WEBVTT - How Lightsabers Work 0:00:00.320 --> 0:00:02.880 Brought to you by the reinvented two thousand twelve camera. 0:00:03.200 --> 0:00:08.920 It's ready. Are you get in touch with technology with 0:00:09.080 --> 0:00:17.840 tech Stuff from how stuff works dot com. Hello again, everyone, 0:00:18.079 --> 0:00:20.680 Welcome to tech stuff. My name is Chris Poulette and 0:00:20.680 --> 0:00:23.040 I am the tech editor at how stuff works dot com. 0:00:23.040 --> 0:00:25.040 Sitting next to me, as he always does, is senior 0:00:25.079 --> 0:00:33.600 writer Jonathan Strickland. I spilled my mini Glorians. Oh you know, 0:00:33.720 --> 0:00:36.040 I'm gonna have to get them up. So we're gonna 0:00:36.080 --> 0:00:41.919 start off this podcast with a little listener tweet. This 0:00:42.000 --> 0:00:44.960 listener tweet comes from Jacqueline Hyde, who says, got a 0:00:45.040 --> 0:00:50.560 listener request for you, how lightsabers work. The force is 0:00:50.640 --> 0:00:53.800 strong with this one, so we are going to talk 0:00:53.840 --> 0:00:56.680 about lightsabers. This is kind of an interesting subject in 0:00:56.680 --> 0:00:58.840 the sense that really it belongs and stuff you missed 0:00:58.840 --> 0:01:01.160 in history class because it did happened a long time ago. 0:01:01.480 --> 0:01:04.679 Any galaxy far far away, yeah, um, or technically it 0:01:04.680 --> 0:01:07.000 could be fan stuffed, but they don't have a podcast, 0:01:07.120 --> 0:01:09.720 so we're gonna tackle it before anyone can grab it 0:01:09.760 --> 0:01:13.200 from our cold dead paddawan hands. As the Jedi would say, 0:01:13.319 --> 0:01:16.600 niner naner, Yes, the Jedi would say, that, So, of 0:01:16.640 --> 0:01:19.840 course we're talking about the civilized weapon from a or 0:01:19.920 --> 0:01:22.920 the elegant weapon from a more civilized age. The light 0:01:23.120 --> 0:01:28.160 saber as introduced to us through George Lucas's brilliant work 0:01:29.000 --> 0:01:32.440 Star Wars A New Hope Um or Star Wars when 0:01:32.480 --> 0:01:35.280 it first came out in nine. It was not American 0:01:35.280 --> 0:01:37.840 graffiti as many people think. No, no, there was no 0:01:38.000 --> 0:01:41.560 cameo of the lightsaber in American graffiti, although that would 0:01:41.560 --> 0:01:46.280 have made that movie that much more awesome. So lightsabers, 0:01:46.319 --> 0:01:48.240 of course, this is the weapon the Jedi used, the 0:01:48.240 --> 0:01:51.920 the magic sword of the Star Wars series, and in fact, 0:01:51.960 --> 0:01:54.360 when uh, most of the interviews I've seen with Lucas, 0:01:54.400 --> 0:01:57.640 he just refers to it as a magic sword. You know, 0:01:57.680 --> 0:02:00.080 I just said, it's that's what the purpose of it is. 0:02:00.080 --> 0:02:01.880 It's just it happens to be called a lightsaber, but 0:02:02.040 --> 0:02:06.360 a magic sword. So the problem with magic is that 0:02:06.400 --> 0:02:08.919 there's not a whole lot to how it works other 0:02:09.000 --> 0:02:14.000 than magic. You know, you you're just totally getting into that. Early. 0:02:14.240 --> 0:02:15.760 I thought we were going to go ahead and talk 0:02:15.800 --> 0:02:18.400 about how it works, all right. Well, this has not 0:02:18.480 --> 0:02:21.360 stopped people from telling us how it works, despite the 0:02:21.360 --> 0:02:23.760 fact that it's magic. So let's talk. There are people 0:02:23.800 --> 0:02:26.440 who will argue exactly how this works. It's not. As 0:02:26.440 --> 0:02:28.160 a matter of fact, we have an article on how 0:02:28.200 --> 0:02:33.080 it works. It's not cannon, and cannon is important to me. 0:02:34.440 --> 0:02:37.440 But then again, you know what is canon? Jar jar binks. 