metal sword vs lightsaber

Original thread: http://boards.theforce.net/welcome_new_users/b10181/30877114/p1/?2

At a renaissance role playing party this past weekend, a friend of mine made a statement which I had hard time accepting.

He suggested that a jedi knight would easily defeat a medieval knight. I agree.

I then proposed a question of two equal jedi knights (assume they have been cloned) are fighting each other, one with a lightsaber and one with a metal sword. He said that the jedi with the lightsaber would win. I disagreed.

The lightsaber could not parry the metal sword as it would parry another lightsaber. Instead, it would shear the metal sword in two and both pieces would continue to travel towards the opponent.

I've tried googling this hoping there had been some discussion on it before but was not able to find anything. I don't want to start a flame war, please don't respond if you're going to say something deconstructive.

Any thoughts?

 

huh?

 

A lightsabre would melt any metal except for cortosis. So unless the metal is something that can withsatnd the heat of a lightsabre the lightsabre weilding Jedi would win I think.

 

See, I think the lightsaber would cut through the metal blade like a knife does through butter. The sword would 'break' in two pieces, but I doubt they would react the same way as they do in movies when they violently clash against another metal blade. As Furio mentioned, the lightsaber is extensive heat so it would have burned through the blade. Any well-informed Jedi would know of it and thus taken the precaution of dodging to either side, and if by ill chance the opponent's blade was made of cortosis ore, then he wouldn't end up with his lightsaber temporarily shortening out and leaving him wide open to the attack.

And even if that blade was made of cortosis ore, it would only take a few repeative strikes before it too would yield to the lightsaber. Course, the other Jedi could use the few precious time where his opponent's lightsaber needs to recuperate from being shut off involuntarily, but the other could also easily put distance between the two.

In all, I think the lightsaber wielding Jedi would definitely win this outcome. That's of course without taking in account their affiliation with the force, cause that's a whole different ball-game.

 

A Jedi Katana, a sith sword, or a beskar can withstand a lightsaber. Cortorsis laced blades can as well, but that has been said already.

http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Jedi_katana

 

Most interesting, I did not know about this cortosis material before.

What I'm referring to is just a regular metalic sword though. Take the katana for example, the swing would be coming down so fast and then even when the lightsaber shears it, it would continue to move towards the opponent and blow a lethal hit.

I think I might have found the Jedi's kryptonite.

 

I must be the only one on tfn who does not understand what "continues to move towards the oponent" means.

 

The inertia of the moving blade will keep it moving after it has been severed from the rest of the sword during a swing. A jedi would just block it or dodge it and defeat the one with a metal sword.

 

You got it!

 

I know my physics..

 

... and cuts the sword-wielder's head off.

There's no way a sword could possibly win. The lightsaber cuts through almost anything, and slices through flesh and bone like scissors through paper.

 

That is true. The only hope a medieval knight has is to have an enchanted or magical sword, which would be highly unlikely.

 

The sword wielder would have to get lucky; the inertia of that severed portion of his blade would have to carry that portion into the Jedi with enough force and at the right angle, and take them out... because that's the only chance the guy with the sword is going to get.

 

Considering these combatants are both Jedi let's not forget the use of force powers people. That broken piece of sword isn't connecting with a Jedi. I still maintain though that the Jedi with the Lightsabre would win.

 

agreed/

 

Perhaps more interesting would be, an ancient Sith magical sword vs. a lightsaber?

I've long thought that one of the main reasons the ancient Sith used Sith swords, even after the Dark Jedi had built lightsabers, was because the Dark Jedi actually accepted the superiority of Sith swords; for starters, lightsabers would have had no effect on them, and of course these things were built through Sith magic. They were imbued with the dark side; some had the abilities to poison others very rapidly, others were surrounded in red lightning. I could easily see a Sith "Ice Sword" freezing a Jedi instantly with one strike, or a sword of flame.

 

I briefly mention sith swords earlier. They would have no problem withstanding a lightsaber.

 

Um, no. The severed end will not hold enough momentum to do much. The end still held will not have the leverage as that is not the portion that was to hit the lightsaber wielding Jedi. It is somewhat possible said Jedi would get a minor cut of some sort. Also, what Jedi in his right mind would not have taken such a scenario into consideration after thousands of generations of training handed down through the ages?

 

Good points..

 

Lightsaber wins. If a jedi can't dodge two hunks of blade, what's he doing blocking blasters?

Slightly off topic, (there was a comment made about cortosis) but there are multiple errors in the EU concerning cortosis. Descriptions of it's appearance, feel, and abilities vary from series to series. Cortosis can't truly be used effectively in hypothetical scenarios in most cases if you ask me. (not necessarily applicable, just thought I'd point that out) BTW, if I'm totally incorrect, let me know please.

 

Actually, it's not really contradictory, it just depends on whether it's pure cortosis, which is brittle, absorbs energy and deactivates lightsaber blades, or cortosis-weave, which is resistant to a lightsaber but does not short the blade out. And then of course there are varying degrees of cortosis-weave, including cortosis-weave 'armor,' capes etc., which usually only partially deflect lightsaber blades.

 

It also depends on from where the cortosis was mined. Different planets produce cortosis of varying degrees of strength.

 

In Darth Bane, path of destruction it is described as being exceptionally hard and nearly impervious to blasters. But the cortosis ore is not hard, it is brittle. It shorts out lightsabers because of a chemical/electrical reaction and has no particular resistance to any other energy weapon. Qui-Gon Reborn may have a point. But still...