Isaac Asimov's Lucky Starr series (1952): The force-blade is "a short shaft of stainless steel" which can project a force field that can cut through anything, making it "the most vicious weapon in the galaxy." Asimov's force-blade expands on his earlier invention of "a penknife with a force-field blade," first used in his Foundation (1951).Fritz Leiber's Gather Darkness (1943): the priests' "rods of wrath" (energy projections) only end where they cut into solid matter, so that a single duel led to numerous casualties of bystanders and charred scores across all nearby walls.Wollheim's well-known and widely read science fiction anthologies, Swordsmen in the Sky, Ace Books 79276, 1964, and thus readily available to the science fiction reader community of the 1960s and 1970s. Edmond Hamilton's story "Kaldar: World of Antares" (published 1933 in the April issue of The Magic Carpet Magazine).Dickson's "rod" from Wolfling showing the similarity it bears to a lightsaber In 2008, a survey of approximately 2,000 film fans found it to be the most popular weapon in film history. The lightsaber has become one of the most widely recognized elements of the Star Wars franchise. Bringing the blade into contact with another lightsaber's blade produces a loud crackle. An active lightsaber gives off a distinctive hum, which rises in pitch and volume as the blade is moved rapidly through the air. Some exotic saber-proof melee weapons have been introduced in the Expanded Universe as well as later episodic films. Other times, the lightsaber has been shown to cause bleeding wounds in the flesh, sometimes accompanied by burns. The blade has even been used as a tool to weld metal. It leaves cauterized wounds in flesh, but can be deflected by another lightsaber blade, or by energy shields. There are several variations outside of the traditional single-bladed lightsaber, such as the double-bladed lightsaber (most famously wielded by Darth Maul), Kylo Ren's unique crossguard lightsaber, and the Darksaber, primarily wielded by the non-Force-sensitive Mandalorian rulers of Mandalore (including Maul, Bo-Katan Kryze, and the Mandalorian).Īs presented in the films, a lightsaber's energy blade can cut, burn, and melt through most substances with little resistance. A lightsaber's hilt is built by its wielder and is, therefore, unique in design. The color of a lightsaber's blade is given by its power source, the kyber crystal, which is influenced by the wielder and the Force as they connect with and tune the crystal. The Jedi use different colored lightsabers (predominantly blue and green, though purple and yellow have also appeared in canon media), while the Sith wield exclusively red-bladed sabers to distinguish themselves from the Jedi. In the Star Wars universe, the lightsaber is the signature weapon of the light side-wielding Jedi Order and the dark side-wielding Sith Order and the Knights of Ren (named after another term for lightsaber), but can also be wielded by non- Force-sensitive characters as an ordinary weapon or tool. The lightsaber's distinct appearance was created using rotoscoping for the original films, and with digital effects for the prequel and sequel trilogies.
First introduced in the original Star Wars film, it has since appeared in most Star Wars films, with at least one lightsaber duel occurring in each installment of the " Skywalker saga". A typical lightsaber is depicted as a luminescent plasma blade about 3 feet (0.91 m) in length emitted from a metal hilt around 10.5 inches (27 cm) in length. And Form V can be used to reflect that same blaster fire back at your attacker, combining offense and defense in the same maneuver.Plot element from the Star Wars franchiseĪ lightsaber (also referred to as a laser sword) is a fictional energy sword featured throughout the Star Wars franchise. Forms III and IV are specifically defense-focused and can be used to deflect incoming projectiles and blaster fire. Those particularly skilled in lightsaber combat and in the Force can also use their blades defensively. RELATED: Star Wars: 5 Jedi Powers So Strong They Break The Lore (& 5 That Are Too Weak) There are seven established forms of lightsaber combat developed by the Jedi Order, from the most basic Form I taught to all recruits to the unstable and rarely mastered Form VII. They are significantly more powerful when used in conjunction with the Force. Their ability to cut through most material makes them nearly unparalleled in combat, as the only weapons that can deflect their blows are other energy weapons, primarily other lightsabers. The offensive powers of a lightsaber are clear and uncontested.