0:02:37.480 --> 0:02:40.640 So let's just move on into how lightsabers work. So 0:02:40.720 --> 0:02:44.280 a lightsaber is made up of several different parts. You've 0:02:44.320 --> 0:02:47.800 got the handle, which is pretty much where everything is, right, Yeah, 0:02:47.960 --> 0:02:51.320 so the handle has at the base of the handle, 0:02:51.360 --> 0:02:55.560 you've got the power sell and uh it's a it 0:02:55.720 --> 0:02:59.360 was it dieci um, Yes, a dietium crystal. Alright, So 0:02:59.400 --> 0:03:01.120 you've got the diet sham power cell that's in the 0:03:01.120 --> 0:03:05.080 basic that's fine. You know what if they correct us, 0:03:05.080 --> 0:03:08.120 if they take that time more power to that uh 0:03:09.040 --> 0:03:10.800 diation power cell is in the middle of a power 0:03:10.800 --> 0:03:14.200 of vortex ring and a power field conductor. Now where 0:03:14.240 --> 0:03:16.920 does all this power go? You've you're generated that's essentially 0:03:16.919 --> 0:03:19.360 like the battery of the lightsaber. That's the very base. 0:03:19.840 --> 0:03:22.240 So and it's got a lot of energy stored in it, 0:03:22.760 --> 0:03:24.840 lots and lots of energy. Now where does this energy 0:03:24.880 --> 0:03:27.560 go once it starts to Emit from the power cell. 0:03:28.000 --> 0:03:30.880 It goes into the crystal energy chamber right where you 0:03:30.919 --> 0:03:35.960 have your primary crystal. Now, depending on whom you ask, 0:03:37.080 --> 0:03:40.800 this crystal may or may not determine the color of 0:03:40.960 --> 0:03:46.920 the lightsabers blade. Yes. Now, some would argue that the 0:03:46.960 --> 0:03:51.280 real determiner for the lightsaber color is lies with the 0:03:51.360 --> 0:03:55.600 Jedi him or herself and the force that that Jedi 0:03:55.720 --> 0:03:59.840 abuse the crystal. So in that case, you could have 0:04:00.000 --> 0:04:03.120 any crystal and essentially have a lightsaber of any color. 0:04:03.160 --> 0:04:06.120 It would all be up to the individual Jedi. Others 0:04:06.160 --> 0:04:10.680 would argue, nay, tis not so, the lightsaber color is 0:04:10.720 --> 0:04:13.760 dependent entirely upon the color of the crystal you select 0:04:13.920 --> 0:04:19.000 to focus this power. Um, I'm gonna go with that one. 0:04:19.279 --> 0:04:22.880 So you know, of course, we we also need to 0:04:22.920 --> 0:04:28.200 talk about how Jedi lightsabers are different from Sith lightsabers 0:04:28.400 --> 0:04:32.599 because they are so the crystals that Jedi use tend 0:04:32.640 --> 0:04:36.320 to be natural crystals. They're crystals found in caves throughout 0:04:36.360 --> 0:04:41.520 the galaxy Um, and so these crystals are they can 0:04:41.520 --> 0:04:45.039 take the power and create the the the force of 0:04:45.080 --> 0:04:48.599 the I guess, the actual lightsaber blade. It's the best 0:04:48.600 --> 0:04:52.040 way of putting it. Um and the Sith What they 0:04:52.080 --> 0:04:54.840 do is they'll they'll make a they'll make their own crystals. 0:04:54.839 --> 0:04:57.120 They'll create a forge, and they'll build a synthetic crystal. 0:04:57.320 --> 0:04:59.919 And there's tend to be red, which is why you 0:05:00.040 --> 0:05:02.600 see sith like like Darth Maul or Darth Vader or 0:05:02.680 --> 0:05:06.880 Darth Tyrannis walking around with a big old red lightsaber, 0:05:08.000 --> 0:05:10.640 whereas Jedi they tend to stick with blue and green, 0:05:10.720 --> 0:05:16.200 although other colors are also available. Yes, so there are 0:05:16.240 --> 0:05:18.120 more that, but there are There are more than one crystal. 0:05:18.120 --> 0:05:21.280 Though the primary crystal is uh is just one part 0:05:21.279 --> 0:05:23.839 of that. There are second there are secondary and smaller crystals, 0:05:23.839 --> 0:05:26.320 and it sort of depends on the Jedi who builds 0:05:26.440 --> 0:05:30.680 the lightsaber, because the lightsaber is Creating a lightsaber is 0:05:30.760 --> 0:05:33.440 part of becoming a Jedi. Yes, it's actually the final 0:05:33.520 --> 0:05:38.159 step of Jedi training. According to a Darth Vader, Yes so. 0:05:38.839 --> 0:05:41.120 But but what the additional crystals do is they actually 0:05:41.120 --> 0:05:45.640 help focus the energy into a blade form, right right, 0:05:45.680 --> 0:05:48.080 So the energy coming from the power cell, once it 0:05:48.080 --> 0:05:50.120 passes through the crystal, that's what gives it the the 0:05:50.240 --> 0:05:54.560 destructive force that we see from lightsabers. The other crystals 0:05:54.600 --> 0:05:58.800 focus that into the blade um and depending also on 0:05:59.120 --> 0:06:01.960 upon whom you ask, They may also give the the 0:06:02.080 --> 0:06:07.120 lightsaber other certain powers, like it may enhance certain certain 0:06:07.160 --> 0:06:10.200 aspects of the lightsaber. For example, we know that lightsabers 0:06:10.200 --> 0:06:15.480 can deflect blaster fire. Some of these crystals are apparently 0:06:15.560 --> 0:06:19.920 more effective at deflecting blaster fire than others, and others 0:06:19.960 --> 0:06:22.760 may be better at cutting through certain kinds of material. 