“ … lightsaber. This is the weapon of a Jedi Knight. Not as
clumsy or random as a blaster. An elegant weapon, for a more civilized age.” - Obi-Wan
Kenobi, Stars Wars: A New Hope (1977)
Creators
George Lucas was a passionate fan of comics and sci-fi as a kid,
but originally dreamed to become a race car driver. So much so, he took part in
the local underground race circuit during his high school years – until a major
accident in 1962 ended that dream. It was in college that he began shooting
with an 8mm camera and make movies. He became so fixated with movies that
(through a friend’s recommendation) he transferred to the University of
Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts. It was there, in 1967, when he
made his first movie - Electronic Labyrinth: THX 1138 4EB – which won
him a scholarship by Warner Bros to observe and work making a movie of his
choosing. He chose Finian's Rainbow, meeting its director Francis Ford
Coppola. The two founded the studio American Zoetrope in 1969 and in 1971
released George’s first full-length feature movie – THX 1138. Internal
politics led to George to found his own company, Lucasfilm, that same year.
After making its first movie, American Graffiti (1973), George set his
sights to adapting his favourite sci-fi series Flash Gordon. But when he
couldn’t get the rights, he decided to pen his own original story, which became
Star Wars.
John Stears began his career as a draftsman for the British Air
Museum before building scale models of buildings for an architectural firm. He
entered the film business when asked to make model aircraft for the film Reach
for the Sky (1956). He made props and effects for James Bond and other
films, including the car in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. George admired his
work on James Bond, leading John becoming the creator of a lot of the Star
Wars universe.
Roger Christian was a set decorator and art director for
numerous films, which include Alien and Life of Brian, and later
became a director of his own films, beginning with Black Angel (1980).
He was approached by George while working on Lucky Lady (1975).
Nelson Shin was an animator who later directed The
Transformers TV series and founded AKOM Production, Ltd in 1985. This
studio would animate a lot of American cartoons, including The Simpsons,
Animaniacs, and Batman: The Animated Series.
Ben Burtt was the sound engineer for Star Wars, where he created the iconic lightsaber “hum” as well as other iconic sounds in the movie(s).
Inspiration/Conception
George intended Star Wars to be a space-age Arthurian epic.
One of George’s biggest influences in filmmaking is Akira Kurosawa.
Elements of his work can be seen in Star Wars, and it can be argued that
the lightsaber and jedi have similarities with the samurai and their katanas.
The idea of some form of “lazersword” (as George called them in early
script drafts) has numerous origins that are hard to pin down accurately. But
it can be argued that they include - the force-blade in Isaac Asimov’s Lucky
Starr series, the magic swords in Lord of the Rings, the universal
translators on Star Trek and the phaser effect used in Space: 1999.
John and Roger made the props.
Nelson animated the light blade effects. He also suggested added a
degausser sound on top of other sound effects to make it sound like a magnetic
field.
Ben created the hum by combining the sound of a film projector idling and the feedback from a broken TV set.
Introduced to our world
Star Wars (later subtitled A New Hope) was released 25th
May 1977. We were introduced to the lightsaber when Obi-Wan Kenobi hands Luke
Skywalker his dad’s.
The History of the Lightsaber
The lightsaber began life as the Forcesaber, developed by the Rakata.
Then Je’daii Order combined advanced off world tech with a meditative technique
that channelled the Force into freezing a laser beam – the first true
lightsabers.
The oldest known lightsaber is known as the First Blade, created on Tython before the Force Wars, by an ancient Je’daii Master known as the Weapon Master. After the Force Wars the Jedi Order was formed, but they still used bladed weapons, as lightsaber tech wasn’t refined let.
"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." - Tionne Solusar, from Jedi vs. Sith: The Essential Guide to the Force (2007)
By the time of the Duinuogwuin Contention (in around 15,500 years before the events of New Hope) Jedi research into “frozen blaster” tech resulted in a lightsaber that can generate a focused beam that arced back to its power source, leading to portable high-energy blades. But these early lightsabers were unstable and used so much power users needed to wear a belt-mounted power supply. They could only be used briefly before overheating.
