SW Lightsaber Guide PDF
SW Lightsaber Guide PDF
SW Lightsaber Guide PDF
SETH M. SHERWOOD
32
INTRODUCTION
The purpose of this guide is to identify all the known lightsa- First, on set, the goal is always to be fast and cheap. A prop
ber props, explain their reason for being, reveal their origin, enthusiast will spend top dollar and put in hours of work
and delve into their individual parts and construction for to make a lovingly recreated piece, but on an actual pro-
your own reproduction purposes. duction, things are often banged together with whatever is
available. Minor fixes were often made along the way, and
This is NOT an in-universe guide to lightsabers. There will never intended to be seen— especially during the time of
be no talk of clan-sabers, blade colors, kiber crystals, Jedi the OT when they had no idea that us common folk would
trials, lightsaber combat forms, character bios, or anything one day be able to pause a film in HD to look at details.
like that.
Second, everything is made in multiples. Props break, they
There are sections dedicated to the Prequel trilogy lightsa- get misplaced, they might be needed in two different loca-
bers, as well as the Sequel trilogy lightsabers. The prequel tions, they might get taken by some angry producer and sold
trilogy lightsabers don’t have a very confusing lineage. They later at auction for $240k. The point is— every single prop
were designed and built in-house from scratch. There is no likely has a twin, if not a triplet. Add this to rule one, and you
scavenger hunt needed for real-world parts. have twins that are fraternal, not identical.
Similarly, the sequel trilogy (Graflex aside) seems to be Sometimes props meant to be replicas for the same usage
headed down the same road of in-house fabrication as ev- may have their own minor differences. Whenever one of
idenced by some unused designs and Kylo Ren’s saber. The these shows up somewhere, it throws the prop communi-
days of using photo gear and military scrap are sadly gone. ty into chaos trying to place where it may have been used.
There are even some instances of props being made AFTER
So while those sabers are documented here, the vast majori- production has ended for promotional usage.
ty of this book covers the Original trilogy sabers as they were
crafted from found real-world items. This guide is my best attempt to cover most of these sabers,
hopefully to cut down all the “HEY IS THIS A REAL GRAF-
Narratively speaking, the OT presents us with only FOUR LEX?” posts on the RPF and FB lightsaber groups.
actual lightsabers: The Skywalker lightsaber, Darth Vader’s
lightsaber, Obi-Wan Kenobi’s lightsaber, and Luke Skywalk- To that, everything in this book is based on actual photo-
er’s Jedi lightsaber. Between those four in-story lightsabers, graphic proof, or the words of people who have physically
there are over 40 individual variants. handled the props.
How does that happen? Because there are two important Lastly, please read the acknowledgments page at the end
details to always consider when examining props. These two of this guide. I am merely organizing the hard work and re-
things are very important to keep in mind, as it explains search of dozens of people whom deserve all the real credit.
why examining these props and presenting evidence as to
how they were made is an organic, and on-going process
for prop fans.
42
GLOSSARY OF COMMON TERMS Greeblies: a word coined by George Lucas, referring to the Shroud: technically a part of the MPP camera flash, it has
extra rough and sometimes random bits and pieces added become short-hand for the top piece of Vader’s lightsaber.
Star Wars has a lexicon all its own-- as do both Hollywood to models and props in an effort to defy the “smooth” aes-
and the prop community. As such, talking about lightsabers thetics of sci-fi at the time ANH was made; greeblies are the Stunt: a version of a prop meant for less discerning views,
involves a vernacular that is a combination of all three root of the “used universe” that helped define Star Wars. usually in conjunction with some form of action where the
which can be confusing to newcomers. As a result, there are prop may be damaged or must be made “safe” for whatever
some specific terms used when discussing lightsaber props: Hero: the version of any prop that is meant for close-up is happening on camera. Usually stunt items are made of
shots. It looks functional and detailed, and in some cases rubber, wood, or resin.
Belthanger: a hero saber worn on a character’s belt. may have working parts, lights, etc.
LIST OF COMMON ABBREVIATIONS
Bladed Stunt: a saber prop rigged with a “blade” for use in Knurling: a hatched pattern added to an object to create a
the duel scenes that will be rotoscoped in post; also called tactile edge or surface, very common to metal knobs. BTS: Behind the scenes
a “duel stunt.”
PCB: printed circuit board; a very common component in ANH: A New Hope
Bubbles: an LED magnification strip, found in pre-LCD cal- pretty much any electronic device. Several lightsabers make
culators; a bubble strip is used in some lightsaber designs use of cut section of the edge connector portion. ESB: Empire Strikes Back
Clamp Card: A trimmed strip of a circuit board slid inside Pommel: sword terminology, the butt end of a saber. ROTJ: Return of the Jedi
the clamp box on some models of lightsaber.
Resin Stunt: most all of the “soft” sabers used in filming the TPM: The Phantom Menace
Control Box: (activation box, clamp box) a lightsaber’s boxy saga were made of resin; these were used as belt hangers
control surface, made standard by all three ANH sabers us- when the actors or stunt-persons must jump or fall, and AOTC: Attack of the Clones
ing camera mounting clamps in their design. ideally when the sabers were dropped or thrown (but that’s
not always the practice). ROTS: Revenge of the Sith
Electronic Stunt: Used in the Sequel trilogy-- these stunt
sabers are light-up dueling sabers with softer dummy fea- Scratch-made: a piece, or in some cases, an entire prop, TFA: The Force Awakens
tures for the handles. made from scratch via a variety of machining processes;
classic methods include various types of mold-making, R1: Rogue One
Emitter: An in-world lightsaber part, where the blade is pro- lathing, cnc’ing, milling, and casting; modern advance-
jected from. ments added 3D printing to the mix. TLJ: The Last Jedi
Found-part: a piece of a prop that was recycled from a re- Shared-Stunt: An older term applied to three specific stunt OT: Original Trilogy
al-world object. Most of the OT props were a collection of sabers that served double duty. The Luke/Vader stunt sa-
found-parts. ber from ANH, and the two Obi-Wan ANH / Luke ROTJ stunt PT: Prequel Trilogy
sabers that have become more commonly known as the V2
“Gag” Stunt: A gag is SFX talk for a practical on-set, and V3. ST: Sequel Trilogy
in-camera effect. Star Wars makes use of the “hand gag”
during lightsabers duels whens somebody loses a hand. Short-bladed Stunt: a stunt with a much shorter blade. This ISYHCANL: “I see you have constructed a new lightsaber”
is used in instances where the saber was being used in ac-
tion with other performers, but not during a duel.
