times, but only now after seeing the new trailer do I see the connection. Anyone think this image was inspiration for the new saber design?

  • December 5, 2014 at 4:30 pm
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    bleep

  • December 5, 2014 at 4:38 pm
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    .

  • December 5, 2014 at 6:38 pm
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    Bleep bloop squat bloop.

    Darth Revan copycat.

  • December 5, 2014 at 6:47 pm
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    posts disappearing again

  • December 5, 2014 at 8:25 pm
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    the new blade is friggin cool as hell. It looks the part, especially if this is an old relic sith sabre it might explain both the instability of the blade itself and the hilt/exhaust ports (whatever they may be). Bottom line it is cool, it is menacing and all this BS about “oh they will cut their fingers off, hand off, arm off” is just non-sense. With all the ridiculous blade twirling that has happened in all the movies (especially the PT) how is it that no one has ever accidently injured themselves??? because they are friggin Jedi and Sith masters dumbasses, plus it is a movie not a fucking blooper reel. Can any of you haters just enjoy the coolness and creativity rather than pissing on all the new stuff??? Between this new sabre, the ball droid, whether Daisy Ridler’s character has something strapped on her speeder bike in one shot and not the other, etc…

    so much complaining in 88 seconds… amazes the shit out of me.

    • December 5, 2014 at 11:49 pm
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      It’s the same thing on every other fansite
      I’ve been to.

  • December 5, 2014 at 8:26 pm
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    HELLO

  • December 5, 2014 at 8:30 pm
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    My childhood is destroyed. Disney and Abrams will destroy Star wars. This lightsaber is worst than Jar Jar…

  • December 6, 2014 at 1:25 am
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    I personally LOVE the new lightsaber! I don’t get all this “it’s not practicle” etc! It’s not a real object, it’s the result of someone creative imaginatation…. ITS ENTERTAINMENT. When we start looking at the practicalities of it all, it all comes apart and I ask you Star Wars friends… where is the fun in that? Just sit back, relax, stuff your face with crisps & hot dogs and enjoy the latest enstalment of our beloved saga. (yes, that includes the prequels…. Ok, there was some negative things about it but, really… who gives a rat ass? It’s entertainment at worst – escapism at best.

  • December 6, 2014 at 1:29 am
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    To me, this looks like a barebone relic lightsaber that is missing a part. Maybe there is a piece that connects the side beams to the main beam to make it more powerful.

  • December 6, 2014 at 3:33 am
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    This was amazing!!! Looks like I’m a stuck-up, half-witted, scruffy looking nerfherder because I agree with everything Stephen said! 🙂 Also, my love for Star Wars has now grown. Why? Because I am HUGE fan of both Star Wars and the Arthurian legends! 😀 I love Anikan’s/Luke’s lightsaber and this Sithcalibur (such a cool name!) even more now, too! 🙂

  • December 6, 2014 at 6:27 am
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    Ok. First I like the light saber…but you can’t make an argument that it’s a fantasy weapon and it doesn’t matter. That’s just going to piss people off. Star Wars is worthy of practicality and doesn’t need weak distracting plot holes. What you can do is say either it is a primitive ancient sword with a flaw they hadn’t fixed yet which is cool. Or if that’s not true say that the three blades are connected and the medal hilt just cases it. Which can work and is great too. Like the video in this article. I’m super stoked for this movie though!

  • December 6, 2014 at 6:27 am
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    Could that be the “fabled darksaber”?

  • December 6, 2014 at 3:47 pm
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    Too bad they didn’t bring in Mauls dark saber.

  • December 7, 2014 at 10:43 pm
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    Ghost Force Anakin “I hated it!”
    Funny Or Die

  • December 8, 2014 at 8:22 pm
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    Dark Saber?
    Maul has that, wherever he is.

    Cross Saber?
    Not so fast, my lathered co-fans…

    ^
    /|
    / |
    / |
    / |
    T__T__T
    [o]
    [-]
    [-]
    –Point those smaller blades in a different direction and what do you have? Broad Saber.

  • December 9, 2014 at 2:47 am
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    The design is wrong, the hilt on a regular sword makes a lot of sense bcs The guard protected the user from a blade that was deliberately slid down the length of the blade to cut off or injure the hand. But this wouldn’t be true on a light saber that cuts through metal; If the lil crossed laser came off directly from the base of lightsaber then the design would make sense. — lightsabers are fantasy weapondry but if you establish rules you need to follow them.

  • December 9, 2014 at 8:14 pm
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    I still don’t like it.
    Trying to get used to it and I’m not.

    Why not have just done the hilt like a normal sword anyway?

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