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Questions tagged [lightsaber]

An energy blade weapon from the Star Wars franchise often wielded like a sword or pike. Use this tag for questions about the properties of lightsabers, how they are constructed, etc. Do not use for questions that mention lightsabers but aren't actually about them. Use this tag with the [star-wars] tag.

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25 answers
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Why do the lightsaber moves of Luke Skywalker look so uncoordinated and crude compared to the prequels?

In the prequel trilogy of Star Wars (the more recent three), the swordsmanship of the actors is very coordinated and fast. There's lots of aerobatics and fast swordplay; generally impressive (albeit ...
Vadr's user avatar
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84 votes
3 answers
12k views

Will Ezra's lightsaber revolutionize dueling? [closed]

Ezra's lightsaber (pictued below) features a gun attachment that can be single-handedly fired while the lightsaber is activated. The energy bolt cannot be deflected back at the firer. Regarding the ...
Twilight Sparkle's user avatar
83 votes
5 answers
21k views

What keeps a lightsaber from going on infinitely?

Is there a reason ever given that explains why a lightsaber (which I assume/was made to assume is a sort of laser) doesn't go on infinitely like a normal laser (excluding atmospheric conditions)? ...
DForck42's user avatar
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69 votes
5 answers
22k views

Why does a lightsaber turn off when a Jedi dies or drops it?

I rewatched the three newer movies and noticed that whenever a Jedi was killed, or let go of their lightsaber, it immediately turned off. What was curious was that the lightsaber turns off right away,...
Sydenam's user avatar
  • 5,230
66 votes
14 answers
97k views

Do Non-Jedi (and Non-Sith) Use Lightsabers?

I understand that the mechanics and design of a lightsaber aren't that complicated. Do others besides the Jedi and Sith (or their minions) make or use lightsabers? And if they don't, why not?
Tango's user avatar
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65 votes
6 answers
18k views

Do lightsaber blades/blaster bolts cast shadows?

Do lightsaber blades and/or blaster bolts cast shadows? (I know it's possible to see a blade's shadow on the ground during Episode VI, but that was clearly due to technical limitations, not ...
Legoman's user avatar
  • 1,065
62 votes
13 answers
41k views

Which button activates Skywalker's lightsaber, and why is it inconsistent?

You can tell from this video that Finn is actually pushing that button to activate the lightsaber It seems like there are different on-buttons or something because the toys say the big rectangular ...
RedCaio's user avatar
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58 votes
10 answers
21k views

Is there any material which cannot be cut by a lightsaber?

In all the Star Wars movies till now we can see many Jedi & Dark Side characters using various types & colors of lightsabers. As per the movies, lightsabers can cut through everything & ...
user avatar
57 votes
5 answers
66k views

Why does Kylo Ren's lightsaber look different from normal lightsabers?

Kylo Ren's lightsaber is very confusing. It has a cross-guard, which was discussed in another question, but I don't think this was: Why does Kylo Ren's lightsaber look different from a normal ...
bleh's user avatar
  • 7,301
57 votes
3 answers
31k views

Lightsaber blade "weight" in-universe

In-universe, a lightsaber is basically a controlled, fixed-length plasma stream that can be used as a sword. As such, the blade wouldn't have any mass (or infinitesimal mass if you want to get ...
KeithS's user avatar
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55 votes
6 answers
36k views

Why did Luke call the lightsaber by a different name?

In The Last Jedi, I thought it was a little odd that Luke referred to the lightsaber as a "laser sword". Given that the lightsaber identifies a Jedi, why did he refer to it as such?
Tim Reddy's user avatar
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54 votes
7 answers
17k views

Why don't lightsabers have guards?

When the trailer for Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens came out, there were many jokes made at the expense of Kylo Ren's lightsaber and its silly guard. And whilst that particular guard ...
Magikarp Master's user avatar
50 votes
5 answers
15k views

Why didn't Luke use his lightsaber during his mission on the first Death Star?

This weapon is your life Obi-Wan Kenobi, Han Solo, Luke Skywalker, Chewbacca, C3PO, and R2-D2 arrive at the Death Star I. Their mission was originally to go to Alderaan - unfortunately that didn't ...
The Witch King of Angmar's user avatar
50 votes
4 answers
9k views

Why doesn't the lightsaber cut the guardrail in Episode 6?

In Star Wars Episode VI, why doesn't Luke's lightsaber cut through the guardrail when he's fighting Darth Vader? But here, shortly thereafter, when Luke cuts off Vader's hand, the rail gets cut: (...
Matt's user avatar
  • 603
47 votes
5 answers
14k views

How is it possible to do round swings with a lightsaber?

In Star Wars movies we often see poi-style lightsaber movements: Poi performers (e.g. fire performers) use the weight of a prop to make it go round. To my understanding, to do this with a physical ...
enkryptor's user avatar
  • 1,049
45 votes
3 answers
12k views

Did Luke retrieve his Lightsaber from second Death Star?

