Lightsaber

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This article is about the weapon in Star Wars. For details on the fighting style of lightsabers, see Lightsaber combat.

The lightsaber is a fictional weapon that plays a key role in the movies, games and novels that constitute the Star Wars universe. Lightsabers are science fiction versions of their namesake, the saber. Instead of a metal blade, the lightsaber holds an energy blade about one meter in length. Lightsabers differ in color based upon the specific crystal used in construction. Though they often behave like regular swords, they are able to cut through most matter with little or no resistance and to deflect blaster bolts, Force Lightning thrown by Sith Lords, and other lightsabers.

An assortment of lightsaber hilts. Top to bottom: Luke Skywalker's, Darth Maul's, and Asajj Ventress's.
An assortment of lightsaber hilts. Top to bottom: Luke Skywalker's, Darth Maul's, and Asajj Ventress's.

The lightsaber first appeared in the film Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope (1977). Rotoscoping was used to create the lightsaber's distinct appearance in the original trilogy. For the prequel trilogy, the effect was created using computer animation.

Within the fiction of Star Wars, the lightsaber "blade" consists of a very tight loop of highly focused energy, or a loop of plasma contained in a strong magnetic or other field. When deactivated, a lightsaber appears as a polished metallic handle, about 30 centimeters long. Lightsabers emit a distinctive hum when active, which rises in pitch and volume as the blade is moved rapidly through the air. A loud crackling noise is heard when two lightsaber blades come into contact.

To carry a lightsaber is a reflection of confidence, dexterity, and, in most cases, attunement to the Force. Although use of the lightsaber is not strictly reserved to Jedi (see General Grievous), the only others commonly capable of handling the weapon are the Sith, as well as other Force-wielding groups in the Expanded Universe.

According to a 2008 survey of approximately two thousand film fans conducted by 20th Century Fox, the lightsaber is the most popular film weapon.[1]

Contents

[edit] Nonfiction. George Lucas' invention of the lightsaber/Theories, ideas & inspiration

Two activated lightsabers (Darth Vader's red and Anakin Skywalker's blue).
Two activated lightsabers (Darth Vader's red and Anakin Skywalker's blue).

The strongest inspiration for the lightsaber may be the "force-blade" from the Lucky Starr series of science fiction novels for young adults, originally published 1952-1958 by Isaac Asimov under the pen name "Paul French." The force-blade is described as: "The most vicious weapon in the Galaxy. Outwardly, it was merely a short shaft of stainless steel that was a little thicker than the haft of a knife but which could still be held nicely in the palm. Within it was a tiny motor that could generate an invisible nine-inch-long, razor-thin force-field that could cut through anything composed of ordinary matter. Armor was of no use against it, and since it could slice through bone as easily as through flesh, its stab was almost invariably fatal." In the documentary Empire of Dreams, George Lucas stated that the origin of the lightsaber stemmed from his desire to place swordfights similar to those in The Adventures of Robin Hood in the Star Wars films. The laser property was inspired simply by the need to make it futuristic; metal swords would feel out of place in futuristic setting that relied on lasers for its firearms.


[edit] Colors

Count Dooku and Yoda dueling with their lightsabers.
Count Dooku and Yoda dueling with their lightsabers.

In the original film trilogy, lightsaber blades could be blue, green, or red. The various Expanded Universe (EU) sources, action figures and the prequel films introduced several new colors, which are now canon to the series.

Red is usually associated with the Sith whereas blue and green colors are usually associated with the Jedi. Violet, silver, orange, cyan, white, gold, yellow (apart from in the game Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic), and viridian typically do not represent either side, and have been seen used by both. However, the Expanded Universe establishes no direct relationship between a lightsaber's blade's color and its user's affiliation. For example, in the computer game Jedi Knight the Dark Jedi Sariss used a blue lightsaber while her erstwhile ally Yun used a yellow blade. Mace Windu, a Jedi master from the films, has a violet blade. In the "Corellian Trilogy" Luke Skywalker creates a red lightsaber for Leia, while in the "Heir to the Empire" trilogy by Timothy Zahn, Luke builds her a lightsaber with a green blade.