5
THE SKYWALKER
LIGHTSABER Fan build and photo by RPF member Matty Matt
THE SKYWALKER LIGHTSABER
OVERVIEW
There’s no question that the Skywalker lightsaber is one of Like the original, the basis of this saber is the Graflex cam- TLJ
the most iconic props in cinema. era flash. It would seem as if production had several Graflex
parts to work with for both belt-hangers and stunt work. While the Last Jedi is commendable for not creating yet more
Often referred to as “The Graflex” (named for the real world variations of the Graflex. The hero appears mostly identical
item it was based on), this lightsaber is the one that most Despite that, their supply was not unlimited. It would seem to how it is in TFA, but the hero is not always used when it
frequently captures the imagination while driving eBay auc- as if parts were swapped and repairs were made in the should be.
tions into the stratosphere. harsh environments that the props were subjected to-- be
it freezing cold, or submerged in a faux swamp. This hap- With an all new set of stunt sabers, with many variations,
ANH pened throughout production making it very hard to track that were not roto-ed out or replaced in the final cut, there
specific versions as pieces of both heroes and stunts were are many very obvious shots of the saber in TLJ that show-
Created by to Roger Christian, production designer and set frequently swapped. case the dubious designs of the stunt sabers.
decorator for ANH, this is the lightsaber given to Luke, hav-
ing once belonged to his father. Entries follow for each of the three key locations of the film,
where the appearance of the saber has noted changes.
Christian has gone on record saying that they struggled to While there’s no concrete proof, it would seem, over all, there
find a lightsaber handle that felt unique and other-worldly. are at least two primary hero sabers in ESB, likely three:
The simple cylindrical designs by Ralph McQuarrie didn’t
feel right. Lucas was ultimately pleased when he was pre- One seen on Hoth, briefly on Dagobah, and on Bespin.
sented with what became the on-screen hero.
A second seen for most of the Dagobah scenes.
While Christian has said “several” Graflexes were acquired,
it seems likely there was only one true hero, with the others A third in use on Hoth, with a minor shift in detail, but this is
serving as a source for back up parts and stunt saber de- inconclusive, (see individual entries for clarity).
tails. The hero has a serial number stamped into the clamp
rails. The only detail that changes from scene to scene is the TFA
position of the clamp, (see next page.)
While the sequel trilogy team seems to be scratch-building
ESB their original lightsabers, the key story point involving the
Skywalker lightsaber was thankfully driven home by using
Looking to recreate Luke’s lightsaber, the production team actual Graflexes.
for Empire Strikes Back returned to the well and used the
same kind of parts as ANH, with some minor variations. The end result turns out to be a hybrid of details from the
Some changes seem to be geared toward idealizing the prop ANH and ESB versions combined into one. There are two dis-
to look less like an Earth-object, while others were made for tinct hero versions in the film, with only minor differences.
pragmatic reasons.
7
THE SKYWALKER LIGHTSABER • Seven “T-Track” strips used for a grip, 3 5/8” long, with
A NEW HOPE - HERO (aka The Graflex | Luke ANH) their ends tapered at roughly a 30 degree angle
The Graflex is a vintage camera flash, a 3 cell unit, meant to The T-Track material is kitchen guide-runner, most common-
be mounted on the side of a 4x5 view camera, (see page 67 ly used for cabinet door slide-tracks, or drawer rails in the
for details on The Graflex). 70s. While seemingly ubiquitous at the time, to date, no one
has found an exact match in terms of size, profile, and col-
Standard features of the flash that remained as part of the or. The profile and height of the T-fin is also debated as it
prop include: seems to change through various appearances, possibly due
to variances of manufactures or sizes of the actual product
• A red trigger button on the back side used on different props.
• The “bunny ear” bulb holder The T-Track has been said to be hard plastic, rubber, and
metal depending on the source. Hard plastic holds favor.
• A power slide switch
Christian has implied that chrome tape was used to cover
• The “glass eye” preview lamp on the front side the entire clamp band. While there is some evidence on oth-
er props that use a clamp that this may have happened, no
• The “beer tab” bracket that is pinned to the back to keep screen-used of this saber indicates this was done.
the button from falling off when unscrewed
Building a rig with this in mind, a simple tube was cut in the
rough shape of a Graflex with the motor assembly inside. It
was given a button knob from an older style Graflex (identi-
fied by a strip of knurling instead of the usual full knurling),
a glass eye, grips, and a clamp to resemble the Graflex, but
no bunny ears.
2
10
THE SKYWALKER LIGHTSABER shots of the saber with grips as they appeared in ANH. In
EMPIRE STRIKES BACK - HERO (Hoth) any exterior scene or image shot in Norway, the screws are
silver (which in standard definition, indeed resemble rivets).
While each of the three key locations in ESB show various
Any interior scenes on Hoth however, which were shot at El-
differences to the prop, the idealized version is much the
stree studios, the screws were black (as they are in every
same as the ANH prop with the following changes:
other location in the film.)
• The glass eye has been replaced by a second button.
We can assume that once they got to studio lighting situa-
tions, they didn’t want the screws to be as obvious, so they
• The bubblestrip has been replaced by a trimmed strip of
were colored or replaced with black screws.
a PCB edge connector from a circuit board suspected to be
a HP-44 Bus Type or an Otis Elevator board with thin silver
traces and wide gold leads; the wide gold leads point toward
the clamp lever.
• Six “T-Track” grips, the ends are NOT angled. The grips
are also notched near the bottom to make room for small
pan-head screws to keep the grips in place.
2
11
THE SKYWALKER LIGHTSABER
EMPIRE STRIKES BACK - HERO (Dagobah)
Once Luke reaches Dagobah the saber is noticeably differ-
ent. Perhaps it is prop failure due to the change in location,
or environment, or simply a mistake on the part of the prop-
master. While mostly the same as the Hoth version, there is
one minor difference:
• Tiny screws have been added to the top of the grips, to the
right of the T-Track fin.
• The original hole for the red button is empty, (the second
red button remains in the lamp socket).
It has been determined that the lower half of the saber that
is missing the button is the same lower half used as part of
the “Ranch Saber” (see page 58).
All the key details as seen on Hoth are here, the grip screws
are clearly visible, and completely black.
This saber was also used for the official promo images,
where a damaged grip can be seen in some instances.
213
Blueprint by Roy Gilsing | wannawanga.com
THE SKYWALKER LIGHTSABER
EMPIRE STRIKES BACK - BLADED STUNTS
When ANH was in post, the lightsaber effect we have come
to know was added via rotoscoping. Given that this only
needed the guide of the dueling rod, the on-set use of the
motorized spinning blade gag was dropped. As the guts of
a Graflex are easily removed, their bodies could be adapted
for stunt work.
One detail that suggests the same stunt was modified and
used throughout-- the Dagobah shot upper left, and the Be-
spin one lower left both have the old-style thin-knurled strip
button under the bunny ears.
There are several details that indicated that this stunt saber
was recycled for ROTJ as Vader’s stunt/faux hero (aka the
MoM) lightsaber, (see page 32).