At the end of Episode VI: ROTJ, Luke defiantly "hurls away" his lightsaber - according to both screenplay and novelization - before declaring "I am a Jedi, as my father was before me". I have just ...
DVK-on-Ahch-To's user avatar
45 votes
2 answers
12k views

What keeps lightsabers from going through each other?

A canon answer would be great, but not sure how likely that would be. But what keeps lightsabers from simply going through or slicing through one another?
Chad Harrison's user avatar
44 votes
7 answers
14k views

Are Lightsabers ever used outside of combat?

I found this question which asks if there were ever any other technologies based on lightsabers. What I would like to know is if there's any instances in canon or Legends where an actual saber is ...
DCOPTimDowd's user avatar
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42 votes
6 answers
19k views

Why do Jedi use lightsabers?

Why do Jedi use lightsabers instead of blasters? Blasters seem to be more practical. Is there a special bond or something between lightsabers and Jedi?
madmadir's user avatar
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41 votes
4 answers
12k views

Are lightsabers flat?

I've always thought of lightsaber blades as dowel-shaped, but if you look at some of the lightsaber fights in the original movies, there are points where it momentarily looks flat like looking at a ...
Karl Bielefeldt's user avatar
41 votes
1 answer
7k views

Was possession of a lightsaber grounds for arrest in the Empire?

During the reign of the Empire (episodes III-VI) it's conceivable that the lightsabers of dead Jedi survived even if their owners did not. Say a weapon smuggler were to be stopped at a checkpoint by ...
The Dark Lord's user avatar
40 votes
3 answers
16k views

Did any lightsaber ever run out of power?

In this question, I learned that lightsabers are powered by a high-output Diatium power cell Has there been an instance where a lightsaber's "battery" has run out? (Leaving a Jedi in a ...
NorbyTheGeek's user avatar
  • 3,075
38 votes
1 answer
3k views

Do lightsabers smell?

In real live plasmas give off some odor. The closest to a reference I find is this. But one can easily check for himself. It's mostly ozone what one smells (smell of thunderstorms). So I was ...
bdecaf's user avatar
  • 1,604
37 votes
9 answers
27k views

Why don't lightsaber duelists ever use the technique of turning off their lightsaber during a fight?

Since my early childhood I've been wondering about the answer to one question about Star Wars: Why, when fighting with lightsabers, do they use them to parry attacks rather than turning the ...
jayarjo's user avatar
  • 515
36 votes
5 answers
11k views

Why give this character his old lightsaber?

In the new Star Wars Movie, But as you can see in Episode VI, Luke built his new green one with another handle. Didn't she just know that he already got another one?
DieKomode's user avatar
  • 397
36 votes
4 answers
5k views

Who turned on the lightsaber?

Spoilers for The Last Jedi: he narrates Kylo Ren's thoughts/feelings (saying things like "he turns the lightsaber towards his enemy" and so on) we see the Skywalker lightsaber being manipulated ...
RedCaio's user avatar
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35 votes
2 answers
10k views

How could Kylo Ren move Luke's lightsaber in The Last Jedi when he couldn't in The Force Awakens?

In Star Wars: The Force Awakens, before the battle between Kylo Ren and Rey we watch Kylo trying to force pull Luke's blue lightsaber but without success. Now, in The Last Jedi, Kylo uses the Force to ...
Nikos's user avatar
  • 667
35 votes
3 answers
10k views

Could a lightsaber deflect a laser blast from a TIE Fighter?

Or a turbolaser such as the ones on the surface of the Death Star?
Gelfamat's user avatar
  • 3,071
34 votes
2 answers
9k views

Has Rey's new lightsaber been seen before in canon or legends?

The new Rise of Skywalker trailer has Rey (or someone who looks an awful lot like her) wielding a new double lightsaber, but now with action deploy mechanism! (someone in marketing has to be giddy). ...
Machavity's user avatar
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33 votes
5 answers
8k views

Does spinning help Jedi fight?

I noticed that in almost all of the Jedi lightsaber fights they are constantly spinning as they fight. I know because it's a movie it looks cool, but does it actually help? It almost seems like it ...
Sam Harrington's user avatar
33 votes
3 answers
22k views

Why were some lightsaber effects in A New Hope different quality?

In the below pictures, you can clearly see the difference of quality, when Luke uses Anakin's old lightsaber, its a pale green, almost pure white blade. Its like George Lucas forgot to send this scene ...
Jared's user avatar
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32 votes
1 answer
5k views

How do Jedi (and Sith) practice lightsaber duelling safely?

In learning to sword fight, Japanese samurai used wooden replica swords and medieval knights used blunt swords (which were safe enough to use on plate armour). However, lightsabers 'handle' very ...
Bogdanovist's user avatar
  • 3,533
31 votes
1 answer
76k views

How were the lightsaber effects done in Star Wars?

According to Wookieepedia, the the props are made of wood. Also, due to the brittleness of the stunt blades used during this fight, which were little more than wooden dowels, Diamond was forced to ...
gandalf3's user avatar
  • 495
30 votes
3 answers
10k views

Do adjustable length lightsabers exist in Star Wars universe?