The color of a lightsaber blade depends on the crystals used to focus it and its filter. According to Knights of the Old Republic games, blue-bladed lightsabers are most often associated with Jedi Guardians (Jedi who focus more on lightsaber combat), green-bladed lightsabers are generally associated with Jedi Consulars (Jedi who focus more on the Force and its abilities), yellow-bladed lightsabers are usually associated with Jedi Sentinels (a balance between the two), and red-bladed lightsabers are almost always associated with the Sith and Dark Jedi (some of them however wielding violet lightsabers). The reason for this is said to be that the Sith do not have access the same crystals as the Jedi and must use synthesized ones that create red blades. The Sith also favored red as a symbol for passion.

Mace Windu's violet-colored lightsaber in the movie was colored differently because actor Samuel L. Jackson requested it in Episode II. The violet color does not reflect the skill of the user in the movie universe. In the Expanded Universe, however, violet, being a mix of red and blue, indicates the mastery of a lightsaber form known as Vaapad or Form VII. Windu's attunement to the light side of the force allows him to use his fighting style and Force powers, skills that come dangerously close to requiring use of the Dark Side without actually tainting the Jedi using them. Windu was met with great controversy over his choice of crystal. Due to the great difficulty involved in attaining such a rare type of crystal, it is also said that a violet crystal is a choice only the most skilled masters in lightsaber combat can make, which might also explain his unusual blade color. Usually the lightsaber crystal will call out to its chosen master during the trials to become a Jedi when the Padawan travels to Ilum or Adega.

During the initial editing of Return of the Jedi, Luke's new lightsaber was blue, and appears so in an early trailer. However, it was difficult enough to see against the blue desert sky that the decision was made to change it to green.

[edit] Types

There are several types of lightsabers in the fiction of Star Wars.

[edit] Short Lightsaber

A lightsaber with a shorter handle and blade is known unofficially as the shoto, though it is also known as a lightdagger or simply a short lightsaber. It can be wielded as an off-hand (weaker hand) secondary weapon. Short lightsabers are used by Jedi who fight with two lightsabers in the dual-bladed combat style Jar'Kai used by the ancient Jedi Master Kavar and the fallen Jedi Sora Bulq. It is also used as the primary lightsaber of diminutive Jedi like Yoda, Yaddle or (presumably) Even Piell. The Sith Freedon Nadd also has possession of a bronze-bladed shoto. The dual-bladed technique may have been inspired by the Japanese art of Hyoho Niten Ichi-ryu or European sword and dagger fencing.

[edit] Dual-phase

The dual-phase lightsaber is constructed to operate at two different blade lengths. Historically, these complex blades were built mostly by ancient Jedi and Sith during their many heated wars; the surprise advantage of a blade which could shoot forth up to approximately one meter in length was worth the additional difficulty of constructing a lightsaber with several focusing gems and outweighed the fact that a lengthy blade was often inferior from a pure fencing perspective.

Darth Vader's lightsaber is an example of a dual-phase lightsaber, as it has buttons on his hilt allowing him to change the blade length. Similarly, in Splinter of the Mind's Eye, Luke Skywalker adjusts the controls of his saber to produce a short, pencil-thin blade which he uses to cut through the bolt of a door lock. Corran Horn, a Jedi Knight of the New Jedi Order, also uses a dual-phase lightsaber, which he created using unwanted gifts from Leonia Tavira. The weapon had only two settings, standard and extended, with no fine control over the lengths of either.

[edit] Double-bladed

Darth Maul dueling Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi with a double-bladed lightsaber.
Darth Maul dueling Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi with a double-bladed lightsaber.

The double-bladed lightsaber, known also as the saberstaff, the doublesaber, or the Sith lightsaber is a variant in which the handle is about twice the length of a standard lightsaber hilt and has two beam emitters, one at each end. The beams can be activated and deactivated independently, allowing for much versatility. This variant was commonly thought to have been invented by the Dark Lord of the Sith Exar Kun; however, according to the Tedryn Holocron, Kun assembled his double-bladed lightsaber following instructions from a Sith Holocron possibly prepared by the Jedi Exiles. Kun was able to carefully adjust its length, from half a meter to one and a half meters (1.5 to 5 feet), as well as its intensity, allowing the blades' power to vary from that of a deadly blade to an intangible, harmless beam of light. Asajj Ventress, a fallen Jedi, used two red lightsabers with curved hilts, each similar to Darth Tyranus' (Count Dooku's) lightsaber. They were designed so that she could connect the two ends to form a double-bladed saber, with an "S" shaped hilt.