0:06:23.160 --> 0:06:27.880 So uh Now, other other scholars will argue that's not 0:06:27.920 --> 0:06:31.440 the case. The just focuses the blade, doesn't imbue it 0:06:31.480 --> 0:06:34.880 with any other powers. Um. Personally, I haven't had my 0:06:34.960 --> 0:06:37.080 hands on the lightsaber in a really long time, so 0:06:37.160 --> 0:06:39.720 it's kind of hard for me to tell you exactly 0:06:39.720 --> 0:06:42.640 what what which ones are right, And also I have 0:06:42.720 --> 0:06:46.799 only ever really used one, so with that small sample size, 0:06:46.800 --> 0:06:49.359 it's impossible to say yes. And and it's probably a 0:06:49.360 --> 0:06:51.960 good time to point out that if you do have 0:06:52.040 --> 0:06:54.880 the opportunity to use the lights remember it's it's not 0:06:54.960 --> 0:06:56.360 the kind of thing that you just want to play 0:06:56.400 --> 0:07:00.520 around with because it can be a very uh very dangerous. Yeah, 0:07:00.520 --> 0:07:03.040 it turns out serious damage and when you can cut through, 0:07:03.240 --> 0:07:06.000 you know, a foot of steel, that it's not the 0:07:06.040 --> 0:07:11.400 best thing to you know, swatterfly with no UM. After 0:07:11.440 --> 0:07:14.520 it goes through the christ the focusing crystal, it passes 0:07:14.560 --> 0:07:19.640 through the blade energy channel again further refines the blade 0:07:20.040 --> 0:07:22.920 and directs it into a straight line that would emerge 0:07:22.960 --> 0:07:26.200 from the hilt. UM. And then at the very top 0:07:26.240 --> 0:07:29.440 of your blade, you've got your your cycling field energizer's 0:07:29.800 --> 0:07:33.120 your energy modulation circuits uh, and then you've got your 0:07:33.440 --> 0:07:36.760 your controls. Your controls adjust the power of the blade, 0:07:37.200 --> 0:07:39.840 and it also adjust the length of the blade. So 0:07:40.000 --> 0:07:43.560 even though we normally see lightsabers used at A at 0:07:43.560 --> 0:07:46.800 a pretty standard length, most people have it at A 0:07:47.360 --> 0:07:49.320 whenever they turn on their lightsaber, it's pretty much the 0:07:49.320 --> 0:07:52.960 same length each time. Technically you can adjust that, so 0:07:53.240 --> 0:07:55.440 you can make it longer or shorter using the blade 0:07:55.480 --> 0:07:58.720 length adjustment UM. And then there's a magnetic magnetic stabilizing 0:07:58.800 --> 0:08:01.800 ring and a blade trial emitterr UM at the very 0:08:01.840 --> 0:08:04.560 top which helped control the blade so it doesn't just 0:08:04.760 --> 0:08:08.400 zap out when you turn it on. UM. That's your 0:08:08.440 --> 0:08:14.400 basic anatomy of your lightsaber hilt. And then of course 0:08:14.440 --> 0:08:17.720 then there's the activation matrix, which is the Star Wars 0:08:17.880 --> 0:08:22.280 term for the on switch. I just I love that part. 0:08:22.280 --> 0:08:24.559 They are the handle is about thirty centimeters in length, 0:08:24.680 --> 0:08:28.560 so they're not ridiculously long, right, um, which is good 0:08:28.600 --> 0:08:32.120 to know. It generates an arc wave energy field, and 0:08:32.880 --> 0:08:37.600 this is why the blades actually have a stopping point. Yes, 0:08:37.880 --> 0:08:40.120 and it has it. It produces sort of a gyroscopic 0:08:40.160 --> 0:08:42.560 effect to which is why you have to be very 0:08:42.559 --> 0:08:45.640 careful with it because you know it has it has 0:08:45.679 --> 0:08:47.320 a pull to it if you will, right. But that 0:08:47.400 --> 