How Long Can A LightSaber Remain Activated?

Could you post the TPM VD Quote? Thanks.
Surely if Nothing Else Qui-gon was recharging the Blade while they made their way from Naboo to Tatooine... and Again between their time at the Jedi Council and the Return to Naboo...

 

Have you ever noticed that sabers always shut off when they are dropped? I always thought it would be wierd if they stayed ignited. They would cut the ground when they landed, or even go right under the ground if they hit it right.

 

I have noticed that sabers turn off when they are not being held. Three example go against this trend however. 1) Qui-Gon's saber is re-activated when Obi-Wan cuts Maul up. 2) After Luke drops his saber on Bespin and is forced to roll down the stairs, his saber ignites before it enters his hand upon being recalled 3) Vader's saber stays on longer than usual when he throws the saber at the catwalk on which Luke was standing. So it maybe that the Lightsaber has a sensor pad built-in to turn off when it is not incontact with someone. However one may be able to use to Force to re-ignite it. In all of the instances the Saber was grabbed again before the blade had a chance to extend fully.

 

I thought there was a switch on them, Like a touch switch so u can activate them.

 

I think the activation stud needs a constant pressure exerted upon it by the users hand (or by the Force if it's being held aloft). When that pressure ceases, the blade deactivates.

In all of those instances cited above, the reason the sabers ignite early is because they are having a pressure exerted upon the activation stud by the Force, which is pulling the (or pushing in Vaders case) the sabers where the user wants it to go.

 

Couldn't a Lightsaber have an alternator or something.. It could be like a Seiko Kinetic watch.. it recharges just by swinging it around.. and they do get swung around allot.

 

That's A Good Idea... But I have the Feeling that a Lightsaber Needs A Lot of Energy... It can Cut through Practically Anything, Melting even the Thickest of Blast Doors. I think it needs more enrgy than a Seiko... but I could be Wrong.

 

Everyone seems to forget one piece of equipment that Qui-Gon gave Anikin. Remember the power device? You know the one Qui-Gon gave Anikin for the Pod Racer. Any takers?

Okay, everying in the SW universe has an achilies heel. It also has a build in fail mechanism. (George writes it into the script)

The Light Sabers have an extended life span, however, nothing lasts forever.

Good point about Anakins saber, Obi-Wan gives to Luke. However, don't think Obi-Wan was just letting the saber sit there. Obi-Wan would "guard that saber with his life." He would keep it well charged and ready to draw just incase he was raided by sandtroopers or tuskin raiders.

 

In a deleted scene from TPM Obi-Wan is fighting Battle Droids on Staps and gets his Lightsaber all wet and Qui-Gon basically tells him that he'll have to wait for it to recharge, maybe the Jedi carry power packs on their utility belts so if their lightsabers get wet or lose power they can easily recharge them so they wont be weaponless.

 

When A Lightsaber Hacks through an Arm (Or Anything Else For that Matter) Is an Inch Of Matter or So Evaperated where the Blade touches... Or Is the Cut Paper-cut thin... Where only the most intense part of the Beam has touched?

 

JediKnightOB1: He would keep it well charged and ready to draw just incase he was raided by sandtroopers or tuskin raiders.

Why wouldn't he just use his own lightsaber for those instances?


LottDodd: A lightsaber makes a very fine cut, not actually "dissolving" any substance which it cuts but rather using the intense heat (which is not openly emitted but rather implied in the energy loop that is the blade) to cauterize any wounds inflicted and give the effect of extremely thin cutting.

Also, here is that scene from TPM DVD:


In the distance, two STAPS burst out of the mist at high speed, chasing OBI-WAN.

QUI-GON: I have no time for this now...
JAR JAR: Say what?

The two STAPS barrel down on OBI-WAN.

JAR JAR: (cont'd) Oh, nooooo! Weesa ganna....

QUI-GON throws JAR JAR into the mud.

QUI-GON: Stay down! His head pops up.
JAR JAR: ...dieeee!

The two troops fire laser bolts at OBI-WAN. QUI-GON deflects the bolts back, and the STAPS blow up.


OBI-WAN is exhausted and tries to catch his breath.

OBI-WAN: Sorry, Master, the water fried my weapon.
OBI-WAN pulls out his burnt laser sword handle. QUI-GON inspects it, as JAR JAR pulls himself out of the mud.

QUI-GON: You forgot to turn your power off again, didn't you?

OBI-WAN nods sheepishly.


QUI-GON: It won't take long to recharge, but this is a lesson I hope you've learned, my young Padawan.
OBI-WAN: Yes, Master






In response to this thread question...

The lightsaber's jewels focus the power cell's enemy charge into a tight parallel beam that emerges from the blade emitter as a vibrant blade of pure energy. The blade is a closed energy loop. Its amplitude determines when the energy beam arcs back to the negatively charged high-energy flux aperture that rings the outer edge of the lightsaber's concave disk. The power cell can generally last two years because it is fed by the energy that enters the flux aperture; the weapon loses energy only when the blade makes contact with another object. Some design their saber with an auxiliary power core. This will help the unit to recharge after use or prolong its usage. However, lightsabers can be depleted to a point where it is necessary to recharge using an external source.


Keep in mind that the evolution of sabers dramatically changed in the way of generating power. Protosabers, which were used by ancient Jedi, Sith, and other Force users, comprised of a separate hip power pack, power line and saber hilt.


Ken Kenobi- And you have a nice day

 

So it can remain on "Idle" For almost two years... How Quickly Does An Intense Battle Take up the Juice then? Does Each Contact Drain a Significant amount of Charge... Would the Maul Vs Qui-gon and Kenobi Drain the Blades if it had continued over the course of a few hours... or could they have fought for days?

 

LottDodd: You have to remember that every Jedi's lightsaber is custom built to personal perfection, and therefore each one has different settings and performance capabilities.

It is safe to say that the Diatium power cell will last two years based upon normal Jedi activities, rather than just "idle".

However, this estimate could greatly increase or decrease according to use (i.e. it would increase if activity was low and would decrease if the activity was high).


Ken Kenobi- And you have a nice day

 

It's nice to hear from you again KenKenobi... I Miss having a Rival I Can Villify and Slander. The Elections may have been a mess, but it was the most fun I've had in these Forums...

 

LottDodd: Those were some special times, weren't they...


Ken Kenobi- And you have a nice day

 

I would think that when the lightsaber runs out of juice it kinda goes limp and hangs loosely for a bit. The Jedi use it as a sort of whip-like weapon for a while, then it grows smaller and smaller until it retreats back into its handle.

 

Sounds like you're speaking from personal experience.

 

When Qui-gon cuts through the blast doors there is like an inch wide gap... not papercut thin...