Besides Exar Kun, notable wielders of this weapon include Bastila Shan, Darth Maul, Zannah (apprentice of Darth Bane), and Asajj Ventress. During the Jedi Civil War, the double-bladed lightsaber was a popular weapon for the Sith followers of Darth Revan and Darth Malak.

Despite the strength of the double-bladed lightsaber, the long size of the handle itself seems to be a weakness in battle against another lightsaber-wielding foe; it was cut in half (although it should be noted that once cut in half at least one of the blades was still functional and took up the role of a normal lightsaber) when Darth Maul used it in the duel with Obi-Wan Kenobi and Qui-Gon Jinn in Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace. One was also cut in half in the Dark Horse comic book Star Wars: Resurrection, when the resurrected Lord Maul dueled Darth Vader for the apprenticeship of Darth Sidious. Also, the double-bladed lightsaber was used by the Jedi Brutes, blue on both ends, green on both ends, or both, one color on each, in the Revenge of the Sith Video Game.


[edit] Linksaber

Linksabers are constructed from two conjoined lightsabers and are used similarly to nunchaku. They are Asajj Ventress's weapon of choice in the patch for the Xbox version of Star Wars: Battlefront II.


[edit] Forked lightsaber

Also known as a Y-saber, the forked lightsaber operates like a normal lightsaber but with an additional 4-inch blade protruding from the top of the hilt such that the weapon makes the shape of a Y. It is used by Jedi Master Roblio Darté in the battle of Parcelus Minor.

[edit] Hilt styles

As well as there being a variety of lightsaber blade colors, there are also many different styles for the hilt. Jedi must fashion their own sabers so there is no uniform look to the hilt. Jedi students building lightsabers are usually told that their lightsaber should reflect them or what is important to them. Many apprentices will model their lightsabers in a style similar to their master's as a sign of respect. Training sabers are usually of one or two different hilt styles, as evidenced in Attack of the Clones. Some Jedi, when replacing their old lightsaber hilt due to loss, damage, or destruction (i.e. Obi-Wan lost his first lightsaber in his duel with Darth Maul; one of Anakin's lightsabers was chopped in half while he was attempting to free himself from the assembly line in the Droid Foundry on Geonosis), will create an identical one (like Obi-Wan's second saber in Episode II.). Others have many additional unique and interesting styles of lightsaber, such as Count Dooku's curved "pistol grip" lightsaber hilt. Many Jedi will make their own hilt out of various machined or found parts, such as the case of Corran Horn building a lightsaber out of a wrecked speeder bike throttle assembly in I, Jedi. In Young Jedi Knights, Tenel Ka builds hers out of a Rancor tooth which she took from her maternal grandmother's favorite rancor. At the time of the Old Republic Era, a Wookiee Jedi named Tyvokka was known to carry a uniquely crafted lightsaber with a wooden outer casing.

[edit] Use and construction

[edit] Forms of lightsaber combat

See also: Lightsaber combat#The seven forms of lightsaber combat

Lightsaber forms are characteristic styles of lightsaber use in battle. Unlike real-world martial arts forms, which are primarily training routines, lightsaber forms are more akin to different theories and methods of fencing. There are seven named forms described so far (although in the video game Knights of the Old Republic II up to 11 forms are mentioned):