0:08:50.400 also makes it easier to use, because otherwise it would 0:08:50.440 --> 0:08:54.400 be like swinging a flashlight around. There'll be no feedback 0:08:54.760 --> 0:08:57.480 from swinging the handle, and it would make it much 0:08:57.480 --> 0:09:01.440 more difficult to master allie saber if you didn't have 0:09:01.480 --> 0:09:04.800 that gyroscopic effect when you started swinging it around. Um. 0:09:04.960 --> 0:09:07.280 So the blade arc tip, that's the very end of 0:09:07.320 --> 0:09:12.040 the lightsaber, um, and it's it's the arc committer is 0:09:12.080 --> 0:09:16.120 what's keeping it from becoming like a blaster. Actually, lightsabers 0:09:16.280 --> 0:09:20.760 pre date blasters, um. Before it was a more civilized 0:09:20.800 --> 0:09:23.120 after all as it was and you know, I guess 0:09:23.160 --> 0:09:26.280 civilized means that you locked each other's limbs off, as 0:09:26.320 --> 0:09:29.559 opposed to shooting each other from very far away. Uh. 0:09:29.760 --> 0:09:33.520 Never never bring away lightsaber to a blaster fight. Oh wait, no, 0:09:33.640 --> 0:09:35.200 you could do that. No, yeah, you can't do that 0:09:35.240 --> 0:09:38.040 because yeah, all right, so let's talk about it's about 0:09:38.600 --> 0:09:41.960 that's that's the basics of building your lightsaber. Um. Now, 0:09:43.360 --> 0:09:47.200 each Jedi builds his or her own lightsaber as part 0:09:47.240 --> 0:09:50.640 of their training. Uh, and they're gonna build it according 0:09:50.679 --> 0:09:54.640 to their own particular fighting style. Now do you have 0:09:54.760 --> 0:09:59.200 you heard about the different Jedi fighting styles? No? I haven't. 0:09:59.280 --> 0:10:03.960 There are seven major forms of lightsaber styles. Yes, okay, 0:10:03.960 --> 0:10:05.200 well why don't you I want don't you tell this? 0:10:05.360 --> 0:10:07.720 All right, I'm gonna go into a little detail, but 0:10:07.720 --> 0:10:10.719 I'm just gonna do this as a pretty high level thing. 0:10:11.160 --> 0:10:13.319 You don't need to get into depth. This isn't Jedi 0:10:13.360 --> 0:10:16.679 fighting style stuff. That's right. Yeah, that's another podcast that 0:10:16.720 --> 0:10:19.760 we're starting next month. You'll start requesting now. Um, next 0:10:19.760 --> 0:10:22.600 month being April. I can't imagine when the first episode 0:10:22.600 --> 0:10:27.960 will come out. So, so the the the fighting styles 0:10:27.960 --> 0:10:29.320 that you can think of it kind of like martial 0:10:29.400 --> 0:10:32.040 arts styles. Um, you know, not all martial arts styles 0:10:32.040 --> 0:10:34.559 are alike. Cut on day is very different from jiu jitsu, 0:10:34.679 --> 0:10:36.840 which is very different from a keto, which in turn 0:10:36.920 --> 0:10:42.120 is different from hap keto. Um, there they're drunk Jedi style. No, 0:10:42.240 --> 0:10:44.880 there's no drunken master Jedi style, although I hear Yoda 0:10:44.920 --> 0:10:48.160 can get up to some wacky shenanigans on a Saturday night. Uh. 0:10:48.280 --> 0:10:52.320 The seven forms of lightsaber combat are actually listed as 0:10:52.400 --> 0:10:54.280 you know, Form one, Form two, Form three. They each 0:10:54.320 --> 0:10:56.040 have their own names, but I'm not even gonna try 0:10:56.080 --> 0:10:59.520 and pronounce them because they're all alien and I don't 0:10:59.559 --> 0:11:01.680 have the k ability. I don't actually know what the 0:11:01.679 --> 0:11:03.800 pronunciation is for most of them. But if you hadn't 0:11:03.840 --> 0:11:06.320 spilled your mini chlorine, you'd be fine, I know. In general, 0:11:06.400 --> 0:11:09.600 Form one is the foundation. It is the basic form 0:11:09.640 --> 0:11:14.120 of lightsaber combat. It's your basic strikes, your basic defenses. Um. 0:11:14.160 --> 0:11:17.560 It teaches you how to view the body as a 0:11:17.600 --> 0:11:20.560 series of targets, like you think of you divide up 0:11:20.600 --> 0:11:24.160 the body like the head is a certain uh certain target, 0:11:24.200 --> 0:11:28.040 the arms, the torso, and you know, attacks are very 0:11:28.040 --> 0:11:31.640 specific to each