15
THE SKYWALKER LIGHTSABER
EMPIRE STRIKES BACK - SHORT BLADED STUNT
For use in scenes where the saber was active, but not en-
gaged in a duel, (against the Wampa and in cut scenes of
Luke saber-training with Yoda for example), a shorter blade
would be used for the safety of the other performers and
camera crew.
16
THE SKYWALKER LIGHTSABER
EMPIRE STRIKES BACK - STUNT (Severed Hand)
Rigged specifically for when Luke loses his hand, this is a
Graflex upper body mounted on a Kobold flash with its knurl-
ing machined away, which is then mounted inside a fake
hand. Given there was a fall and squibs involved, these were
most likely made from spare parts in the shop. The Bunny
ears, second button (or lamp), d-ring assembly, and clamp
are all absent.
17
THE SKYWALKER LIGHTSABER
THE FORCE AWAKENS - HERO (Rey | Finn)
The Force Awakens presents The Skywalker Lightsaber with • Six T-Track grips attached with metal colored 3mm rivets
details of both ANH and ESB. Like ANH and ESB, vintage (see next page for grip notes/details)
Graflex flashes were used. The exact model is unknown as
the bottom stamp is obscured. TFA has two separate hero lightsabers. This, the first, is the
most-used version. It is wielded by Finn outside of Maz’s
The upper half retains the basic general Graflex features: castle, it accompanies Rey on Starkiller Base, and is pre-
sented to Luke on Ach-To at the end of the film
• The red trigger button on the back side
Official sources claim this saber was also the primary
• The “bunny ear” bulb holder belthanger for TLJ (see pages 22 and 67).
• The glass eye has had its knurling sanded to smooth brass
Grip measurements for the Rey / Finn are 88mm long, the
notch being 7.4mm and starting 13mm up from the bottom.
The top of the grips are 3.5 mm from the clamp.
For the Maz Box version, the grips are 84mm, with a notch
size of 6.5mm, 13mm up from the bottom. The grips float,
2.5mm down from the clamp, 4.5mm up from the base.
20
THE SKYWALKER LIGHTSABER
THE FORCE AWAKENS - BLADED STUNTS
There were two models of stunt saber used in TFA, and very
little about them has come to light. These stunt sabers mark
the first time that an official production has employed tech-
nology developed by lightsaber enthusiasts.
From the start, the plan was to create dueling sabers that
lit up, and cast light— as the electronic saber community
knows is now commonplace.
While the soft versions were used for much of the duels in
wide shots, it’s safe to assume they did not have the detail
needed for close ups and medium shots.
21
THE SKYWALKER LIGHTSABER
THE LAST JEDI - HERO
As stated in the overview, the TLJ version of The Skywalk-
er Lightsaber is virtually unchanged from the primary TFA
hero. The parts are identical, (see page 19). Official sources
claim the hero prop seen here is the same prop used as the
primary hero in TFA.
22
THE SKYWALKER LIGHTSABER
THE LAST JEDI - BLADED STUNTS
Much like TFA, the stunt sabers used in TLJ made use of LED
dueling blades to cast light and color in-scene. The technol-
ogy is much the same, though advancements and chang-
es were made in the interest of comfort and safety of the
performers and stunt team. There are multiple versions of
stunt sabers seen in TLJ that fall into two camps: detailed,
and simplified.
For the detailed stunts, the blade and electronics are built
into an actual Graflex. On some versions the clamp box is
flatter. Most make use of use of lower profile grips for com-
fort. Sometimes these grips appear to be a single 3D printed
piece that slips over the base of the saber, others appear to
be rubbery t-track with extra notches.
ESB
ROTJ
R1
Seen even less than in ROTJ, Vader’s saber in this film is the
most memorable scene from the movie... too bad they used
the wrong one.
25
DARTH VADER’S LIGHTSABER
A NEW HOPE - HERO (aka Vader ANH Silver Sidebars)
The MPP, which was actually a British knock-off of the much
more ubiquitous Heiland Synchronar, underwent a nearly
identical transformation as the Graflex.
ANH has TWO hero sabers. They are virtually identical save
for the clamp section. They are referred to as either “black
sidebars” or “silver sidebars,” referring to the color of the
sides of their individual clamp boxes.
26
DARTH VADER’S LIGHTSABER
A NEW HOPE - HERO (aka Vader ANH Black Bars)
The clamp lever on the “Black Sidebars” version is undam-
aged, is at the three o’clock side (opposite of the silver bars)
and is generally seen with a twisted angle to it.
27
DARTH
SO IN SO’S
VADER’S
LIGHTSABER
LIGHTSABER
AFROM
NEWTHAT
HOPEMOVIE
- BLADED
- SPECIFICALLY
STUNTS (nickname)
• The “beer tab” has been removed NOTE: Some images of this saber show what look to be
smaller screws at the top of each grip. These may or may
• A 1/2” strip of mylar/chrome tape surrounds the clamp, not be present in every onscreen usage of the hero, they are
covering the Graflex logo. very hard to see.
• A belt-hanger assembly that is the marriage Current popular theory, for both these small screws, and the
of a clamp bracket from a smaller camera flash known as a primary ones, is that in the cold of the Hoth scenes, the ad-
Kobold to a D-Ring; the assembly is attached to the bottom hesive for the t-track gave way and the drips would not stay
using two rivets. on. To quickly solve this problem, the grips were screwed
down, because again, they didn’t think anyone would ever
• Six “t-track” grips, and the ends are NOT angled. see them.
2
28
DARTH VADER’S LIGHTSABER
EMPIRE STRIKES BACK / RETURN OF THE JEDI -
HERO (aka Vader ESB)
Like ANH, the hero was based on the MPP flash unit, retain-
ing the same key parts. The alterations to the prop were the
same as the ANH versions, save for the following changes:
• The “beer tab” has been removed NOTE: Some images of this saber show what look to be
smaller screws at the top of each grip. These may or may
• A 1/2” strip of mylar/chrome tape surrounds the clamp, not be present in every onscreen usage of the hero, they are
covering the Graflex logo. very hard to see.
• A belt-hanger assembly that is the marriage Current popular theory, for both these small screws, and the
of a clamp bracket from a smaller camera flash known as a primary ones, is that in the cold of the Hoth scenes, the ad-
Kobold to a D-Ring; the assembly is attached to the bottom hesive for the t-track gave way and the drips would not stay
using two rivets. on. To quickly solve this problem, the grips were screwed
down, because again, they didn’t think anyone would ever
• Six “t-track” grips, and the ends are NOT angled. see them.