They remained mostly ceremonial objects for jedis for a long time. But gradually, they improved, evolving into the protosaber. Although they still needed to be cabled to a belt-worn power pack, their highly stable blade gave jedis a superior advantage in hand-to-hand combat against heavy-armoured foe, proving themselves during the Hundred-Year Darkness (beginning 7,000 years before events of New Hope).
"…these archaic lightsabers were barely portable; their energy
requirements necessitated a flexible cable that connected a lightsaber's handle
to a power pack worn on a Jedi's belt."
―Tionne Solusar, from Jedi vs. Sith: The Essential Guide to the Force (2007)
But the Sith (who formed from the losers of the Hundred-Year Darkness) took lightsaber tech further. They introduced the power cell in the hilt, removing the need for belt power packs. They extended use time by having the blade. They even developed the double-bladed lightsaber.
But the Jedi didn’t know about these innovations until the Great Hyperspace War (5,000 years before events of New Hope). But they didn’t have time to make use of this intel until after the Sith were defeated in this war. By 4,800 years before events of New Hope almost all Jedi used a Sith-innovated lightsaber.
By the time of the Clone Wars (22-19 years before events of New Hope)
lightsabers became more heavy-duty to withstand the rigors of war, instead of
been a product of meditative exercise. They became such important weapons for
the Jedi that Palpatine (when he ruled his Galactic Empire) outlawed them and
the sources of the crystals Jedi traditionally collected were razed or
quarantined, and introduced strict trade restrictions on crystals available in
the market that can be used to make lightsabers.
Creating the Lightsaber hilt
“I knew this lightsaber was the Excalibur of this film.
I went to Brunnings in Great Marlborough Street [London] who we rented
all our photography equipment. … I just said to the owner ‘do you have anything
here that’s unusual, stuff that might be interesting?’ And he pointed me over
the side of the room, he said ‘there’s a load of boxes under there, I haven’t
looked at those for years, go and have a rummage through’. And it was the first
box. It literally was covered in dust and I pulled it out, opened the lid and
there was tissue paper, and then when I pulled it open … and out came a Graflex
handle from a ‘40s press camera and I just took it and went, ‘there it is. This
is the Holy Grail’. There was about five or six in there. We bought the lot.
I raced back to the studios. Got my T-strip. Stuck that around the handle. I stuck seven round it. From a calculator I’d been breaking down there was a bubble strip that illuminated the numbers and they would magnify. And it just fitted into the clip, so I just cut it, stuck that in.” - Roger Christian, interviewed on The Galaxy Britain Built (BBC, 2017)
George liked it, only adding the suggestion to add a hook to the bottom so it can attach to Luke’s belt.
"What I held in my hand was exactly as I imagined a laser sword would be - weighty, chromed body with a red button and a strangely shaped clip at the end that held the chrome reflector that looked like a function that could generate a laser beam." - Roger Christian, interviewed by BBC, 2014
George originally saw the lightsaber as a heavy weapon – weighing about 40-50 pounds. This is why most lightsaber users are seen using it with two-hands in duels. But later, George thought of a way to show how Luke’s skill in using it was improved by the end – by making it conceptionally lighter, so it can be used single-handedly.
Creating the Lightsaber Blade on Set
On the set of the first movie, the lightsaber’s blade in the form of a three-sided wooden rod covered in Scotchlite reflective tape. This is light-reflecting tape, like the material used in high-vis clothing and road signs. To make it glow a lamp was placed beside the shooting camera and its light was reflected onto the subject by a 45-degee angled sheet of glass. This rod span rapidly, using a small motor in the hilt. The result was a glowing blade that varied in brightness as it was used – hopefully.
Those props were cumbersome and broke easily, so on filming The Empire
Strikes Back they were replaced with static carbon rods, and the blade
effects were added later. They were lighter but easy to break. But it worked
well for the rest of the trilogy.
For The Phantom Menace, steel and aluminium rods were used, which were highly durable, but got bent over time, leading to replacements. By Revenge of the Sith they were replaced with carbon fibre rods laminated with glass and plastic. They were durable and didn’t bend, but they were hard, leading to bruising and scars on actors.
