#’Real’ Working Star Wars Lightsaber Teased by Disney

The time has finally arrived, Star Wars fans. While pictures/videos have yet to be revealed, it has come to light that Disney has cracked the code and produced a real, working lightsaber. This is something that has been discussed for years, and something fans have fantasized about for literal decades. The notion of truly being able to hold the weapon of choice for the Jedi. During a recent presentation, Disney teased that very dream is about to become a reality.

Disney recently held a virtual press conference to discuss the future of its theme parks. This coincided with the news that Avengers Campus, the Marvel-themed expansion at Disneyland, is set to open in June. At the end of the presentation, Disney Parks chairman Josh D’Amaro is said to have done something that was the Star Wars equivalent of a mic drop. He produced a lightsaber and said “it’s real.” Though no images have made their way online, various reports describe the blade coming from the hilt, much in the same way they do in the movies.
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Details are scarce currently. It is unclear if these are collectibles that will be sold at Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, an expensive effect for an attraction, or something else entirely. Either way, this is potentially huge. It is worth noting that Disney filed patents for what appeared to be working lightsabers. A description of the patented device reads as follows.

“A special effects device for providing an energy sword effect. The device includes two long plastic semi-cylinders, and these two blade body members are rolled perpendicular to their length, which creates compact cylinders of material of small volume that can be provided on a pair of spools in a hilt. To extend the blade, a motor provided in the hilt unrolls the blade body members from the spools. Each blade body member passes through a blade forming guideway that nests the semi-cylindrical blade body members together as they leave the hilt. To retract the blade, the process is reversed. The lighting of the blade is achieved with a flexible strip of light sources. The light source strip is attached to a blade end cap and positioned in the center of the two blade body members such that it is pulled up along with the blade body members during their extension.”

In a follow-up blog post, Josh D’Amaro said that Walt Disney Imagineering has projects in the early stages of development “that will shape the future of the guest experience for decades to come.” Experiences and capabilities “that aren’t humanly possible today” were also teased. D’Amaro concluded with the following.

“I can’t wait to share more with you in the near future, this team is really pushing the boundaries of creativity, technology and storytelling.”

Lightsaber toys have been part of the Star Wars merchandise game for a long time. They can be purchased for a handful of dollars, or quite nice collectible ones can be purchased for hundreds of dollars. But a quote “real” lightsaber would be a game-changer. We’ll be sure to keep you posted as further updates are made available. This news comes to us via News 13.

Topics: Star Wars, Disney