2
31
DARTH VADER’S LIGHTSABER
RETURN OF THE JEDI - BLADED STUNT (aka MoM or “Hero” or DV6)
The Vader lightsaber most commonly associated with ROTJ The obvious changes:
is the “MoM” saber. That stands for “Magic of Myth” which
is the name of a museum tour, and subsequent book, of a • The body is buffed and/or chromed to resemble the finish
Star Wars prop and wardrobe collection. The same saber of the MPP.
was also seen in the Lucasfilm Archive book that was put
out in the 90s. With that level of exposure, this saber be- • the tip has been painted black.
came incorrectly referred to as the HERO Vader saber, or
simply, the “Vader ROTJ” and more recently as the “DV6.” • In place of the bulb release assembly there is a double ball
catch 50mm cupboard door latch.
Long story short, many people have said that toward the
end of ROTJ’s production, props began to wander off. People • Seven angled 3 5/8” T-Tracks serve as a grip, glued on.
thought that SW was over and wanted a piece. When the
resurgence of Star Wars hit in the 90s, this saber was one of The new parts that were added remain scrap-box greeblie
the few left in the Lucasfilm prop archives. mysteries:
It became the basis for toys and video games moving for- • A drum style D-Ring mounted in the bunny ear slot.
ward, as recently as Battlefront using it as their model. Near
as I can tell though, this saber is actually only seen during • What is possibly a tire valve in the lamp socket.
the final shots that lead up to the end of the duel.
• The “clamp” box is a complete unknown.
This prop is a recycled Luke stunt from ESB (see page 15)
that has been refreshed with new parts to more resemble an • The shroud could be a variant Heiland or MPP shroud, but
MPP. Details that can be matched to the ESB stunt: is more likely a found piece, or something machined for the
saber.
• The ESB Graflex Kobold D-ring assembly is still on the
bottom. When Vader throws his lightsaber at Luke, the prop is a rub-
ber copy of this variant, and the wrong end is rotoscoped.
• Several 1/2” Allen head cap screws are drilled into the
body in exactly the same places seen in photos of Luke’s As a touring saber, the dueling rod assembly is still inside,
stunt sabers. though the rod has been cut to a stub.
32
DARTH VADER’S LIGHTSABER
RETURN OF THE JEDI - BLADED STUNT (MPP)
For most of the duel it is very hard to make out any detail,
but in the early portions of the fight, the thicker, angled end
and lock knob of an MPP shroud is unmistakable.
33
DARTH VADER’S LIGHTSABER
RETURN OF THE JEDI - STUNT (Severed Hand)
The most clearly seen Vader saber in ROTJ was a one-off
stunt used for a single shot (seen at the right) of Vader los-
ing his hand.
The lore suggests that Vader’s hand being severed was con-
sidered a practical make-up effect since it involved recre-
ating a living thing, making the gag the responsibility of
Freeborn, who did all the prosthetics for the film.
That said, the one that actually makes the cut to being on-
screen is clearly a dressed-up resin cast of the Vader ANH
stunt / “Barbican” lightsaber, (see pages 28 and 61).
34
DARTH VADER’S LIGHTSABER
ROGUE ONE - HERO
Rogue One offered up the interesting premise of presenting
Darth Vader as he appeared in ANH, but with modern cos-
tume advancements and FX work.
The end result was a mixed bag. While his appearance and
actions in the film are a hit with most fans, the actual cos-
tume was a misfire with several continuity and material
errors.
35
OBI-WAN KENOBI’S
LIGHTSABER
Original parts Obi-Wan hero build and photo by RPF member Serenity
OBI-WAN KENOBI’S LIGHTSABER
OVERVIEW
Where Luke and Vader’s sabers turned to vintage photo gear,
Obi-wan Kenobi’s weapon was the result of having just the
right junk at hand. Roger Christian has said that a lot of
the production design, on Tatooine especially, came from the
acquisition of airline and military scrap. At the time, it was
very cheap and they bought it in bulk.
Other Star Wars props that used parts from the same source
lead to discoveries. For example, IG-88’s head was known to
be part of an old jet engine— when said engine was found
and disassembled by a fan, somebody recognized Obi-Wan’s
emitter amongst the pieces.
• A Graflex clamp and Exactra bubblestrip, virtually identi- - On Tattooine, the endcap of the pommel is missing and the
cal to the set-up used on the Graflex. grenade is flipped.
• Two transistors (exact type unknown) backed with washers - On the Death Star, the inside of the emitter is black, which
are mounted into the side of the clamp, at the nine o’clock is different from the cone-adapter seen inside the emitter of
position to the clamp box’s twelve. the Tattooine version.
• The “booster” or “gear” section is the business end of - The “Chronicles” saber, named for the book it appeared
a Browning ANM2 (.303 Mk II) fighter plane machine gun. in, (pic at right). There very minimal differences not seen on
Specifically, the section between the barrel and the flash film. Namely, a missing washer from the top most transis-
suppressor. tor, a few extra set screws, and small cotter pins between
the clamp and booster. Chrome tape was applied, then worn
• The “pommel” is a chromed British sink knob, (aka a down, over the clamp band.
“handwheel” in UK vernacular), a “Starlight” model made
by Armitage Shanks.
38
OBI-WAN KENOBI’S LIGHTSABER
A NEW HOPE - BLADED STUNTS (aka Shared Stunts)
Like the Luke/Vader shared stunt, the dueling saber for ANH One even makes an appearance as a Rebel’s “tool” in the
was scratch built to better facilitate the motorized practical background of Echo Base.
effect. A wooden replica was made of the hero, which was
then cast. Seam lines indicate the pommel may have been Both would be pressed into service for ROTJ as well for Luke,
made in sections to avoid the need for milling from scratch. hence the “shared stunt” nickname.
Either way, the end result was a metal stunt saber what held NOTE: A possible third stunt Obi-Wan saber was used in his
the shape of the hero, but had none of the surface details. death scene. Clearly not the hero due to the lack of detail,
The booster was smooth, for example. The neck was painted (and best seen in BTS videos), it is unclear if this was spe-
to match the brass of the hero “windvane” section, while cial to the vanishing gag, or if it was one of the normal
the grenade was matte black to better block off the light stunts with the motor assembly and wires removed.
used for the early saber effect. A graflex clamp was added
to complete the look.
Irving Kershner was also armed with one to help direct and
block scenes so he wouldn’t need to take one that was ded-
icated to an actor or stunt performer.
39
V2 Reproduction designed by RPF member Anakin Starkiller • Paint, detail finishing, modifications and photo by RPF member Inigou
LUKE SKYWALKER’S
JEDI LIGHTSABER
LUKE SKYWALKER’S JEDI LIGHTSABER job, a “nipple” in the emitter, and an ESB style clamp card To that, the prop team scratch-built a lightsaber for Luke
OVERVIEW at this stage. Resin copies were made. It got a dueling rod to have on hand. Ultimately it was not used, and the only
and became the stunt for the Throne Room scenes. Eventu- glimpse of it comes from a BTS video that was bonus con-
ally, this prop gets the nickname of “Luke/Ben shared stunt tent solely for people buying the Target release of the film.
The lineage of Luke’s second saber is the most rich and sto-
2” and later, the “V3.”
ried behind the scenes, with ties to the production of each
TLJ
of the OT films.
