The science fiction genre has been fascinating for decades, perhaps even for over a century. Humanity’s need to learn more and understand everything that surround us has allowed great minds to think beyond what can be seen and experienced and come up with vast fictional universes. Inspired by what we already have and then taken to new heights and distant future, sci-fi is a favorite genre in all forms of media. From movies and TV shows to books and video games, together with fantasy it is the theme that continues to inspire countless to come up with their own characters, stories, and settings.
Sci-Fi at its Finest
Arguably the most popular of these is the one created by George Lucas and his Lucasfilm. In the modern-day and age, everyone has heard of Star Wars. It is one of those larger-than-life sagas that spans numerous movies, TV shows, books, comics, and video games, all of which are interconnected and share one enormous universe. The key for sci-fi is to remain intriguing for a long time and for new things to be introduced without the old ones being neglected. Star Wars continues to do this and has been doing it for decades.
Ever since the first movie came out in 1977 came out, fans have been wanting to know and see more. They want to see more planets, meet new characters, learn about the Force in new ways, more spaceships, and more battles. And it is the latter two that truly take the fans’ attention with the SW universe. No matter how small the battle seems, it is always meaningful. The characters have complicated reasons and motives to win and they give it they all to succeed. While falling in love with them and their battles, fans also treasure their armors and weapons. Speaking of weapons, there is hardly a more popular weapon in all of media than the lightsaber.
For example, ziasabers.com offers lifelike models of the famous lightsabers by the most popular characters in the series. The hilts are made with great attention to detail and the blades are made of durable polycarbonate material, meaning you can duel with it too. If you want your own, you can even customize a hilt and choose the color you want for an ultimate Jedi or Sith experience.
The Holy Grail of Sci-Fi Weaponry
The fan-favorite Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi put it perfectly when he first introduced the weapon to Luke Skywalker in the original Star Wars, now better known as Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. He said about the blue energy blade, “This is the weapon of a Jedi Knight. Not as clumsy or random as a blaster. An elegant weapon, for a more civilized age.” And elegant it truly is, buy it has seen its use in numerous ages both civilized and ravaged by war.
When the fans first saw it over 44 years ago, they were dumbfounded with the idea, design, and visuals. Fast forward to 2024 and the weapon is as popular and awe-inspiring as ever. A laser sword with a blade completely made out of indestructible light, a beam of plasma rather, with a mechanical hilt that is emitting it. It is a marvel of engineering in the world of Star Wars, and a marvel of imagination by George Lucas. Synonymous with the Jedi Knights, as well as Sith Lords, it is the go-to weapon of any Force wielders in the universe. Right from the start, fans wanted one of their own, and right from the beginning, people wondered could something like this exist one day.
How it Works in the SW Lore
Star Wars lore is a complicated and extensive one, spanning thousands of years and full of different factions, conflicts, heroes, villains, and planets. And yet the lightsaber has almost always been the constant. In the story, a young student of the Jedi order faces one of the final challenges in their Force training when they are tasked to find their own kyber crystal and construct their lightsaber. The crystals are force-attuned and they naturally grow on certain planets. The Jedi search for them to power their weapons which are an extension of them because they are connected with the crystal through the Force. Since they share the connection, it is the crystal that chooses the Jedi and not the other way around.
Once a young student is ready, the master takes them to the place rich with kyber where they have to mine it on their own and pass a series of Force vision tests and trials before the crystal reveals itself. Once they have it, the building of the lightsaber begins. This is done without any physical touch but through force. The young Jedi student (Padawan) meditates while using the force and moves the little intricate pieces they chose for their hilt with their mind. The crystal is the heart of the hilt and the power source, and the rest of the parts can be attached only when it is fit into the right position. The building phase is complete when the lightsaber does what it is supposed to, emit the plasma blade of the color the crystal is without any issues or instability.
Blades are usually blue or green, with rare kyber crystals also being purple, orange, yellow, or white. Sith Lords, those using the Dark Side of the Force, corrupt the crystals and bleed them. This action fuels it with the Dark Side and makes them red. The rest of the process of is the same and the Sith Lord constructs their lightsaber in the same way a Jedi does.
What About Real Life?
Sadly, technology is nowhere near what we would need to have real lightsabers. While lasers and plasma beams to exist, they cannot be contained in such a small hilt and they need a lot of batteries or other types of power supply units to feed them. In addition, it is difficult to limit the length of the blade and actually have it be the length of a sword. Things are not all bad though, as there are ways to still have a Star Wars lightsaber of your own.