target. You know, different slashing techniques and 0:11:31.679 --> 0:11:37.319 hacking techniques. So Form one is kind of lightsaber combat 0:11:37.360 --> 0:11:40.360 one oh one. Everyone pretty much goes through that. Form 0:11:40.440 --> 0:11:45.280 two is dueling. Now, this lightsaber combat really concentrates on 0:11:45.400 --> 0:11:50.480 finesse blade control. Footwork. This is the kind of of 0:11:50.760 --> 0:11:55.559 style that Count Dooku slash Darth Tyrannis used. Yes, now 0:11:55.600 --> 0:11:58.920 that is why his lightsaber handle actually has a curve 0:11:58.960 --> 0:12:00.319 at the end of it. It's so that he can 0:12:00.360 --> 0:12:03.000 hold it kind of like a pistol grip, gives them 0:12:03.040 --> 0:12:05.520 a lot of control over the tip of the blade. 0:12:06.040 --> 0:12:09.160 And that's just his style of dueling. Now, this was 0:12:09.240 --> 0:12:12.640 much more popular before blasters came out because it was 0:12:12.720 --> 0:12:15.920 just really meant for lightsaber to lightsaber combat. Once blasters 0:12:15.920 --> 0:12:19.760 came out, people Jedi began to realize that the in 0:12:19.880 --> 0:12:23.640 order to deflect these these blaster bolts, they would need 0:12:23.720 --> 0:12:26.720 to adapt their fighting style. This is not the best 0:12:26.960 --> 0:12:29.640 style to use if you're being shot at by stormtroopers, 0:12:29.640 --> 0:12:34.640 for example. So, uh, but that was Trannis's favorite form. 0:12:34.720 --> 0:12:37.720 Then there's four three, which is defensive where you are 0:12:37.760 --> 0:12:41.240 trying to reveal the least amount of target space on 0:12:41.280 --> 0:12:44.640 your body. So it's really good for defending against blasters 0:12:44.679 --> 0:12:47.640 that kind of thing. Form four is an acrobatic style, 0:12:47.679 --> 0:12:50.840 lots of flips and spins. You're using the force to 0:12:50.880 --> 0:12:54.240 boost your your physical abilities, so you're you're spending more 0:12:54.320 --> 0:13:00.280 on uh, these acrobatics than on your blade at that point. Yes, 0:13:01.040 --> 0:13:04.720 so Yoda uses that a lot um if you've seen 0:13:04.800 --> 0:13:07.520 him fight Count Dooku, he's like a little queens and art. 0:13:08.200 --> 0:13:11.720 And then uh FOM five that uses the deflective nature 0:13:11.760 --> 0:13:16.400 of the lightsaber to reflect blaster fire. Um you you 0:13:16.520 --> 0:13:20.680 use use strengthen your attacks, so it's a more brute 0:13:20.720 --> 0:13:24.120 force kind of a of approach. This is the style 0:13:24.559 --> 0:13:28.360 favored by a certain Skywalker family. Both Anakin and Luke 0:13:28.440 --> 0:13:33.560 used Form five. Form six combines elements of Forms one 0:13:33.600 --> 0:13:37.520 through five UM, but it also teaches that you should 0:13:37.520 --> 0:13:41.040 be detached from emotion. You should be using very calculating 0:13:41.360 --> 0:13:44.640 UM ways of of moving. You shouldn't let your emotions 0:13:44.640 --> 0:13:48.719 dictate what you're doing. Form seven is kind of the opposite. 0:13:48.800 --> 0:13:52.400 That's leveraging your emotion into power and using that to 0:13:52.720 --> 0:13:56.320 fight your opponents. This was what Darth maul Uh used 0:13:56.400 --> 0:14:01.080 with some reliance on on on Form UH four as well, 0:14:01.120 --> 0:14:04.440 the acrobatic style. Now, of course he had a double 0:14:04.480 --> 0:14:07.960 bladed lightsaber, and those don't work all that differently than 0:14:08.000 --> 0:14:11.560 a regular lightsaber. They're just basically two lightsabers attached together 0:14:11.640 --> 0:14:14.560 at the hilt. So there's there's four crystals instead of 0:14:14.600 --> 0:14:17.040 two or a minimum of four, because you have to 0:14:17.040 --> 0:14:19.640 have for you know, two of the generator type and 0:14:19.680 --> 0:14:22.560 two of the focusing type at minimum in order to 0:14:22.920 --> 0:14:26.320 create the two blades. By the way, those focusing crystals 0:14:26.320 --> 0:14:29.840 are usually add again crystals usually, but you can also 0:14:29.880 --> 0:14:32.760 find them on Dantweene as well as many