As things are prepped in California they knew there will be
extensive stunt work, and made use of the resin V3s. One of Making its final appearance in the saga, Luke’s lightsaber
Onscreen, it was different from what we’d seen before—
which is given a flat-top and used for the second unit R2 appears in flashback form in TLJ.
in color, sound, and action. While the prop itself had been
launcher gag.
around since ANH, at the time it drew attention to itself for
Again, the official ROTJ cave-build/ISYHCANL version is
being very different.
Needing a short-bladed stunt, a new metal saber was made used as the inspiration, but the details seem to be based off
based on the resin dimensions. The upper neck is missing of replicas of the this saber.
Much like Darth Vader’s lightsaber in Return of the Jedi, this
the groove, and the color scheme is similar to how the resin
saber has a wide variety of variants and what is considered
models are painted, which evolved from the faux Obi-Wan
the “hero” is actually only used in one shot.
paint scheme. This metal short-bladed stunt becomes
known as the YUMA.
ROTJ
When the California leg of shooting starts, the V2 has come
For a singular narrative saber, this model has the most nu-
along as the belt-hanger because it is probably paired with
merous real-world stand ins.
Luke’s costume with the wardrobe department. The V3 never
makes it to California and is replaced by the Yuma for the
On the first day of shooting in the UK, production focused on
sail barge scenes.
the ultimately deleted sandstorm scene. The Graflex was on
hand for Luke’s saber-- and obviously, that wouldn’t work for
After photography wraps, they decide to do some insert
continuity. While some sources say there was a plan for Luke
shots to better sell that Luke has made his own lightsaber.
to have a unique saber, what went down on the first day of
The metal Yuma is cleaned up and repainted and the control
shooting implies otherwise.
box is given more detail. This saber is shot as an insert for
the ISYHCANL scene. For the cave build, the box is modi-
In quick need of a prop, somebody grabbed one of the ANH
fied to have the sliding card and blinking lights. This is how
Obi-Wan stunt sabers. At some point the holes were plugged,
the prop remains after production is complete, and is now
the emitter was taped in place, and a clamp card was add-
known as the HERO.
ed. Maybe right then and there, maybe back when they were
used as rehearsal duelers for ESB, maybe some combination
TFA
of that. This is turned over to be Luke’s belt-hanger hero, ul-
timately becoming known as the V2 (as it’s existence wasn’t
During the preproduction of TFA, it was unknown how much
recognized until much after the official hero).
Luke would be in the film, and what his appearance would
look like in terms of costumes or props. Early drafts had
Knowing they needed stunt versions, the prop team went to
his role integral, while the finished movie reduced his role
the second Obi-Wan stunt. It has a very Obi-Wan style paint
drastically.
41
LUKE SKYWALKER’S JEDI LIGHTSABER
RETURN OF THE JEDI - HERO (aka ISYHCANL and Cave Build)
Like the Darth Vader MoM stunt, this version was the one The control box is the only thing different between the two
chosen to “officially” represent Luke’s lightsaber, despite scenes. Both were scratch-made and contain a blue and
barely being seen in the film. metallic PCB card. Two buttons and light-up arrow indica-
tors stand in for a clamp lever.
Technically there are two versions of this saber, but the
differences are minor. There is the “cave-build” and the The ISYHCANL either has flush rails, or is simply detailed to
“ISYHCANL” short for “I See You Have Constructed A New look as if rails are present. Some say it is simply copper tape
Lightsaber.” holding the card onto the box.
The cave-build is the version first seen in the Archives book The cave-build has rails that extend beyond the box for the
and was subsequently used as the basis for resin copies card to slide on, and a small plate that houses the arrows
given to exhibitions, and as the basis for most toys and which is attached with tiny set screws.
official replicas. Oddly, this version is never actually seen
onscreen on ROTJ. Since the ISYHCANL version of the box has never been seen
outside its close-up shot, it’s safe to assume that scene was
In a scene cut from the film, and only revealed with the Blue done first, then the box was replaced for the cave-build se-
Ray release of the OT, Luke is seen finishing construction of quence.
his lightsaber. As part of the action, the clamp card slides
on rails to reveal inner workings. This is the only place this
variant appears.
The chunk and knob seem to have been added during its
first use in the sandstorm scene of ROTJ. BTS images in-
dicate the Graflex was also on hand, and given the obvious
continuity error, the V2 became a last minute substitution.
Despite not being the official hero, this saber can be clearly
seen multiple times: when Luke catches his saber on the
skiff, when The Emperor takes it, then again when it sits
next to him on the throne, when Luke lifts it into frame for
ignition as he is about to cut down the speeder bike, and
pretty much any decent medium shot where it hangs on
Luke’s belt.
43
Blueprint by Roy Gilsing | wannawanga.com
LUKE SKYWALKER’S JEDI LIGHTSABER
RETURN OF THE JEDI - BLADED STUNT (aka Shared Stunt or the V3)
Obi-Wan’s second stunt saber served the same purpose for
Luke in ROTJ— it was used in his duel with Darth Vader
as an actual dueling stunt saber. Like the V2, it was refur-
bished, but was completely repainted, most noticeably with
the intense copper colored neck.
This saber was the more roughly made of the two Obi-Wan
stunts, as evidenced by the additional uneven rings on the
grenade section. It’s unique features include:
It was repainted again during its tour days, this time the
entire body was recolored.
45
LUKE SKYWALKER’S JEDI LIGHTSABER
ROTJ - SHORT BLADED STUNT (aka Yuma)
For the sail barge sequence, a set of resin stunt sabers were
used given all the heavy stunt work and acrobatics, (like
Luke throwing himself into the side of the sail barge). One of
these resin stunts was also fired from R2, (though it was the
V2 when Luke caught it.)
46
LUKE SKYWALKER’S JEDI LIGHTSABER
THE LAST JEDI - HERO (aka the Creepy Uncle)
While based on the ROTJ hero, the details of the TLJ version
are not taken from the original prop, but a recreation. Given
the thickness of the edges of the rings on the grenade sec-
tion, many believe the body was inspired from the Prodigal
Son replica, a Master Replicas LE, or an eFX Reveal saber.
Onscreen, the details that differ from the ROTJ hero include:
• The PCB card appears more gold and reflective, with the
bottom bar dulled (note the thinner dark bar at the end)
• Thinner box rails that sit flush with the box body, ISYH-
CANL style)
47
THE PREQUEL TRILOGY
LIGHTSABERS
OVERVIEW
Unlike the Original Trilogy, where most props were made my assem-
bling real world and found objects together, mostly props in the Pre-
quel Trilogy were custom designed and scratch-made to better reflect
the vision of this being a more regal, artisan focused era.