“Covered
with millions of tiny glass beads, [Scotchlite] has the property of reflecting
light directly back to its source. It's the same material used for reflective
road signs [and lightsaber props].” - Ron Miller, Special Effects: An
Introduction to Movie Magic (Lerner
Publishing Group, 2006)
Creating the Lightsaber Blade on Film
Today, the blade effects are computer generated, but back in the
original trilogy the effect was handmade.
“At that time, I was working for a company in the States [DePatie–Freleng
Enterprises, in Burbank, California], and my manager called me in one day
asking if I could work on the effects of the live action for the film. So what
we did was they brought in the Star Wars clip causing effects, and asked me if
I could draw the light saber with the animation. I first got to learn about a
device called the rotoscope, in which you put the film in the camera, shed the
light on it, and then it shows on the animation table. Then, you trace the live
action drawing parts. People from Lucas Film came to pick it up.
I explained to them since the light saber is light, and the light
should look a little shaky like fluorescent tube. I suggested that when
printing with optical printer, one frame should be inserted so that one could
be printed much lighter than the other. By that way, it would look like a
fluorescent tube or laser. I also asked them to pass on the information that
when adding the sound, a degauser, which is used in deleting tapes, should be
placed on the top. Then, this device would make sound, because it has magnetic
field like light streaming.
So that's how the light saber came to life. In fact, I did not need one month, but finished it in a week. My company was very surprised because I finished it within one week. When people from the Lucas Films picked it up, they put me into the director's chair. They showed the product from behind with over the shoulder on the small screen, and it was excellent. I did not expect such effects at all. The team had followed my advice on adding sound, and on using an X-Acto knife to cut the paper to give a very sharp look of light.” – Nelson Shin, interviewed by CNN, 2007
After the animation was made (on cels) it was shoot with a
black background and a sharply-cut mask in front. This creates a movie that
only features a lightsaber blade moving in just black – nothing else. The
footage from the set is double exposed onto this movie, creating the final
movie.
The glow effect around the edges was created using a light
diffuser during the photographing process.
Anatomy of a lightsaber
"The components are fairly simple. Every lightsaber has a standard
power source, the same type used in small blasters, even in glowpanels. They
last a long time, though, because Jedi should rarely use their lightsabers. […]
One of the other crucial pieces is a focusing crystal. The most powerful and
sought-after gems are rare Kaiburr crystals. However, though lightsabers are
powerful weapons, their design is so flexible that practically any kind of
crystal can be used."
―Luke Skywalker, to his students in the book Young Jedi Knights: Lightsabers (1996)
The basic structure of all lightsabers are similar, but they can vary a lot in spec. This is mostly due to lightsabers been hand-built by their owners and what materials were at hand at the time of construction. They are assembled by hand because there is no exact formula for the critical alignment of their irregular crystals. A slight misalignment will cause it to explode when activated. Having sensitivity to the Force is ideal to have when building a lightsaber, as it will aid crystal alinement, making its construction a test for a future Jedi.
Most lightsaber hilts are between 24 to 30cm in length, but this can be any length, as they are custom-builds by their owners.
Pommel Cap
This usually serves as the backplate for the hilt’s inner workings, completing various circuits. But it can contain a back-up power cell. It can be made to be heavy to tailor to the fighting style of the user or make the hilt a make-shift club.
The tail end of a lightsaber typically features a belt ring to hook the hilt to the user’s belt, but some users use magnets instead.
Grip
Many lightsabers feature a pressure grip sensor that turns off the blade when the user is no longer holding the hilt. Some have a modified “trapped grip” that shocks unauthorized users, unless they so a certain actions, such as pressing a hidden sensor.
Power Cell
Most lightsabers use a high-power Diatium power cell, which produce the plasma that forms the blade. A magnetic or energy field contains the plasma produced, which also recycles energy back into the power cell – as long as the blade isn’t in contact with anything. If assembled correctly, the power cell could last forever, without future maintenance needed – ideal for a hand weapon.
Some could modify it to overcharge it to enhance the blade, but it’s not advised. If not done right it can produce a blade that fluctuates in strength unpredictably.