many other 0:14:33.120 --> 0:14:36.760 uh planets within the Star Wars galaxy. Yes, until Senti 0:14:36.800 --> 0:14:40.880 Star comes after you and you know calls you a coward. Right, 0:14:41.120 --> 0:14:46.160 I'm sorry I switched genres. Are you lost me? You 0:14:46.280 --> 0:14:49.600 lost me? Seriously, you never played Seni Star. I rarely 0:14:49.640 --> 0:14:55.640 played Star anyway. Also, um depending uh way, way way 0:14:55.840 --> 0:14:57.960 way back in the past, back when the Jedi were 0:14:58.640 --> 0:15:02.080 um much more new rus. The color of your blade 0:15:02.120 --> 0:15:05.720 also would indicate what what kind of Jedi you are. 0:15:06.320 --> 0:15:08.880 For example, if you had a blue blade, that signified 0:15:08.920 --> 0:15:11.320 that you were a Jedi guardian and so you're much 0:15:11.320 --> 0:15:13.760 more you know, kind of a physical you would get 0:15:13.800 --> 0:15:16.120 into the fights. You would you know, defend people with 0:15:16.200 --> 0:15:20.240 your your prowess. UH green would suggest that you were 0:15:20.240 --> 0:15:23.520 a Jedi consular, and this would be someone who was 0:15:23.640 --> 0:15:29.640 much more thoughtful, kind of contemplative. And then um yellow 0:15:29.640 --> 0:15:32.400 would indicate that you're a Jedi Sentinel, and that's someone 0:15:32.440 --> 0:15:36.479 who kind of was in between the other two, so 0:15:36.480 --> 0:15:40.680 so not as physical as the Guardians, but not as 0:15:40.960 --> 0:15:44.720 brainy as the others either, So Yellow and Blue domat Green. 0:15:45.080 --> 0:15:49.480 This is true. I learned that somewhere. So should we 0:15:49.520 --> 0:15:52.680 go into the other aspect of light tabers. So you 0:15:52.680 --> 0:15:55.600 mean we're actually gonna step outside of the realm of 0:15:55.640 --> 0:15:58.680 Star Wars at the time and thinking that maybe we 0:15:58.680 --> 0:16:02.280 should do that. That's where idea, all right, So that's 0:16:02.320 --> 0:16:04.600 within the Star Wars universe, of course, that's how they 0:16:04.640 --> 0:16:07.480 supposedly work. And I should also add none of that 0:16:07.680 --> 0:16:10.040 is cannon. And when I say cannon, I'm talking about 0:16:10.080 --> 0:16:13.920 the stuff that Lucas himself has signed off on as saying, yes, 0:16:13.960 --> 0:16:17.800 this is officially part of the Star Wars history. Um, 0:16:17.840 --> 0:16:20.880 most of that is just the movies. Um to some extent, 0:16:20.960 --> 0:16:23.400 you could argue the books as well. Some of those 0:16:23.520 --> 0:16:26.400 Lucas has more or less said, yeah, even though that 0:16:26.400 --> 0:16:28.360 didn't appear in the movie, that is cannon as well. 0:16:28.960 --> 0:16:32.440 But he never goes into explaining the blades in the movies. 0:16:32.600 --> 0:16:35.200 And so this is really other people trying to um 0:16:35.920 --> 0:16:39.880 rhet coon really to explain why this stuff works. Yeah, 0:16:40.080 --> 0:16:43.200 um yeah, basically, and if you're unfamiliar with the term, 0:16:43.240 --> 0:16:46.720 and cannon is uh like basically they're written instructions for 0:16:46.760 --> 0:16:50.080 how a a magical or you know, fantasy or science 0:16:50.160 --> 0:16:53.520 fiction universe operates. It kind of helps you write the stories. 0:16:53.520 --> 0:16:55.880 And the Star Wars cannon sort of came about after 0:16:56.400 --> 0:16:58.640 some of the stories had already been in practice, so 0:16:58.720 --> 0:17:00.600 it's a little looser than some of the right. So 0:17:00.640 --> 0:17:02.360 if you were to read some of the comic books 0:17:02.440 --> 0:17:04.320 or some of the other books that have been written 0:17:04.359 --> 0:17:06.680 in the Star Wars universeit you might notice that they 0:17:06.760 --> 0:17:10.600 sometimes contradict what happened in later movies, and that's because 0:17:10.640 --> 0:17:13.400 they're not cannon, all right. So moving on to how 0:17:13.440 --> 0:17:16.480 they actually created this effect, which is really which is 0:17:16.520 --> 0:17:19.160 really fascinating too, I think right now now, First of all, 0:17:19.240 --> 