G33K LYFE: The history of lightsabers
With the release of Star Wars:
The Force Awakens less than a
month away on Dec. 18, the hype
is starting to grow in the minds of
geeks and film lovers alike, and I’m
amongst them. Because the movie
is just around the corner, welcome
to Star Wars month in the G33K
LYFE column.
Even if someone has never seen a Star Wars movie, they know what the lightsaber is. The iconic weapon has transcended the films and become a staple of pop culture. While the concept and creation of the prop itself is a well-known film story, the lightsaber also has a long and fascinating history within the Star Wars universe itself.
Many thousands of years before the film-era, members of the Je’daii, an ancient order that were the precursors to the film’s Jedi, created the first lightsaber. These ‘protosabers’ were unwieldy weapons, attached by a cable to a power supply on the user’s waist. Even with that it could not be used for long. This inefficiency rendered the weapon unsuitable to combat, relegating them to a mostly ceremonial status.
It was ultimately the Sith who were responsible for developing the foundation for the lightsaber as it is known, moving the power supply into the hilt of the weapon itself, and developing the technology required for extended use. These newly developed lightsabers were used against the Jedi in an ancient invasion, leading them to adopt the more modern design.
The ancient Jedi and Sith continued to wage war with these weapons at the forefront, with the iconic red crystal of the Sith a result of synthetic crystals whose use was mandated. The Jedi continued to use natural crystals, giving them the wider variety of colour seen in various media. It was during this era that different variations of the lightsaber were created and put into wider use, and the minutes of the technology were finalized.
The most commonly known variation is the double-bladed lightsaber wielded by Darth Maul in Episode I, but various extended media has featured many others. Notable examples are the shoto saber, a short bladed variation of the standard wielded either by small-statured Jedi or as a secondary guard blade, and Count Dooku’s curved-hilted variation. The comics have also featured whips and clubs that utilize the same technology.
This brings us to the present, and the weapons we will see when Episode VII hits theatres, with the trailers already showing two very distinct blades. Firstly, the standard blue model has been shown in the hands of John Boyega’s Finn, with the sword in his hand all but confirmed to be Luke Skywalker’s original.
Built by his father, it is a weapon of massive historical significance that has performed some truly heroic and truly terrible deeds. Lost by Luke in Episode V, how it got from a bottomless vent on Bespin to Finn’s hands is one of the biggest mysteries of the new movie.
The second, and more interesting lightsaber is the one used by the film’s villain Kylo Renn. The broadsword-like design, complete with a cross guard was the biggest talking point of the first trailer, but the real mystery surrounds the blade. The crackling, unstable jet of red energy has no precedence in the Star Wars universe, with the only hint being that Renn himself made the weapon.
There you have it, a condensed, in-universe history of one of fiction’s most iconic weapons, and one with a whole new future. With new films on the way, and the extended universe being fleshed out more and more, the lightsaber may be facing some interesting changes.
Even if someone has never seen a Star Wars movie, they know what the lightsaber is. The iconic weapon has transcended the films and become a staple of pop culture. While the concept and creation of the prop itself is a well-known film story, the lightsaber also has a long and fascinating history within the Star Wars universe itself.
Many thousands of years before the film-era, members of the Je’daii, an ancient order that were the precursors to the film’s Jedi, created the first lightsaber. These ‘protosabers’ were unwieldy weapons, attached by a cable to a power supply on the user’s waist. Even with that it could not be used for long. This inefficiency rendered the weapon unsuitable to combat, relegating them to a mostly ceremonial status.
It was ultimately the Sith who were responsible for developing the foundation for the lightsaber as it is known, moving the power supply into the hilt of the weapon itself, and developing the technology required for extended use. These newly developed lightsabers were used against the Jedi in an ancient invasion, leading them to adopt the more modern design.
The ancient Jedi and Sith continued to wage war with these weapons at the forefront, with the iconic red crystal of the Sith a result of synthetic crystals whose use was mandated. The Jedi continued to use natural crystals, giving them the wider variety of colour seen in various media. It was during this era that different variations of the lightsaber were created and put into wider use, and the minutes of the technology were finalized.
The most commonly known variation is the double-bladed lightsaber wielded by Darth Maul in Episode I, but various extended media has featured many others. Notable examples are the shoto saber, a short bladed variation of the standard wielded either by small-statured Jedi or as a secondary guard blade, and Count Dooku’s curved-hilted variation. The comics have also featured whips and clubs that utilize the same technology.
This brings us to the present, and the weapons we will see when Episode VII hits theatres, with the trailers already showing two very distinct blades. Firstly, the standard blue model has been shown in the hands of John Boyega’s Finn, with the sword in his hand all but confirmed to be Luke Skywalker’s original.
Built by his father, it is a weapon of massive historical significance that has performed some truly heroic and truly terrible deeds. Lost by Luke in Episode V, how it got from a bottomless vent on Bespin to Finn’s hands is one of the biggest mysteries of the new movie.
The second, and more interesting lightsaber is the one used by the film’s villain Kylo Renn. The broadsword-like design, complete with a cross guard was the biggest talking point of the first trailer, but the real mystery surrounds the blade. The crackling, unstable jet of red energy has no precedence in the Star Wars universe, with the only hint being that Renn himself made the weapon.
There you have it, a condensed, in-universe history of one of fiction’s most iconic weapons, and one with a whole new future. With new films on the way, and the extended universe being fleshed out more and more, the lightsaber may be facing some interesting changes.