  • Form I Shii-Cho - The basic and most simplistic form, first form taught to younglings. Known users are The Jedi Exile, Kas'im, Stass Allie, Obi-Wan Kenobi (familiar with basic principles), Kit Fisto, General Grievous, Cin Drallig and Darth Vader (used elements in his personal variation of Form V). Being the first form learned, almost all Jedi and Sith use some aspect of Shii-Cho in their dueling.
  • Form II Makashi - Most advantageous in lightsaber against lightsaber dueling. Elegant, effective and deadly, emphasizing precision maneuvers instead of strong, pressing attacks. Few Jedi use it because of the relative rarity of this type of combat. Known users are: The Jedi Exile, Kas'im, Count Dooku/Darth Tyranus, Cin Drallig, and General Grievous.
  • Form III Soresu - Form which strongly emphasizes on defense and blaster fire deflection. Used by Jedi beset by multiple blaster-wielding opponents to defend themselves from incoming fire. Known users are The Jedi Exile, Kai'im, Obi-Wan Kenobi, General Grievous, Darth Zannah, Darth Vader (used elements of Soresu in his personal variation of Form V), Barriss Offee and Luminara Unduli.
  • Form IV Ataru - Acrobatic form, emphasizing agility. This technique mainly involves the Force to perform some of the maneuvers. Relatively aggressive and tends to open defense. This form is at a disadvantage in tight quarters, since its moves require a good deal of open space. Known users are Zez-Kai Ell, Kavar, Vrook Lamar, Kas'im, Master Yoda, Qui-Gon Jinn, Aayla Secura, Quinlan Vos, Cin Drallig, Obi-Wan Kenobi, General Grievous and Alema Rar.
  • Form V Shien / Djem So - Takes some of the defensive powers from Form III and channels them to offensive powers. Form V users can use the lightsaber to deflect blaster bolts back at attackers. Known users of Shien are Zez-Kai Ell, Kavar, Vrook Lamar and Khaat Qiyn. Known users of Djem So are: Darth Bane, Aayla Secura and Luke Skywalker. Anakin Skywalker, Darth Vader, and the Sith Blademaster Kas'im use both variants of this form.
  • Form VI Niman - Diplomatic form, used by many Jedi in the period when Chancellor Palpatine was in power. Very well rounded, but does not excel anywhere. Note that all Jedi who practiced Niman in the Battle of Geonosis were killed. Often used as a basis for Jar'Kai. Known users are Zez-Kai Ell, Kavar, Vrook Lamar, Kas'im, General Grievous and Coleman Trebor.
  • Form VII Juyo/Vaapad - Dubbed the Way of the Vornskr or The Ferocity Form, Juyo, a term from High Galactic, was originally considered an incomplete form for millennia. Generally viewed as undeveloped and rarely used by the Jedi and the Sith, Juyo was not seen as one of the main forms for generations of Jedi. Jedi Master Mace Windu completed Form VII when he developed the form of lightsaber combat known as Vaapad, named after a creature from Sarapin which moved with incredible speed. It was considered the most powerful form, but because of the intensity involved, it was thought dangerous because it bordered on the Dark Side of the Force. Practitioners of Vaapad included Mace Windu, (creator) Depa Billaba, Sora Bulq (co-creator) and Quinlan Vos (incomplete). Practitioners of standard Juyo include General Grievous, Darth Maul, Zez-Kai Ell, Vrook Lamar, Kavar and Kas'im. Count Dooku seemed to know enough of the Juyo form to teach General Grievous and his IG-100 MagnaGuards, so he is a possible Juyo practitioner.

The seven forms are introduced by Attack of the Clones: The Visual Dictionary and Star Wars Insider #62. The names of these forms were written for the Star Wars Roleplaying Game, which was then adapted and introduced in "Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords". It was expanded upon within other Expanded Universe Materials.

According to Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords, there are eleven forms but a Jedi/Sith can only learn seven of them. This is likely referring to the "Force forms" that you can learn in the game as well.

[edit] History

Lightsabers are the principal weapons of the Jedi, but are also used by the Sith. Their use is usually restricted to the Jedi, for several reasons: for non-Jedi, blasters are more effective; it is rare when lightsabers are constructed by someone who is not Force-sensitive. However, lightsabers remain prized by some collectors, and some black market sales do occur.

The Jedi who fought in the First Great Schism of 24,500 BBY wielded non-vibrating swords that pre-dated vibroweapons and the resultant dark Jedi who were exiled from the known galaxy had only these weapons when they found their way to Korriban. In the time around 5000 BBY at the conclusion of Marka Ragnos' reign, with the coming of the Great Hyperspace War, the Sith became exposed to lightsaber technology and adopted it for their own use. Concurrent with the Jedi creating the lightsaber was the Sith creating the Sith sword, which proved effective against lightsabers because of the way its alchemically altered metal refracts a lightsaber’s energy. In the subsequent time leading to and from Exar Kun's Sith War, the dark Jedi who proclaimed themselves Sith, followers of the dark side, came to prefer the lightsaber as their mainstay weapon over the archaic Sith sword.[2]

Lightsaber technology was developed over thousands of years. The first lightsaber models, used thousands of years BBY, had to be connected to an external power source since a power source small enough to fit in a saber's hilt had not yet been discovered. Power sources often consisted of a power pack worn on the back and connected to the lightsaber's hilt by a power cord. Some of these sabers also had flat blades, resembling a broadsword, but these would presumably be useless against blasters. The technology was vastly improved as smaller, lighter power sources were discovered and implemented.