0:17:22.320 in a New Hope, the first film, they hadn't originally 0:17:22.600 --> 0:17:26.440 considered animating or adding any light to these at all. 0:17:26.720 --> 0:17:30.040 The original idea was that the lightsabers were going to 0:17:30.119 --> 0:17:34.119 have there were these these uh I think it was 0:17:34.200 --> 0:17:37.840 three sided three sided poll that came out kind of 0:17:37.840 --> 0:17:41.240 a triangular pole and each side was was coated with 0:17:41.359 --> 0:17:44.560 a very reflective material, and they used a lamp that 0:17:44.600 --> 0:17:46.439 was on the same side as the camera and focus 0:17:46.520 --> 0:17:48.639 the light so that it would reflect off of it 0:17:48.680 --> 0:17:51.320 be really shiny, and there was a motor inside the 0:17:51.320 --> 0:17:55.000 handle that would direct the side to be aligned properly 0:17:55.000 --> 0:17:58.040 for the camera. But the effect was not as a 0:17:58.160 --> 0:18:03.440 zippy as Lucas wanted. So Um they started to cast 0:18:03.480 --> 0:18:06.400 about and see if they could find some other way 0:18:06.520 --> 0:18:09.960 of making this magic sword seem really magical, and they 0:18:10.000 --> 0:18:14.639 contacted an animator by the name of Nelson Shin. Nelson 0:18:14.680 --> 0:18:18.560 Shin took a week and looked at this footage that 0:18:18.640 --> 0:18:23.840 had been shot and used an effect called rhodoscoping. The 0:18:23.840 --> 0:18:28.400 the technique and animation technique is actually very old technique. 0:18:28.640 --> 0:18:32.200 A lot of people and myself, including associated with AHAs 0:18:32.280 --> 0:18:35.600 take on me video. I associate it with Ralph Box 0:18:35.600 --> 0:18:40.520 She's um Lord of the Rings movie. Also Wizards was 0:18:40.560 --> 0:18:43.040 another movie he used it in. But it's it's where 0:18:43.080 --> 0:18:46.600 you take live action footage and then you overlay animation 0:18:46.720 --> 0:18:49.919 on top of it, sometimes replacing the live action footage entirely, 0:18:50.240 --> 0:18:52.840 sometimes enhancing it, and in this case it was enhancing it. 0:18:53.240 --> 0:18:55.960 So what he did was he used animation cells to 0:18:56.200 --> 0:19:00.960 create this this glowing blade effect on top of the 0:19:00.960 --> 0:19:04.359 the actual physical rods that were in the shots, and 0:19:04.400 --> 0:19:09.440 then uh using you know, synchronizing the cells that he 0:19:09.480 --> 0:19:13.480 had created with the actual film overlaying the animated effect 0:19:13.520 --> 0:19:17.080 on it, creating a new print that combined these two 0:19:17.640 --> 0:19:20.120 individual prints. And that's how you you know. He sent 0:19:20.200 --> 0:19:21.840 that back to Lucas and said, well, here, you can 0:19:21.880 --> 0:19:25.080 try this and see if this works. Lucas liked it. Um, 0:19:25.200 --> 0:19:27.960 they decided to go with that approach. They refined it 0:19:28.000 --> 0:19:30.480 a little bit. They added some color so you had 0:19:30.520 --> 0:19:34.280 different color blades because originally they were both white and uh, 0:19:34.359 --> 0:19:38.360 and that was the beginning of the lightsaber effect. Now, 0:19:38.359 --> 0:19:43.080 in the first three films, which episodes four or five 0:19:43.080 --> 0:19:46.639 and six, UM, they used the rotoscoping technique where they 0:19:46.680 --> 0:19:51.640 would essentially hand draw these things on cells. Um. Basically, 0:19:51.640 --> 0:19:53.720 what they do is they put that cell over the 0:19:53.760 --> 0:19:57.720 original film and color it in and then but that's 0:19:57.720 --> 0:19:59.840 not but that's not all of it, because that does 0:20:00.000 --> 0:20:02.439 add some color to it. But from from there they 0:20:03.080 --> 0:20:05.560 have to shoot more film with the cell and the 0:20:05.600 --> 0:20:08.719 original and when they do that, they shoot it over 0:20:08.760 --> 0:20:12.960 a black background and use a light diffuser over the lens. Yes, 0:20:13.400 --> 0:20:16.560 they double exposed the shots and that that makes them 0:20:16.560 --> 0:20:18.920 really pop. That makes that makes them