49
ANAKIN SKYWALKER’S LIGHTSABER MACE WINDU’S LIGHTSABER JEDI ARMY LIGHTSABERS
ATTACK OF THE CLONES - HERO ATTACK OF THE CLONES - HERO ATTACK OF THE CLONES
For Anakin Skywalker’s first lightsaber, inspiration was tak- To match his growing role in the trilogy, Mace Windu was The remainder of the lightsabers in AOTC are seen during
en from the design of Darth Vader’s weapon-- foreshadow- given a more unique saber, to set him apart from the generic the arena action sequence. Many of the Jedi appearing here
ing the future I suppose. clan saber he was shown with in TPM promo material. The are the same characters from the council in TPM, and as
design is one of the most artistic of the PT. such, use the same mix and match clan sabers.
This lightsaber visually looks like a “light” version of Vad-
er’s, replacing the prominent black shroud with a chrome Some Jedi are pure CG, and have lightsabers with no phys-
one. It took its proportions and measurements from an early ical counterpart. The lightsabers are also not consistent
Vader replica by Icons, and therefor indirectly from the MPP. scene to scene. Anakin and Obi-Wan are tossed generic clan
As with all Prequel sabers, it was scratch made. sabers, and when Anakin wields them both we can see he
has a clan saber in one hand (different than the one he just
got), and Obi-Wan’s in the other (which was already lost)
with a green blade.
COUNT DOOKU’S LIGHTSABER
Obviously, there was not much in the way of saber quality
ATTACK OF THE CLONES - HERO control going on.
Perhaps the most unique lightsaber design set to film,
Count Dooku’s saber took it’s inspiration from a scimitar or
katana, presenting a curved body.
50
HERO LIGHTSABERS Obi-Wan Kenobi’s Lightsaber
REVENGE OF THE SITH While based on the ANH hero, Obi-Wan’s saber follows the
same design cues as the other two-- an original designed
clamp card, idealized greeblies, and a much shinier, skin-
The third movie of the prequel saga was tasked with bridg-
nier design.
ing the two trilogies in as many ways as possible. One such
connection was to show the lightsabers in possession of
Anakin/Vader and Obi-Wan in ANH as they were 20 years Darth Sidious / Palpatine’s Lightsaber
previous. While narratively the same as the sabers seen in The first “short” handle design lightsaber seen, (violating
Episode 4, the props were significantly different from their the rule Lucas himself established for the OT that lightsa-
previous appearances. bers be two-handed), this saber was given to Palpatine af-
ter his fight scene was shot, added mainly as insert shots.
As per the PT work flow, real world parts were NOT used In wide shots you can see him using Anakin’s
in their construction, though the original sabers at least
served as inspiration for their looks... sort of...
51
THE SEQUEL TRILOGY
LIGHTSABERS
OVERVIEW
With two of its planned three movies in the can, lightsabers are on the
rare side in the ST. Therefore, this section will be thin, especially given
that two of the sabers seen in the movie are legacy props included in
their respective chapters.
That means this chapter pretty much belongs to Kylo Ren... for now...
53
KYLO REN’S LIGHTSABER BEN SOLO’S LIGHTSABER
THE LAST JEDI - HERO /STUNT THE LAST JEDI - HERO /STUNT
Much like the Graflex, the proximity of the production be- When faced with Creepy Uncle and his wrath, young Ben
tween TFA and TLJ has granted us the magical phenomena Solo has no choice but to defend himself... and then murder
of prop continuity between films. For the most part, Kylo a bunch of kids. (Must be a dark side initiation thing).
Ren’s saber in TLJ is identical to how it was seen in TFA--
with one minor exception. Seen ever so briefly, Ben Solo’s lightsaber is actually the
same one he uses as Kylo Ren-- just without the modifica-
While physically the same, the worn and weathered black tions. The side vents that make the cross guard are absent,
finish from TFA is replaced in TLJ by a matte black paint job. as is the red wire, and black paint.
The difference is both subtle, and obvious.
So a stripped down, silver finished Kylo variant.
54
APOCRYPHAL
LIGHTSABERS
OVERVIEW:
A very sad truth about lightsaber props-- most of the original
screen-used props no longer exist. They may not stand up to the
rigors of production, they may have been disassembled and re-
turned to prop houses in their original form, they may have been
stolen off set, they may have been given away, or find their ways
to private collections.
This happens often enough that frequently these sabers are billed
as screen-used and sold at auction for insane prices.
The Don Bies created “Strobonar Hybrid” saber made for museum display.
DARTH VADER’S LIGHTSABER
PROMOTIONAL KOBOLD
This odd looking saber for a Japanese promotional image
is actually an airbrushed addition, painted over a smaller
Kobold flash. The Kobolds were used as droid callers in the
saga, and had their brackets removed to be used in D-ring
assemblies for the Graflex.
This image, taken after ANH was shot, adds evidence to the
fact that the ANH props were restored and returned, leav-
ing them to have to improvise. It’s my personal theory that
being tweaked for this shoot, the Kobold likely would have
been given seven grips, as the ANH sabers were. To me, that
makes it a likely candidate as the lower half of hand-gag
Graflex stunt on page 17.
No proof of course…
56
THE SKYWALKER LIGHTSABER
HOLIDAY SPECIAL - HERO
While not technically in canon, or even good taste, the Holi-
day Special is a thing that we can all agree exists. Included
here because it’s part of the bigger prop story, this lightsa-
ber is based on a Graflite, the predominant model of flash
made by Graflex into the 60s (where as the original was used
in the 30’s and 40s).
2
57
THE RANCH SABER
On display at Skywalker Ranch and billed as one of the he-
roes from ESB, this Graflex was built from leftover ESB parts
to serve as Luke’s lightsaber in ROTJ before the obvious con-
tinuity error was addressed.
It’s unclear what details were added for that purpose and
what was added for later display, but it now appears as a
unique variant that has been closely studied. It’s features
include:
The very specific warping and shape of the grips on this sa-
ber can be matched to the grips of the Dagobah belt hanger
hero. The upper half does not match up with the Dagobah
saber when examining the weathering and damage.
In the Archives there are resin copies of this saber, made for
the R2 launching gag in ROTJ.
58
GARY KURTZ LIGHTSABERS
Having shown up in a couple auctions, ANH and ESB pro-
ducer Gary Kurtz has parted with some lightsabers from his
personal collection. While billed as being used in the film,
evidence points to the fact that they were never seen on-
screen.
It is also hard to know just how many sabers Kurtz has auc-
tioned off-- the auctions seem to come up every handful
of years, but it is unclear if it is the same items, or similar
ones. There are a few discerning details to be gleaned that
will allow you to laugh at whomever spends a few hundred
grand on something they think is legit, but is not. (Looking
at you, Paul Allen).
The most likely theory, is that Kurtz asked Don Bies to deck
out his Graflexes for auction, and at the same time he
bought, or was given, one of the Bies Vader builds, (see next
page). DON’T BID ON THESE!
