Lightsabers in other media

The lightsaber is just an idea, no different to the laser gun, commonly called blaster. Who made the first blaster I haven't a clue. But I remember that old Ulysses-31 cartoon, the captain of the "ring ship," wielding a gun that also doubled as lightsaber in all but name.

In the old Transformer movie, Megatron briefly attacked Prime with a lightsaber.

My wiki research gives plenty moe examples, though unfamiliar and obscure.

My question is, officially, how legal are lightsabers? Was SW the first to show it in movies, or books? And thirdly, why aren't more books using them?---or is it a legal issue?

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Now, that's a ship design!

 

When I see a fire/flame sword, I think of a mythological weapon. When I see any type of energy/plasma bladed weapon, I think, "total ripoff of Star Wars".

 

So you believe SW was the first, the way many believe Tolkien was the first elf and dwarfer?

 

I don't know if it was the first, but certainly the best.

 

I think it comes down to the terminology and exact descriptions...

Thundarr the Barbarian from the early 80's (produced by Ruby-Spears) had the hero carrying a "sunsword" that was a lightsaber in all by name. Due to the timing, I'm willing to bet this was 'inspired' by (read - taken straight from) Star Wars. (He's also got a sidekick that's VERY reminicent of a Wookiee)

Futurama is a more recent (and more amusing) example. The Police of New New York use something that looks and sounds like a lightsaber, but is "solid" light used like batons.


I think George Lucas would be one of the first ones to stand up and say Star Wars isn't completely original. The story is a basic concept in fantasy/sci-fi, the weapons and such were pretty straightforward, standard stuff. Legally, I would think (though I'm not a copyright lawyer) that as long as it's not called and OBVIOUS that it's a lightsaber being claimed as original (i.e. parodys like Futurama are ok), then I think LFL would have much room to argue, and likely wouldn't even try.


(I know that last statement was a bit clunky. Sorry, it's early...)

 

Seems to just be the name. Or the igniting the sword with a beam.

Course they could just not be used because the connetation is Star Wars.

 

Gundam I think had the first laser swords...it did come out before Star Wars by a few months...

 

the hero in a book i was writing used a weapon similar to a lightsaber but stopped because I wasn't sure if it legally acceptable. I still have no idea really.

If you want another example there was the character from a cartoon movie "Starchasewr legend of orin" which seemed to steal a aweful lot from star wars. Well worth watching if you havent seen it though. It has many elements of star wars in it including a sword hilt that was used as a lightsaber when the hero used his power.

 

You sure? I thought Mobile Suit Gundam aired in 1979 in Japan, two years after Star Wars. But then, I never was good at remembering release-dates.

 

The manga came out two years before . Back in the seventies, it took a long time for a manga to be turned into an Anime.

And the first Anime/Manga...Astro Boy...I think had a few laser swords back in the 1950's...

 

Foundation had light-daggers...in addition to a Galactic Empire ruled by a metal-covered core world, a mentalic tyrant imposing his empire on the galaxy, hyperdrives, sentient planets, and an order of pyschically-imbued scholars guiding and protecting the forces of law and order in the galaxy.

It also had Han Solo; he was just called Hober Mallow.

 

I don't know about the legality issue with lightsabers, but if they're not used in other stories it's because they scream "Star Wars", or "Star Wars ripoff", or something similar. They may not have been invented with Star Wars, but thats the story from which they're are best known.

 

Tenchi Muyo had a sword that turns to a lightsaber, and the Bible mentions of flaming swords.

 

^^ Yeah, I have Tenchi on DVD. His sword even makes the ANH lightsaber sounds too.

 

Super Smash Bros. and Super Smash Bros. Melee have "beamswords."

Zero, from the Mega Man X and Mega Man Zero video game series caries some sort of energy sword, called a "Z-saber." In some of the earlier games, it looked almost exactly like Luke's green 'saber, but its appearance has changed in recent years. IIRC, a couple of other characters in Mega Man games also use energy blades of some sort.

 

The old Flash Gordon serials had lightsabers.

 

Since Lucas didn't come up with the idea of an energy blade then he really can't sue anyone or stop anyone from using them.

What was it called in Foundation? A pen-knife energy blade? I do know that Asimov had a series for young readers called Lucky Star(SP?) in which a character uses a force-field blade: "The most vicious weapon in the Galaxy. Outwardly, it was merely a short shaft of stainless steel that was a little thicker than the haft of a knife but which could still be held nicely in the palm. Within it was a tiny motor that could generate an invisible nine-inch-long, razor-thin force-field that could cut through anything composed of ordinary matter. Armor was of no use against it, and since it could slice through bone as easily as through flesh, its stab was almost invariably fatal."