look sort of 0:20:19.119 --> 0:20:22.199 you know, gives them that sort of otherworldly effect, you know, 0:20:22.240 --> 0:20:25.680 how bright they are in the shots. So kind of 0:20:25.760 --> 0:20:29.600 sophisticated when you think about it, but very very time consuming, right, Yes, 0:20:29.680 --> 0:20:32.520 it took took a really long time. It took slightly 0:20:32.640 --> 0:20:35.000 less time by the time they got around to the 0:20:35.040 --> 0:20:37.399 prequels episodes one, two, and three, because they could do 0:20:37.440 --> 0:20:40.120 it all digitally, But somebody still has to go into 0:20:40.119 --> 0:20:43.400 the computer and you're doing it. You're doing it all 0:20:43.480 --> 0:20:48.679 in computer as opposed to doing it on hand handmade cells. Um. So, 0:20:48.760 --> 0:20:51.000 I mean, it still takes time, it's just not quite 0:20:51.080 --> 0:20:53.760 as time consuming, except for the fact that Lucas decided 0:20:53.760 --> 0:20:56.080 to throw in about I don't know ten times as 0:20:56.119 --> 0:20:58.879 many lightsaber battles in those first three movies as the 0:20:59.119 --> 0:21:03.399 original trilogy and bind Um. The The actual hilts of 0:21:03.400 --> 0:21:06.800 the lightsabers were made up of old camera flash battery 0:21:06.840 --> 0:21:11.120 packs and other odds and ends like stuff from hardware 0:21:11.119 --> 0:21:16.320 stores like plumbing um gaskets and things like that. Now, 0:21:17.119 --> 0:21:20.159 they shot these movies in England, so they were raiding 0:21:20.400 --> 0:21:24.440 various British hardware shops. So a lot of the materials 0:21:24.440 --> 0:21:28.000 that they used to build the lightsaber handles are very 0:21:28.040 --> 0:21:30.240 hard to find or sometimes impossible to find in the 0:21:30.320 --> 0:21:32.800 United States, which is why it's kind of challenging to 0:21:32.880 --> 0:21:36.960 create a model of those those first. Again, this is 0:21:37.000 --> 0:21:40.040 for the first trilogy four or five and six. Um, 0:21:40.040 --> 0:21:43.080 it's hard to make those faithfully just because it's hard 0:21:43.080 --> 0:21:45.320 to get those parts in the United States. Um. Now 0:21:45.359 --> 0:21:48.520 for episodes one, two, and three, those were all machined 0:21:49.520 --> 0:21:52.399 and so there's all like routed. They designed them in 0:21:52.440 --> 0:21:54.840 a computer and then and then made use a router 0:21:54.960 --> 0:21:57.639 to cut custom parts and then assemble them. So it 0:21:57.680 --> 0:22:00.000 wasn't like they were just grabbing whatever they could find 0:22:00.000 --> 0:22:03.160 and and and sticking it together. Um, they came up 0:22:03.160 --> 0:22:05.320 with the concept and artists came up with the concept 0:22:05.320 --> 0:22:08.280 and then they built it from scratch. That was actually 0:22:08.359 --> 0:22:11.080 one of my questions, like where the Jedi going to 0:22:11.200 --> 0:22:15.000 machine these parts? And you know, do they is electrical 0:22:15.040 --> 0:22:24.880 engineering part of their training. It's in the CAD system, 0:22:25.080 --> 0:22:27.440 very very nice, a lot of a lot of rascals 0:22:27.440 --> 0:22:29.040 and the CAD system. As it turns out, I think 0:22:29.040 --> 0:22:30.919 Han Solo actually spent a lot of time in the 0:22:30.920 --> 0:22:35.760 CADS system. Very nice. No, it's funny because when I 0:22:35.760 --> 0:22:38.159 started doing the two of these, the two pieces of this, 0:22:38.240 --> 0:22:41.320 the fantasy part and the you know, special effects, how 0:22:41.320 --> 0:22:43.840 do they make it happen? I started thinking about that way, 0:22:43.880 --> 0:22:46.680 So who's actually making these? You know? Because each one 0:22:46.720 --> 0:22:48.960 is different. Well that's one of the things too that 0:22:49.200 --> 0:22:52.159 uh um and I think is at least somewhat cannon, 0:22:52.240 --> 0:22:55.720 is that it's all sort of individualized, you know, to 0:22:55.800 --> 0:22:58.119 the Jedi. So I'm wondering if you know, they have 0:22:58.160 --> 0:23:00.480 to go down to the shop, you know that thirty 0:23:00.480 --> 0:23:03.200