59
DARTH VADER’S LIGHTSABER Strobonar Hybrid
PROMOTIONAL VARIANTS
When the icon for your franchise happens to be an actual
character, one in a mask no less, it means that Darth Vader
got around. Events, promotions, appearances-- Darth Vader
has always been the face of the franchise. To that-- several
suits commissioned by Lucasfilm have been sent out over
the years to actors in local markets to make appearances
as Vader. With multiple suits/actors out there through the
90s, each of them needed lightsaber. With the sever short-
age of Vader lightsabers post ROTJ, propmaster, and Star
Wars collector, Don Bies was hired by Lucasfilm to create
new Vader sabers.
60
TOURING / DISPLAY VARIANTS “Barbican”
The TFA prop team made the sabers specifically for promo-
tional usage. And while you’d think that means the details
matched what was onscreen, they do not. (Knurled eye, hex
screws on grips).
61
LUKE SKYWALKER’S JEDI LIGHTSABER LUKE SKYWALKER’S JEDI LIGHTSABER
THE FORCE AWAKENS - BTS (aka TFA BTS) THE LAST JEDI - BTS (aka “white glove”)
Based on an early script and concepts, Luke’s lightsaber was Presented in a featurette The Star Wars show, this saber was
recreated for TFA. As it never appeared onscreen, its consider presented alongside other props from TLJ. There is much
apocryphal and unofficial, though it does present itself as an debate and confusion on what this particular saber’s rela-
idealized Luke ROTJ Hero with these details: tionship is to what we see onscreen. (See page 47 for the TLJ
hero version.)
• A body style based on the ISYHCANL hero, with even rings.
While it has key features unique to the TLJ, (the thicker rings
• A control box based on the better-known cave-build ver- and pommel cube shape), others, namely the control box, are
sion-- with larger triangle indicators. different. There is no blade plug/retension system. Finally,
this saber is clearly a painted resin cast.
• The emitter is all-new, a combination of Obi-Wan’s ANH
lightsaber and Luke’s V2. There are two possibilities--
• The tri-ring is in the pommel cube at 3 o’clock to the box’s One, this is a stunt version cast from the hero for use in a
12 when looking at the base rumored cut scene where Luke fights the Knights of Ren, or
simply for museum display.
• The clamp card is obscured
Two, this is the saber used onscreen, but it was retouched to
appear metallic and had its box altered.
62
VISUAL DICTIONARY LIGHTSABERS
With every new movie, and sometimes just for the hell of it,
Lucasfilm will release another edition of “The Visual Dic-
tionary.” Generally they are in-universe encyclopedias of
costumes, props, ships, etc. of everything in the release it
is timed to.
In the case of the OT, the guides were made in the 90s, and
while access to the archives was there, a lot of the origi-
nal props were simply gone. It fell to people like Don Bies
to re-create them. Yoda’s lightsaber was made by the MR
founders as a one-off while creating things for the VD-- but
Lucas ended up liking it and became canonized in the book.
63
APPENDIX
Luke Skywalker ROTJ pre-V3 resin cast lightsaber designed by Norman Harrison and Norank Engineering at Elstree Film Studios. Photograph found by D48thRonin in a March 2017 issue of Wired Magazine; high-res image found by Ridire Firean.
RIVETS VS SCREWS: FIGHT!!! are hold outs for ESB rivets, the majority of the community
has shifted into the screws camp.
The method of how the T-Track grips on the ESB and TFA
Graflex-based sabers are attached has been an ongoing de- As noted in the ESB section, we only see silver grip fasteners
bate for many, many years. while on Hoth. Everywhere else, they are black. The popular
theory is that in the cold of the Hoth scenes, the adhesive
Here’s a bit of history over the debate. for the T-Track gave way and the grips would not stay on.
To quickly solve this problem, they were more permanent-
The first attempts to truly offer up a decent look of the Gra- ly screwed down, because again, they didn’t think anyone
flex came from Shane Johnson’s SW Tech Journal (1993). would ever see such a detail. The silver vs black question
Before that, the common myth going around AOL message could be painted silver screws, oxidized silver screws, or
boards was that Luke’s lightsaber was a Graflex flash with different color screws on different props.
windshield wiper blades for grips. Given that this was the
VHS era, you couldn’t actually tell the differences between Basic prop team logic says you make your fix as quick as
the ANH and ESB versions outside of the glass eye being possible. Self-tapping machine screws go in a lot faster
replaced by a second button. That was all we knew. than drilling out holes then popping in rivets.
Using archive images and a fan-made replica made with Verdict: ESB uses screws. They are usually black, though in
90s era knowledge, Johnson drew his blueprint and used exterior Hoth scenes, they are silver.
rivets in the grip design. This seemed logical given that one
of the few things clear onscreen in ESB is that the Kobold The predominant notion that rivets were used was so ce-
d-ring assembly uses rivets. You could see something was mented into prop culture for so long, that the TFA prop team
holding the grips down, and it certainly looked like little sil- felt that rivets were the most obvious choice. The confusion
ver rivets. returned when the Launchbay and Visual Dictionary both
appeared to be using some sort of Hex or Torx screws on the
The first Visual Dictionary in 1998 followed his lead, with grips. (This isn’t contested, they actually do).
our pal Don Bies making the first “official” fan replica. He
used rivets. This programmed the notion into many minds that this was
also what was used onscreen. The details are so tiny on-
Between these two sources, so to followed the first round of screen that it is hard to be definitive at times. But at the
official replicas-- all of them using rivets. This cemented end of the day, there are a few shots, namely the one used
the idea into the minds of many to the point that when on page 17, that make it clear to most that traditional pop
watching the film, all we could see were rivets. rivets are used for the onscreen versions. Like with the ESB
debate, there are a small number of holdouts.
But then Star Wars finally came to DVD and HD and later
Blue Ray. With the ability to pause and pull HD screengrabs, Verdict: TFA uses pop rivets.
the idea of screws gained momentum. The Ranch Saber
gave us evidence that maybe the Dagobah saber used Now enjoy these images that confuse the issue--
screws-- but little by little, the tide has turned. While there
65
CLAMP CARD GUIDE
• All ANH lightsabers use the magnification bubble strip • The production team for TFA made theirs from scratch Luke ESB / Hoth
from an Exactra 19 or 20 calculator, the Graflex and Obi- based on what you see when you Google “HP-44 PCB”
Wan’s use the full 7 bubble strip, Vader’s is trimmed to 5
and 3/4 bubbles. Note: Exactra boards vary in color and design even within
the same model run; the bubbles themselves tend to vary in Luke ESB / Dagobah
• The ESB Graflex-based sabers make use of the edge con- translucence and “window” size making it hard to exactly
nector of a circuit board in their clamps, the part of a PCB determine what was used onscreen.
that slots onto the motherboard.
