Before

After

What is a Lightsaber?

OBi-Wan provided us with the most impressionistic characterization of the lightsaber when he passed on Anakin’s saber to Luke in Episode IV: A New Hope.

“An elegant weapon for a more civilized age.”

The perfect image brought to mind the instant he said it was of honour, respect and yet simplicity, balance and power. If you will, a force to be reckoned with. It can cut through almost anything with ease, deflect blaster fire, be thrown at opponents and retrieved at a whim, and still provide light in dark places, or boil water to clean wounds. Force and balance… But to the skilled user, it becomes an extension of oneself, a center of soul and determination and a dance of block and parry without the reckless fumbling of blasters or the careless swinging of simpler objects. Kenobi’s description left us with the impression that these weapons were wielded by a society of those who believed honour ruled above all, aggression was not the answer. To hold such a thing so powerful with such restraint was not only to master the weapon, but to master oneself.

A thousand generations of honing a skill and perfecting this tool, few can not take notice when a lightsaber is ignited in a room. But there is more to this thing than a metal shaft and focused beam of energy. There is purpose and there is story in almost every design. Again, Obi-Wan said it best when he told Anakin, “This weapon is your life.” in Episode II: Attack of the Clones. Anakin’s first saber was the embodiment of his style, solid, simple and calibrated for maximum force. Aspects he mirrored in his final design.

Throughout the Initiate’s training the lightsaber was introduced very early on and as the skills grew, the Initiate set out to construct their own saber as a ritualistic passing of right to prove their knowledge and connection to the Force. Here was where we saw the life and characteristics of the user flow into the design of the hilt. Herein is the reason why some hilts are made of metal, some of wood, some of rock and some of bone. Some are intricate, some are as simple as can be but all are born as an extension of its builder. The Jedi knows every part – the grip, the pommel, the switch, the emitter, the power source and the Kyber crystal that gives the saber its energy. Know the weapon, know thyself.

This fact is largely prevalent in Ahsoka Tano. Her style became very unique as she preferred to carry two sabers, one longer that she used in a reversed grip and a shorter one used traditionally. She used them as per her combat style to great effect as she grew to be an extremely formidable Force user in her time. I say Force user and not Jedi as anyone who follows the storylines knows that she severs her connection to the Order and can no longer hold the rank of Jedi. This is the reason she had two sets of sabers, each set designed for specific reasons.

Her first set paid homage to the two masters who took active roles in her training. Although she was Anakin’s padawan, Obi-Wan extended much of his knowledge that guided her. Her hilts so then became a combination of the two. The emitter end became a reflection of Anakin, the hilt a reflection of Kenobi. After she left the Order, she left those sabers behind and emerged years later with new ones sporting a curved, flatter design unlike either of her mentors. This katana style was to characterize a maturity in her style and look and even the blade colour went from the original green to white to signify that she retained no connection to any order or affiliation.

Viewing lightsabers in this aspect allows us to see them not just as glorified weapons of pure esthetic destruction but as a harmonious extension of the user and their connection to it. Though what our modern technology has allowed us to wield today – as awe inspiring as they are – is far from what a lightsaber truly is, it is likely in our better interests to not have them readily available as they were designed to be. It is easy to see why only a Force user is able to use one to its full potential as the slightest error in coordination would result in serious injury or loss of limb. Anyone who owns a saber such as those found at OB-1 Sabers’ store will attest to this statement.

It is in the belief of the fantasy that we hold dearest. The knowledge that there can be strong connections between us and the Jedi and we crave the desire to wield and master such an amazing, iconic and futuristic rendition of a thing we are so familiar with from our history. I have seen it again and again, the look on the faces of those who have ignited one, heard the sound, watched the light scroll up the blade and I will admit, felt it myself when I got my first lightsaber. At that moment I stepped out of my bounds of normalcy, I joined an Order from a time long ago in a galaxy far, far away. At that moment, I became a Jedi.

The Lightsaber Connection

Ben Kenobi, formally Obi-Wan Kenobi, provided us with the most impressionistic characterization of the lightsaber when he passed on Anakin’s hilt to Luke in Episode IV: A New Hope, “An elegant weapon for a more civilized age.”

To the skilled user, it becomes an extension of oneself. A focal point of soul and determination culminating in a dance of block and parry without the reckless fumbling of blasters or the careless swinging of primitive objects.

Both a Tool and a Weapon

It can cut through almost anything with ease, deflect blaster fire, be thrown at opponents and retrieved at a whim, and still provide light in dark places, or boil water to clean wounds.