I always see blades of lightsabers have more or less the same length (dual blades are double). Why is that? Can't a longer or shorter length be advantage in some case? I am NOT expecting infinite ...
Doctor Doom's user avatar
29 votes
3 answers
7k views

How can Kylo Ren recognize this item?

During the last part of The Force Awakens, Kylo Ren faces Finn in a snowy forest on Starkiller base. Finn lights up Luke's lightsaber to fight against Kylo Ren. Kylo immediately says something like: ...
Fatalize's user avatar
  • 3,933
29 votes
2 answers
6k views

When does Luke's lightsaber first appear in the Star Wars saga?

After having seen The Force Awakens, I am having a bit of trouble trying to figure out when the blue lightsaber that Finn uses to fight Kylo Ren first appears in the saga. We know that its last user ...
Adam's user avatar
  • 393
28 votes
3 answers
9k views

Is Anakin's lightsaber the only one remaining from the 'Clone Wars' era?

In discussions and info surrounding The Force Awakens, it seems that a lot of the (now ancient) Jedi knowledge has been lost to time. Luke's Green lightsaber used a synthetic crystal, a practice ...
Robotnik's user avatar
  • 4,609
28 votes
3 answers
9k views

Why do lightsaber users fight two-handed?

The lightsaber is presumably not a very heavy weapon. It's implied to be little more than a handle with a weightless plasma blade, very easy to swing and throw around. So why do so many people ...
Bob Tway's user avatar
  • 5,771
28 votes
3 answers
14k views

Why did Luke use a synthetic crystal in his lightsaber and what were the implications of this choice?

The book Star Wars Lightsabers: A guide to weapons of the force indicates that Luke's green lightsaber uses a "synthetic" green crystal as its focusing crystal while all other Jedi in the book use ...
DQdlM's user avatar
  • 6,374
27 votes
5 answers
25k views

Why doesn't someone try to turn ON/OFF enemy's lightsaber using the Force?

Lightsabers turn OFF when its wielder drops it or he/she dies. It means there's some kind of pressure button on lightsabers which needs to be always pressed to keep is ON. In case of lightsaber throw,...
Doctor Doom's user avatar
27 votes
7 answers
11k views

Does construction of a Lightsaber require use of the Force?

It's true that Lightsaber construction is a mandatory skill for a trained Force user, but I am not sure about it in reverse. @DVK has commented on this answer that: Grievous wasn't a Jedi (or a ...
Doctor Doom's user avatar
27 votes
1 answer
6k views

How did Satele Shan block this lightsaber thrust?

In the SWTOR game, there is a scene where Satele Shan blocks (absorbs/ dissipates?) the beam from Darth Malgus' lightsaber. Was she wearing cortosis armored glove? Or is it her mastery of the Force ...
Spandan's user avatar
  • 573
27 votes
1 answer
8k views

In Star Wars, is there a pretend-science explanation of how lightsabers work (like midi-chlorians for The Force)?

In Star Wars, Luke wielded both a lightsaber and the Force, neither of which was explained in much detail. In The Phantom Menace, it was explained that intelligent microscopic life-forms called midi-...
Paul D. Waite's user avatar
26 votes
3 answers
36k views

What are all the known lightsaber designs?

What are the different designs of lightsabers in the Star Wars canon? For example, Darth Maul with his double-bladed saber, and Kylo Ren with his cross-guard saber.
Programmer's user avatar
26 votes
2 answers
29k views

Is Rey's Staff Made of Lightsabers?

Looking at Rey's staff, it sure looks like it is made of lightsabers as parts. Are they actually lightsabers? Did she get them (or the whole weapon) from scavenging?
bleh's user avatar
  • 7,301
25 votes
5 answers
17k views

Did any Jedi ever choose to forgo using a Lightsaber?

Okay, so everyone knows that somewhere along the line it became tradition that, as one of the final tasks of their training, Jedi must construct their own lightsaber. I was just watching an episode ...
eidylon's user avatar
  • 6,029
24 votes
2 answers
8k views

Are there lightsabers with moving emitters?

Has there ever been shown in Star Wars (canon or Legends, but canon preferably) a lightsaber where the emitter can move position? That is to say, that the 'head' of the lightsaber is hinged or in some ...
Psycrow's user avatar
  • 1,145
24 votes
4 answers
9k views

Why does Luke Skywalker use a green lightsaber in Star Wars Battlefront?

I know EA DICE wanted to be spot on, on every aspect of the new Star Wars Battlefront game, but to my knowledge Luke Skywalker always used a blue lightsaber; in the previous games as well as the ...
Oil's user avatar
  • 647
24 votes
2 answers
5k views

Is there a general term for Jedi and Sith?

Is there a term for the Jedi and Sith? I mean if you don't know if the person is a Jedi or a Sith, but you know the person is using a lightsaber and has a big knowledge about the force, what a term ...
ReeCube's user avatar
  • 755
24 votes
4 answers
9k views

How is a lightsaber's power cell recharged?

From the question Did any lightsaber ever run out of power? and DavRob60's answer to it, it appears that the diatium power cell in a lightsaber can be drained by a short circuit (and presumably ...
Xantec's user avatar
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