Standard ANH
Exactra Bubbles Luke ESB / Bespin
Many say it’s either an HP-44 Bus Type circuit board or an
Otis Elevator PCB, but neither has ever been 100% con-
firmed. PCBs are frequently similar and come from a variety
Vader ANH/ V2
of sources, so it’s possible even the screen-used versions Luke ROTJ / V2
“Black Bars”
vary from individual prop to prop.
Rifle Rod Grenade. Not a sketchy weapon at all. Yeesh! Vintage T-Track found by Kal Kamel in Malaysia
The Exactra 19 and 20. Bubbles and PCBs! Obi-Wan’s “booster/gear” at home on an aircraft machine gun
68
IMAGE GALLERY
A wooden buck and the cast it may have birthed, likely early
steps in the creation of the Shared Stunt sabers.
Two buttons on Dagobah! The pre-Barbican ANH Vader stunt in ROTJ rehearsals
The Vader MOM Stunt and the V3 in action The ANH Shared Stunt in ESB rehearsal RPF founder Brandon Alinger reunites Mark Hamil with the V2 after 34 years apart
69
Shooting the ISYHCANL insert shot
70
This began its life as Luke’s ESB bladed stunt, only to become a Vader stunt in ROTJ, was seen in the
This image suggests that the ANH may be a Folmer due to the glass eye shape Archives book and dubbed as the “hero ROTJ saber, aka the MoM saber.
R2D2 and a V3 resin stunt Bob Anderson rehearsing with a Shared Stunt
71
A resin V3, doing stunt work The Last Graflex The Kobold flash, also used as droid callers
ESB rehearsal. Hamil with an ANH stunt, Prowse with ab Obi-Wan Shared Stunt Screenshot confirmation of the Vader ESB Hero V2 in the before time
72
Minutes later, a Shared Stunt got a HUGE promotion. The Darth Vader ESB hero. Profile of the V2 lever. Still a mystery part.
Chromed rubber skinnyflex, looking like hot garbage. From the TFA trailer, our first reveal of the fact that the Graf- Luke’s ROTJ stunt double with the pre-Barbican stunt saber.
lex was returning... and that it was different... again...
73
Shared stunt / V2 in an ESB BTS video No screws, no rivets, no grips! The V3 being used on set as a stunt in ESB, likely for blocking purposes.
A particularly messy detailed TLJ Graflex stunt with extra notched grips and a peeling PCB. Included for baddassery’s sake.
Some apparatus lays atop the grips, possibly part of a rig to float the saber into Kylo’s hand. 75
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
While I am credited with “writing” this document, it must Their work is intrinsically tied to investigating the origin of
be said that I am the originator of VERY LITTLE of the infor- the sabers, as well as determining how to recreate them.
mation in this bible. I have only done minuscule amounts of
research like tracking down the ranch saber texture tape. Though it hasn’t been updated since the web ran on nothing
other than HTML and duct tape, partsofsw.com was, and
With this guide, I am merely recapitulating all known remains, the starting point for so many saber collectors/
lightsaber info into one place for easy reference. All of the builders out there. Much of the core information and termi-
details, measurements, parts identification, and more, is nology we know comes from there; even if much of it is now
due to the diligent and never-ending work of the members out of date. That site essentially did what this guide does—
of the RPF. cull all the available information into one place… but Chris
Trevas and Chris Reiff had to do it by slogging through AOL
I’ve culled from countless threads where pieces have been threads, Geocities pages, sorta-legal archivers access, and
discovered, measured, investigated, and replicated by a incredibly low res images.
wide variety of members. Their hard work is what is being
presented here. While I am reticent to give names, because Also, saving me a lot of time, the graflexbank.com by Brage
I’ll no doubt forget somebody important, there are a few peo- Borgsø has gathered as much info on the Graflex sabers as
ple who do stand out for having done hours upon hours of possible, and much of his work is shared here.
real investigation and research and were willing to talk with
me to fill in gaps or supply images: James Kenobi 1138, Finally, none of this would be possible without Brandon
thd9791, Veektohr, PoopaPapaPalps, Kurtyboy, Halliwax, Alinger who both founded theRPF.com and provided first-
Anubis Guard, Kal Kamel, ms80444, Serenity, Drew Baker, hand information about particular lightsaber props.
Adam Wells, D48thRonin, Ridire Firean, Fusion, JoeK3rr,
and Parfaitelumiere. In an attempt to be thorough while eliminating speculation,
unless noted otherwise, all images seen are from screen
Most of all-- a special thanks to Teecrooz, ScottJua, Gino, grabs, promotional material, or verified photos of the actual
and Chaim / Sym-Cha. True lightsaber archivists with great props. All photos are credited to their owners. It’s the inter-
collections of images that provide immeasurable insight, net, photos get passed around, if your image is used here
and in some cases, first-hand accounts of the actual props. and you get no credit, please let me know.
Any image in this bible that is not a screencap very likely
came from one of them. Finally, while I strive for this to be accurate, some things
are still a mystery. Much of this information relies on evi-
And I should thank Lucasfilm, and George Lucas himself for dence-based educated guess-work. From time to time, dis-
all of this even if I’m still mad about the Prequels. coveries are made and what is considered confirmed often
turns out not to be.
Much of the information here is thanks to the work being
done by Roy Gilsing (wannawanga.com), Anakin “Dan”
Starkiller, and Roman Gomez (romanprops.com) to faith-
fully recreate hard to locate parts and saber components.
2
76
CONCLUSION CHANGELOG
Information fluctuates. Facts change when new evidence All future revisions and archived versions of this bible will
arrives. Just as the first draft of this book was finished, new be noted here.
images of the V2 showed up in a video.
Version .5: January 2017 Version 3.5: January 2018
Currently, this book is the most up to date assembly of data - Beta copy - typos and grammatical errors revised
on the lightsabers props of the saga. - revisions made after notes from Brandon Alinger
Version 1: January 2017
But parts still remain a mystery— what kind of transistors - typos and grammatical errors revised Version 3.75: May 2018
were those on the Obi-Wan hero? What is the control box on - additional V2 images added - typos and grammatical errors revised
the Vader MOM? - shared stunt / V3 information revised - revisions made on all TLJ material
- Luke ROTJ “hero” Archives image added - additional gallery images added
Is it possible that in some cases, propmasters actual- - reveal saber entry removed
ly managed to make indistinguishable copies and will we Version 2: February 2017
learn that there were a dozen hero sabers in ESB and we - typos and grammatical errors revised
just didn’t know it? - V2 and V3 info updated and revised
- PCB card details updated and revised
Who knows! As new info reaches the community, I’ll do my - Obi-Wan hero page updated and revised
best to keep this guide updated - DV ESB Hero page updated and revised
- Luke ESB stunt page updated and revised
Thanks for reading! - new gallery images added
Seth M. Sherwood - dedicated Revenge of the Sith page added
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