In Larry Niven's Known space, even in Ringworld, Louis Wu uses a "Flashlight laser" which is essentially a lightsaber with greater range which you could sweep back and forth slicing up everything in your path from a greater distance.

I have never read King's Darktower books, but doesn't he use lightsabers in them? Wouldn't he need permission?

An angel guards the entrance to the garden of Eden in Genesis with a flaming sword. I'm pretty sure this is not the only use of a fire sword in the Bible.

I didn't see the Transformers movie, but I recall and episode where Megatron ignited an energy morningstar flail, and Prime ignited an energy axe complete with lightsaber sound effects.

Steve Perry(EU author) had a series of books called the Matador Series. In that same universe but outside the main stories was a book called the Omega Cage. It's basically a prison break in the future. On the of escapees, a SUPER martial artist, finds a mining tool that uses a backpack to power an energy blade. He makes a comment about seeing an old holovid series in which people used them as weapons.

Thundarr's Sunsword might just be my favorite lightsaber wannabe.

There are several aspects of D&D swords that come across as lightsabers. Vorpal swords, brilliant energy swords, and there was a type of magic item called a ringsword which appeared as nothing more than a ring you wore, but upon command a blade of some type of energy sprang from your hand...fire, electricity, frost, and even a blade of 'force'.

Another favorite comes form a Playstation game called Armored Core in which you giant mecha can wield energy blades. It is a simple slashing motion from a hilt mounted on the left forearm. With an enhanchment, you can hurl the energy part pf the blade as a ranged weapon. Players of the game will sometimes unequip the rest of the armament of missles and laser weapons and just use the energy blade calling it 'The Way of the Samurai'.

 

Also in Ringworld is a weapon (forget the name) that's a handle with an extendable monoatomic filament shrouded in a stasis field that can slice through anything.

 

The Covenant Elite plasma swords in Halo function more or less like lightsabers.

Which would mean that at that point, Lucas would have already been writing screenplay drafts featuring lightsabers for what, the past four or five years?

 

Also in Ringworld is a weapon (forget the name) that's a handle with an extendable monoatomic filament shrouded in a stasis field that can slice through anything.

They were just called monofilaments; a string of single molecules joined end to end.

Let's not forget Halo energy swords. The artists who came up with that design should be proud.

[image=http://www.halo-center.com/img/energy%20sword.JPG]

[image=http://severtski.com/pics/energysword.jpg]

 

Also in Ringworld is a weapon (forget the name) that's a handle with an extendable monoatomic filament shrouded in a stasis field that can slice through anything.

They were just called monofilaments; a string of single molecules joined end to end.

Let's not forget Halo energy swords. The artists who came up with that design should be proud.

[image=http://www.halo-center.com/img/energy%20sword.JPG]

[image=http://severtski.com/pics/energysword.jpg]

 

Yes there are lightsabers in those books. In novel 5 to be precise: Wolves of the Calla. They are even especially called that and 1 of the main characters says to another main character: "You never saw Star Wars did you Jake?" " No I was pulled out before it premiered" (pulled out meaning being transferred from the real world to the Stephen King made up world).

The bad guys (e.i. the Wolves the title refers too) had the appeareance of doctor Doom with lightsabers and snitches from harry Potter as weapons.


Edit: Another funny use of the lightsaber would be in The Hitchhickers Guide to the Galaxy movie. There it was a bread cutter that immidiately toasted the bread too. The credits at the end did thanked Lucasfilm for being allowed to borrow the sound effects and all.

 

In Ian Banks' Culture Series a ship and its crew are in a stealth mode while orbiting the Earth for study. They are allowed from time to time to go on Earth with slight alterations to their humanoid form to fit in. The time is 1977 and one of the crew members likes Star Wars so much he askes the ship(God-like A.I.) to make him a lightsaber to play with.

Wiki has a long list of Energy Blades


In D&D there is a psionic character class called a Soulknife. They are able to summon a blade of psionic energy in their hand which gets more powerful as the character gains levels including greater damage and various enhancments effects. I always thought that would be an interesting Force power; the ability to create a blade of energy without the need for a hilt.

I guess the Dinobots used energy swords as well. I don't remember it though, I just found it looking at wiki entires.

[image=http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/f0/Csgrimlock6.jpg]

 

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Jesus is so going to sue Lucas's @$$ off.