Some lightsabers use an additional discharge energy cell or ion energy cell to increase energy output, allowing skilled users to better deliver powerful attacks.
Vortex Ring and field conductor channel energy from power cell to the energy gates, which control how much energy enters the primary crystal.
Crystal Energy Chamber
This is the heart of a lightsaber. Its here that energy and Force are combined to form the plasma that becomes the blade.
Crystals
"The crystal is, by itself, the power source of the weapon. Like the Force user, the crystal is attuned to the Force. Without that attunement, the crystal is just a rock. And while a non-Force user could probably ignite and wield a lightsaber, the crystal is needed to be properly attuned to the Force. But for a Jedi, the lightsaber becomes more: it is a manifestation of a Jedi's connection to the Force." - Jaden Korr, Riptide (2011)
Crystals, natural or synthetic, are the heart of the lightsaber. They
use a collection of at least two to work – one primary crystal that turns the
plasma generated from the power cell into the blade and infuses it with Force,
and the stabilizing crystal(s) in the focusing lens.
Many crystals begin clear, only gaining colour after bonding with its user.
Flakes of the Kaiburr crystal (originally from the Temple of Pomojema, on Mimban) are the most sort after, due to its ability to magnify the Force by thousand times.
Alternatives have been used instead of crystals. Examples include physical remains, shards of glass, and special micro machinery.
Focusing Lens
This is a collection of one to three stabilizing crystals, three been the ideal amount. Their properties are absorbed into the plasma altering its characteristics. These characteristics depend on the kind of crystals used. These are needed to tightly control the arc wave energy, making the blade easier to handle.
Blade Emitter
This part of the hilt turns the plasma created by the power cell and
processed by the focusing lens into the blade and controls its final
characteristics, like thickness and length. Modifications in this part can make
blades of noted abilities –
Damping emitters produce blades of reduced intensity that stun.
Disrupting emitters create an unsteady beam that disrupt a victim’s
nervous system.
Deflecting emitters make blades optimized to protect the user from blaster fire.
Emitter Matrix
This part controls the plasma leaving the hilt using magnetism, through a series of field energizers and modulation circuitry, creating the final blade. If the emitter matrix is inverted, a lightsaber would explode shortly after ignition.
Blade Energy Channel
The blade itself generated in the energy channel. Energy flows from the crystal energy chamber and then coverts it into the arc wave that makes up the blade.
Activation Stud/On-off Switch
Some lightsabers feature a locking activator, which allows the user to keep the blade on without touching it. It also prevents it been turned off accidently when the stud is attacked. Very few lightsabers don’t have a stud and are activated using the Force alone. But the Force is a tricky thing. Force-activation was a feature on Forcesabers used by the Force Hounds of the Rakatan Infinite Empire. Originally made to prevent non-Force-users from activating them, they later only worked for those who were drawn to the Dark Side, when the Empire turned to it.
Cycling Field Energizers
After been generated by the energy channel, the blade goes through the cycling field energizers. Energy modulation circuits control this part to help alter the length and power of the blade.
Blade Arc Tip
The refined arc wave goes to the blade arc tip. This is where it becomes visible as a glowing blade.
Emitter Plate
This superconducting metal from is where the blade emerges. Its usually recessed into the casing, but in some its flush with the end. Sometimes its separate from the casing sticking out.
Flux Aperture
The blade’s arc returns to the lightsaber to the negatively-charged flux aperture. It is connected to an internal superconductor that channels the returning energy back into the power cell, recharging it.
Stabilizing Ring
This magnetic ring helps focus the plasma into its desired shape and arc it back to the lightsaber to recycle its energy. It’s this part that controls the length of the blade.
In duel-phase lightsabers, the circuitry has a memory for two set blade
lengths and can be changed back and forth quickly.
Emitter Shroud
This optional part helps prevent the user from touching the blade while in combat, preventing injury. Some can be designed to separate facets of the blade for either offensive or defensive purposes. Some are double-shrouded, with a shroud on both sides of the blade. Some even have three.
Emitter Guard
An early innovation in lightsabers, this optional part prevents the
user from accidently touching the blade during use. It can come in many
variations in design, with the most common been a simple point extending an
inch or two along the blade. Most are just one to four point extensions. Some
lightsabers feature “wraparound” guards, with rings circling the blade attached
to the points.