Typically, Jedi are given (training) lightsabers on the first day of training. Jedi Masters emphasize that the lightsaber is a measure of progress for an apprentice because lightsaber techniques take great skill and concentration. To construct his own lightsaber is considered the final test for a Jedi padawan before his Jedi Trials. The construction traditionally takes place in a cave on Ilum, though other circumstances may prevent this, and lightsabers can be crafted anywhere as long as the proper tools and components are present. Some Jedi claim to fall into a meditative trance, where their vision helps determine what the results of their construction are. Others simply follow a more ceremonial approach that fully emphasizes the individual's completeness. Corran Horn described several changes within himself as he crafted his lightsaber, coming to terms with his past, his present, and his future.

Luminara Unduli
The crystal is the heart of the blade.
The heart is the crystal of the Jedi.
The Jedi is the crystal of the Force.
The Force is the blade of the heart.
All are intertwined:
The crystal, The blade, The Jedi.
You are one.

When younglings begin their training at the Jedi Temple, they are issued lightsabers set on a low power setting so as to prevent unnecessary injury or fatality due to awkwardness when first learning how to wield the dangerous weapon. These weapons are not capable of cutting through matter, but will deliver a burn or "stun" sensation nasty enough to make for an effective deterrent. After an initiate has been accepted to train under a master, he or she must construct his or her first lightsaber. Padawans usually base their lightsaber designs on their masters' lightsabers; Obi-Wan Kenobi constructed his lightsaber from The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones with similarities to that of Qui-Gon Jinn and his friend Quinlan Vos. Luke Skywalker's lightsaber from A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back is the lightsaber his father used in Revenge of the Sith. It was taken away from Anakin Skywalker, after his near fatal battle with Obi-Wan, and given to Luke Skywalker, while Luke's lightsaber from Return of the Jedi closely resembles that of Obi-Wan's final lightsaber.

[edit] Blade characteristics

In the Expanded Universe, the cutting area of a lightsaber is portrayed as being only a few micrometres wide, with all of the rest being coronal discharge, as is illustrated in "Dark Force Rising".


[edit] Lightsaber effects in the films

[edit] Original Trilogy

For A New Hope, the original film prop hilts were constructed from old camera-flash battery packs and other pieces of hardware. The 'switched-on' sword props were designed with the intention of creating an 'in-camera' glowing effect. The 'blade' was three-sided and coated with a retroreflector array—the same sort used for highway signs. A lamp was positioned to the side of the taking camera and reflected towards the subject through 45-degree angled glass so that the sword would appear to glow from the camera's point-of-view. A motor in the hilt caused the blade to spin so that a reflective surface was always presented directly to the camera. This also created the familiar 'flickering' effect. Ultimately, this process yielded unsatisfactory results and animation was employed to enhance the brightness of the sabers. At this point, the artistic decision was made to assign different colors to the blades. For The Empire Strikes Back, the lightsaber-blade props were simple white rods, and the glow effect was achieved entirely through a special kind of animation called rotoscoping, in which animation is drawn over live footage to maintain precision. In Empire of Dreams on the 2004 DVD release, Mark Hamill originally thought that the sabers would simply be post-production "cartoon" blades, but a real rod was necessary to have something to hit against in knowing where to stop a swinging sword and to let the animators know where to "draw" in the special effect. For Return of the Jedi, the lightsaber hilts were machined from aluminium. In place of the glowing blade, carbon rods were used as blade reference during fight scenes. In Return of the Jedi, the prop blades' shadows can be seen during the fight sequence between Luke and Vader.

[edit] Prequel Trilogy

For The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones, the lightsaber props were upgraded to resin "stunt" hilts and aluminium tubes. Early on, the intense activity of recording these scenes revealed powdery flakes of debris against the green/bluescreen backdrops, a dust produced when the stunt blades slammed together. This was corrected by simply wrapping the stunt blades in color-coded construction paper. For the final film of the Star Wars saga, Revenge of the Sith, the aluminium was replaced by a carbon-fiber blend specifically manufactured for the production. These props had to be reinforced because during the early stages of these props' use, they would often snap from the impact when the actors used them to film combat sequences. The filming of one lightsaber sequence, such as the final Obi-Wan/Anakin duel on Mustafar in Revenge of the Sith, could take several months because each actor had to memorize a complex sequence of more than one thousand moves and execute them perfectly.

