Star (WARS) Hero?

[Teflon Billy]

Re: Star (WARS) Hero?

 

Has anyone ever heard a good background for lightsabers and how they work?

I've read several online, none of them capture the essence or the mistique. They all use Star Trek pseudo-scientific technobabble or use real physics that don't really describe the effects of the lightsaber.

 

Just look at what they do in the movies and go from there.

 

TB

[Zeropoint]

Re: Star (WARS) Hero?

 

You shouldn't try to explain Star Wars tech in too much detail. It's Space Opera! It's more "space fantasy" than "science fiction". Star Wars is about starfighters that make cool whooshing noises in the vacuum of space; it's about sinister dark lords and mysterious old wizards with strange powers handing out magical swords to angsty farmboys with mysterious but significant backgrounds.

 

Star Wars is old black-and-white Flash Gordon serials redone with a bigger budget. It's about what would look cool on the screen and what makes dramatic sense. It's about telling the age-old Hero's Journey with a space-age veneer.

 

Zeropoint

 

"Repeat to yourself, 'It's just a show; I should really just relax.'"

[Nevenall]

Re: Star (WARS) Hero?

 

I would have to agree with what has been said. You will never find even a slightly reasonable technical excuse for lightsabers, but try the Star Wars Technical Commentaries, here.

[NuSoardGraphite]

Re: Star (WARS) Hero?

 

The best explaination I've heard thus far is that a Lightsabre is actually a near-molecularly thin forcefield spinning at super-high velocities. This action would account for much of what you see in the films, and what is described in the books (such as the fact that the Lightsabre does not radiate much heat at all)

 

What about the heat effects seen in the film?

 

The spinning forcefield would heat up the surface of whatever it cuts, similar to the way a metalsaw heats up sheet metal that it cuts (I used to work with that stuff, so I know about this first-hand), so in The Phantom Menace, when Qui-Gon shoves his lightsabre through the blast door, the drilling/sawing action of the spinning forcefield is causing the door to heat up and partially melt.

 

Of course, this is all simply one "theory". Any number of them are fine and dandy, just pick one that appeals to you. I like this version because it supports my "STR adds to Lightsabre damage" stance.

[TheQuestionMan]

Re: Star (WARS) Hero?

 

BUMP!!!

 

With all this StarWars stuff going on I thought I'd give you a heads up of what came before.

 

QM

[HewhoisMatt]

Re: Star (WARS) Hero?

 

Someone gave me a good sounding Lightsaber explanation, not likely, just cool sounding.

 

The story is that the saber generates plasma and contains it it a magnetic field. If something breaks the field it comes in contact with the plasma.

 

Just sounds cooler than most I have heard, thats all.

[NuSoardGraphite]

Re: Star (WARS) Hero?

 

Well..as long as the Magnetic Field keeps the heat inside, its all good. Otherwise, it'd be too dangerous.

 

There's a picture from TESB where Luke's hand is mere centimeters from his Lightsabre blade and he's suffering no ill effects whatsoever.

 

 

Now, if the heat of the Sabre is completely contained by the Magnetic Bottle until its "broken" by a physical object passing through the bottle, that would work. However, the cuts from a Lightsabre are incredibly thin. In Episode I and Episode II, the Lightsabre cuts made to droids and machinery are very thing and precise, which would mean the Plasma "core" is exceptionally thin.

 

Here's an interesting shot where Anakin gets his arm chopped off by Dooku. Notice the "Sparks" that are flying away from hit stump as the lightsabre passes through his arm. Pretty sweet screen cap.

 

 

Simply take a look at the film evidence and decide for yourself...

 

Of course, there are several times in the Star Wars Special Edition DVD that George Lucas calls them "Laser Swords", and this is backed up by the film where young Anakin also refers to a Lightsabre as a "Laser Sword" so maybe thats your answer!