Chances are that you have seen a lightsaber at one time or another, whether on the evening news or down at the local cantina. Therefore you know that a lightsaber is an amazing and versatile device that is able to cut through nearly anything in a matter of milliseconds.

Photo courtesy Lucasfilm Ltd.

Have you ever wondered how these remarkable weapons work? Where does the energy come from, and how are they able to contain that energy in a rod-like column of glowing power?

In this article, you will have a chance to look inside a lightsaber and discover the source of its incredible characteristics. Let’s get started!

It’s All In The Handle

Photo courtesy Park Sabers

Graflex Model

A lightsaber is a unique device, created by hand — the controls will be slightly different on each individual lightsaber that you buy. But all lightsabers share the same general characteristics. If you were ever to pick up and examine a typical lightsaber, here are several things that you would immediately notice:

• A lightsaber is normally about 30 centimeters long, about the size of a large flashlight.
• At one end is the hand grip, belt ring and on/off switch (a.k.a., the Activation Matrix).
• At the other end there is the blade arc tip and stabilizing ring.
• Somewhere on the case (generally near the blade end of the lightsaber) you find one or two adjusting knobs for blade power and blade length.

When you turn on the lightsaber (*see important safety tips), you will notice the blade rapidly extending to its set length. You can adjust the length using the blade length adjusting knob. The lightsaber blade will make a distinctive sound that is typical of an arc wave energy field. You will also feel a gyroscopic effect in the handle, which again is a distinctive characteristic of the arc wave blade. This gyroscopic effect can take some getting used to, so be sure to handle any active lightsaber with extreme care until you are completely familiar with its feel and handling.

Slicing and Dicing
Once active, the blade of a lightsaber can be used in four different ways.

The most common use, of course, is slicing. A lightsaber is like a sword on steroids. Cutting through any human limb — even an entire torso — is trivial. It’s like cutting through a banana with a machete.

A lightsaber can help convince an assailant that no means no.

With practice you can also use a lightsaber like a knife. For example, if you need to cut open the belly of a large domestic animal like a horse or a tauntaun, the lightsaber is the perfect tool. Simply use the tip of the blade and control the depth of your cut just like you would with a scalpel.

Nearly anything you would normally find around the home or office is easy to cut with a lightsaber, including steel pipes, reinforcing beams, mounting struts and so on. If you happen to find yourself hanging upside down in a cave, a lightsaber is the perfect tool to use to cut the rope.

Another common use is melting. For example, if you come upon a three-foot-thick blast door, you cannot “slice” your way through it like you can with a normal steel or concrete partition. But you can plunge the blade of your lightsaber straight into the door and then melt your way through it to cut out an opening. This normally takes several minutes, but the results are most impressive to anyone on the other side of the blast door.

Another important use of a lightsaber is deflection, in two different ways:

1. A lightsaber blade can deflect another lightsaber blade and block its path.
2. A lightsaber blade can deflect blaster bolts. In most cases you will want to deflect the bolts back at the person who shot them at you in the first place, but it is also possible to deflect them toward other objects and people in the room.

A lightsaber user with a strong affinity for the Force has a distinct advantage in the latter situation. By using the Force, the wielder can anticipate the path of the blaster bolt and align the blade with that path prior to the bolt’s arrival. Using normal visual tracking to accomplish the same effect can be far more difficult.

Important Safety Information

A lightsaber is not a toy! Keep it out of reach of children at all times. Lightsaber locks are required in most states.

There are two ends to any lightsaber — one end has the belt ring, while the other end houses the blade arc tip and blade emitter. NEVER point the blade emitter of a lightsaber toward your own body. NEVER look down the “barrel” of a lightsaber, even if you are “sure” it is in safe mode. If you accidentally activate the lightsaber, serious injury could result.

Written by Marshall Brain