[edit] Sound

The characteristic sound is added later by the sound effects team, but actors Liam Neeson (Qui-Gon) and Ewan McGregor (Obi-Wan) mouthed their own lightsaber noises before being asked to "leave it to the professionals" when filming The Phantom Menace. Hayden Christensen (Anakin) did the same when filming Attack of the Clones. The characteristic lightsaber sound is a combination of a film projector's idling motor and interference caused by a television on an unshielded audio cable. The latter sound was discovered accidentally when Ben Burtt was moving house, knocking his microphone behind his television and creating the sound.

[edit] Visual effect

When the prequel trilogy began filming, George Lucas said that all Jedi would have blue, green, or similarly-colored lightsaber blades, not only to differentiate themselves from the Sith, but also to give them their own visual identity. Whenever there were flashes of blaster fire or explosions around, the color of a Jedi's lightsaber would shine through.

There is a visual inconsistency throughout the Star Wars saga in regard to the light the sabers themselves cast. Light is typically cast across the face of a digital character, such as Yoda in Episodes II and III. When a saber passes by a human figure, there is very little glow cast across the figure or face. An exception is that during the Dooku/Skywalker fight in Attack of the Clones, the actors shot close-ups while holding, essentially, neon tubes colored appropriately for their blades. This was not done to contradict anything previously stated but purely dramatic effect.

Arguably one of the most lusted-after props in film history, various toy replicas have been released, ranging from essentially a flashlight with a plastic tube attached, to accurate copies of the original film props, complete with motion-sensitive sound effects and colored blade. Toy lightsabers are consistently the best-selling of all Star Wars related merchandise.

Creators of fan films have used various techniques for creating the coveted "lightsaber effect," most of which involve programs such as FXhome's EffectsLab (which includes many lightsaber or "lightsword" presets), Adobe After Effects, Adobe Photoshop, MainVision, The GIMP, LSMaker, crimsonfx (for Mac), or Blender.

[edit] Lightsabers in popular culture

Luke Skywalker's prop lightsaber flew aboard Space Shuttle mission STS-120 in 2007.
Luke Skywalker's prop lightsaber flew aboard Space Shuttle mission STS-120 in 2007.

In 2007, in honor of the 30th anniversary of the Star Wars, the lightsaber prop used by actor Mark Hamill in Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi was flown aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery mission STS-120 to the International Space Station and returned to Earth.[3]

Toy lightsabers powered by a 9-volt battery have been constructed with a plastic electroluminescent lamp constructed with conductive materials zinc sulphide and indium tin oxide, with electrical circuitry screen-printed onto the plastic[4].

[edit] Lightsaber-like devices in other contexts

The compound term "lightsaber" has become a popular but informal Genericized trademark for any science-fiction energy blade or similar device[citation needed]. Originally, Lucas intended the weapon to be referred to as a "laser sword." An allusion to this was made in The Phantom Menace. Here, Anakin remarks to Qui-Gon, "I saw your laser sword. Only a Jedi carries that kind of weapon." In the directors commentary for Revenge of the Sith Lucas consistently refers to the weapon as a "laser sword," while the rest of those providing commentary call it a "lightsaber."

In the Stephen King Novel The Dark Tower: The Wolves of Calla, the Wolves of Calla carry light saber type weapons.

In the Yu Yu Hakusho anime, Kazuma Kuwabara's spirit sword has several similarites to a lightsaber. The sword is solid energy and in its first appearance, was held with the handle of a Katana. Moreover, the noise it makes when Kuwabara uses it are actually sounds of a lightsaber blade igniting. Hiei also uses a similar weapon during the Dark Tournament Saga.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ Sophie Borland. "Lightsabre wins the battle of movie weapons", The Daily Telegraph, 2008-01-21. Retrieved on 2008-01-26. 
  2. ^ Dark Side Sourcebook, Star Wars: The New Essential Chronology, Tales of the Jedi: The Fall of the Sith Empire, and Tales of the Jedi: The Golden Age of the Sith
  3. ^ NASA (2007). Items Taken Into Space Reflect Accomplishments on Earth. NASA. Retrieved on 2008-01-16, 2007. Retrieved on November 4, 2007.
  4. ^ The Electroluminescent Light Sabre. Nanotechnology News Archive. Azonano (June 2, 2005). Retrieved on 2007-08-29.

[edit] External links

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