Lightsaber Ignition

Hey everyone. This question may have been asked earlier, but I would just like your input. WHen it comes to turning on a lightsaber in Star Wars, all the hilts have an ignition button, at least I think they do. When the Force users hit the button, do they pretty much keep it on through the Force? Mostly because they are twirling around all the time, and I am guessing they just turn it off using the Force as well? Someone mentioned that You actually have to have contact with it to turn it on with the Force. The only time I didn't see that was when Luke force grabs his lightsaber in the carbon chamber, because it is already ignited before it reaches his hand. And lightsaber throwing is probably a different topic altogether, because only Vader threw it once, and it de ignited shortly after. And the only time people throw their saber like a boomerang, are in fanfilms, heh. Anyone have any questions or answers?

 

I always saw the button as a "push to turn on/push again to turn off." I don't think they have to hold it down, that'd be pretty impractical

Unless I misread your post...

 

Yeah I pretty much see it that way. But just some instances Luke has his thumb on the button. So, it may just be Mark Hammill THINKING he had to keep the button held down, heh. But yeah, it is most likely turn on off. But with Jedi, I would think they dont need a button and just Force ignite it.

 

In the OT, Lightsabers worked with a "Dead Man Switch"

What this means is a Jedi holds down the activation button with his hand or with The Force while it's activated.

Han Solo activated Luke's lightsaber to cut open the Tauntaun on Hoth in ESB. ("And I thought they smelt bad on the outside." - Han Solo) So it's not just Jedi or Force Users who can use lightsabers.

When Vader threw his lightsaber, he held down the handle with the Force.

Another point in activating lightsabers, there is the Slow Draw and Quick Draw lightsabers.

Most Jedi have the Slow Draw, where it takes half a second for the whole saber to extend.

Dooku and Luke (both blue and green) had the quickdraw sabers, coming out as soon as the activation plate was pushed down. Note, there are different sound effects with each one.

 

Yeah. Hmm.. maybe Luke wasn't entirely in control of the Force, and he wasn't able to channel it to his saber in ESB? I dont know, just thoughts and ideas..

 

and when jedi die there sabers turn off, and when there kicked out of their hands.

 

Well, you got one "their" correct...of three...


I've always chalked up the different tendancies of sabers' ignition/deignition (or lack thereof) to design. Some are designed to be held on by hand or Force, some are switch on and off. Some ignite faster than others and so on. Since every Jedi builds his own lightsaber, it would make sense that he/she would customize how that works as well.

 

some lightsabers (mainly OT ones) a Jedi would have to hold down the activation plate to keep the saber on. Hence why Luke's saber shut off when it was knocked out of his hand. But I also think that it works this way with the Prequel triolgy sabers, as when the saber is knocked out of someones hand it shuts off. I'm more sure with OT sabers, but prequel ones I'm not sure at all. (Was I the only one who didn't really like the "little red button" to turn on the saber?)

If you've ever seen a ECU still shot of some of the OT sabers, you'll notice there is a switch on the side, (it was on Luke's ESB, Vaders and Lukes ROTJ, not sure about Obi's), I belive this switch toggels the saber between holding the actication plate down and it working as a press once to activate press again to de-activate.

 

No, I'm much more partial to the Big Red Button.

 

Indeed

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I like WMD's to have Big Red Buttons ...like the one on Ren and Stimpy.

 

Most jedi have their sabers with a single on double off tap for the switch. And a rare few, have it where you use the force to complete a circuit inside the saber to turn it on, like in the Crystal Star novel.

 

Its a preferance. The sbaer corran horn found was a once on, twice off button system.that was to prevent it being accidently shut off in battle.

Some jedi have a dead man switch in case they lose control of it. that way it doesnt fly off wild and maybe hit an innocent person or not damage surronding stuff.

 

My lightsabers have the big red button, but are often force-activated to better integrate with combat and all that implies.



-Spiff

 

I was under the impression that it was like a light switch, and they didn't have to hold them down. But that would actually make a lot of sense. I had wondered why they turn off when a Jedi lets go of them. And I suppose contact must be made to use the force. At that end battle in Episode II, Anakin is tossed the green saber, but waits until he catches it to turn it on. Now assuming this isn't ILM getting giddy, I think the contact thing makes sense. Maybe that's one of the resons Lucas was so adamant about the "broadsword!" style of holding it. But then again they are supposed to be highly stylized. Reflecting back, I guess it'd make sense that Anakin had to look at the green saber before he knew how to ignite it.

But then again, perhaps it's more like a gas pump. You have to hold down the trigger to keep it active, or you can put on a lock to keep it that way for a while. There are mysterious switches on Luke's and Vader's "activation matrices:"
Luke's
Vader's

I also had heard that the Force could not be used to manipulate electrical current. Or so Lucas had planned it. I never was big into the Expanded Universe.

 

*Shrug*

Every saber is different. I like the whole dead-man's switch idea, personally, and otherwise using the Force to keep the saber on if you're not holding it.