Blade
"A lightsaber is an interesting weapon. A blade unique in the history of warfare. A paradox, not unlike the Jedi who wield it: those peaceful warriors, who kill in the service of life. Have you ever noticed? The blade is round. It has no edge. But it is a lightsaber—which means it is nothing but edge. There is no part of this blade that does not cut. Curious, yes? Symbolic, one might say." – Vergere, The New Jedi Order: Traitor (2002)
The blade usually extends up to a metre before been arced by the blade containment field back to the negatively-charged part of the emitter, where it is channelled back to the power cell by a superconductor, completing the circuit. The containment field is the cause the “solidness” of the blade when fighting against another lightsaber user, as well as other forms of electromagnetic field, such as force fields.
Bloodless Cutting Power
The pure energy blade produced has no mass and radiates nothing (not even heat) except visible light - until it collides with something solid. With it hits something the resulting transaction between the field and material produces heat, resulting in melting of the material. When cutting through flesh, it cauterizes the wound, almost preventing bleeding. When cutting through dense material, the immense electromagnetic field generated by the arc causes resistance instead of letting matter enter and interrupt the arc. It can cut through anything - but some materials (such as Mandalorian iron) can pass through this field and short out the arc.
Water can short out a lightsaber. Because of this, some (mostly members of aquatic species) have to have specially-made lightsabers that can work underwater. This is achieved using two crystals that produce a “bifurcating cyclical-ignition pulse” – in other words, a repeating pulse of energy that forks out of the blade to make a protective forcefield.
The electromagnetically generated arc wave creates a strong gyroscopic
effect that makes handling a lightsaber a distinct challenge to the novice.
Lightwhips are a variation of lightsaber. Their blade (mostly made from an extended emitter) are several metres long and flexible in shape. This is achieved by vast modification of the magnetic field that shapes the blade, but the resulting blade is weaker than that of a traditional lightsaber.
Toy Sabers
Sadly to some, lightsabers are a work of fiction. Even though some have tried to built working examples, the closest most people (kids mostly) would get their hands on a lightsaber is in the form of a toy.
In the first summer
after Star Wars was released toy makers were making bootleg lightsabers.
Kenner, the official toy maker for Star Wars, got the contract pretty
late into the film’s production, leading to a long wait before the first
official toys to enter stores. Kenner made the first official toy
lightsaber in 1978. It was basically a flashlight with a long yellow balloon
attached. It came with a patch kit just in case a heated battle burst the
balloon.
Although it wasn’t yellow in the movie, the original Luke Skywalker action figure’s saber was.
For The Empire Strikes Back, Kenner introduced The Force Lightsaber in 1980. It was a 3-foot long yellow or red plastic tube blade, with small holes in the handle that made it whistle when flung. Yellow was rejected and replaced with neon green for Return of the Jedi. Hasbro (who bought Kenner in 1991) introduced electronics to the toy lightsaber in 1995.
The Ultimate Lightsaber Build Your Own Lightsaber kit was released in 2005. This allowed would-be jedis to customize their own sabers with a collection of over 20 interchangeable parts. This idea later morphed into the Bladebuilders system, launched in 2015.
In 2011 the toy and high-end replica versions began to merge, with the Ultimate
FX Lightsaber. It featured a progressive light-up blade with LED lights and movie-accurate
motion-sensing sounds, as well as a durable plastic hilt. Some call them the
most realistic sabers at an affordable price.
How Lasers Work
You can’t take about
lightsabers without talking about lasers, so here’s the basics.
In atoms, electrons orbit the nucleus in fixed orbits. But if an atom is excited (by electricity or light) an electron can “jump up” an orbit. It then returns to its original orbit. When doing so it produces energy, in the form of a photon. In a lasing medium (like a crystal) this photon then excites other atoms, creating more and more photons. With the medium inside a reflective container the resulting light is reflected back and forth increasing its intensity …. until, through a semi-transparent hole in the container, the light escapes as a concentrated beam. The result of this is Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation.
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