Viewing lightsabers in this aspect allows us to see them not just as glorified weapons of pure esthetic destruction but as a harmonious extension of the user and their connection to it. Even the Samurai from our history, understood the katana was as much a part of the wielder as his own hand. The Samurai knows his hand to the tips of his fingers, he feels them and knows where they end. With sword in hand, this connection extends to the tip of the blade, to feel where it is at all times.

Force and Balance

Again, Obi-Wan said it best when he told Anakin, “This weapon is your life,” in Episode II: Attack of the Clones.

The sensations felt the instant he said it was of honour, respect, yet simplicity, balance, and power. If you will – a force to be reckoned with. The statement perfectly mimics the ancient Samurai and their connection to their swords.

Kenobi’s description left us with the impression that these weapons were wielded by a society of those who believed honour ruled above all. To hold such a thing so powerful with such restraint was not only to master the weapon, but to master oneself. Aggression was not to be nurtured and would lead to a dark path of hate and destruction.

A thousand generations of honing a skill and perfecting this tool, few would not take notice when a lightsaber is ignited in a room. But there is more to this thing than a metal shaft and focused beam of plasma.

Purpose and Story in Every Design

Younglings were only provided with training sabers, non-lethal versions to begin building their skills. It was not until the Initiate’s skill became sufficient for them to build their own. The Initiate would embark to planets, like Ilum, to retrieve their own kyber crystal – the focusing energy point that creates the blade and its colour, and the connection between user and weapon. This journey was a ritualistic passage of right to prove their knowledge and connection to the Force, as the crystal could only be found through the Force.

With a fresh crystal in hand, the Initiate would be provided with the tools needed to construct the hilt – which also had to be completed using force abilities. During this process, the life and characteristics of the user flowed into its design. It is the reason why some hilts are made of metal, some wood, some rock, and some bone. Some are intricate, some are as simple as can be, but all are born as an extension of its builder.

The Jedi knows every part of their saber – the grip, the pommel, the switch, the emitter, the power source and the kyber crystal. Know the weapon, know thyself.

This fact is prevalent in Ahsoka Tano. Her style became unique as she preferred to carry two sabers, one longer that she used in a reversed grip and a shorter one she wielded traditionally.

Her first set paid homage to the two masters who took active roles in her training. Although she was Anakin’s padawan, Obi-Wan extended much of his knowledge that guided her throughout the Clone Wars. Her hilts then became a combination of the two. The emitter became a reflection of Anakin; the pommel, a reflection of Kenobi.

She used them with her chosen combat style to great effect as she grew to be an extremely formidable Padawan in her time. She was never a Jedi though, as anyone who follows the storylines knows that she severed her connection to the Order and could never hold the rank of Jedi. This is the reason she had two sets of sabers; each set was designed for specific reasons.

After she left the Order, she left her original set behind and emerged years later, as Fulcrum, with new ones sporting a curved, flatter design unlike either of her mentors. This katana style was to characterize a maturity in her style and look and even the blade colour went from the original green to white to signify that she retained no connection to any order or affiliation – only to her sabers.

The Modern Connection

Though what our modern technology has allowed us to enjoy today – as awe inspiring as they are – is far from what a lightsaber truly is, which is likely in our better interests. We humans can hardly be considered force sensitive in the same respect as Jedi.

The skill level and connection to the instrument required takes years to master fully. Not many of us hold the title of Samurai; and many of us who do practice with the FX sabers like those found at OB-1 Sabers’ store surely sport a few bruises as a testament to our efforts. It is easy to see why only a Force user would be able to use a real saber to its full potential as the slightest error in coordination would result in serious injury or loss of limb. Did the Samurai of old experience such growing pains?

It is in the belief of the fantasy that we hold on to. The knowledge that there can be strong connections between us and the Jedi. We crave the desire to wield and master such an amazing, iconic, and futuristic rendition of an elegant weapon we are so familiar with from our history. We want to connect with the image and the ideology of the thing to bring a deeper meaning to our lives.

I am OB-1 Sabers. I have seen it again and again, the look on the faces of those who have ignited one that first time; heard the sound, watched the light scroll up the blade and I will admit, I felt it myself when I got my first lightsaber. At that moment I stepped out of my bounds of normalcy and I joined an Order from a time long ago in a galaxy far, far away. At that moment, I became a Jedi with an elegant weapon hoping for a more civilized age.

Posted article here.