Obi Wan's lightsabre twirl

Several times in this movie (and at least once in AOTC), Obi Wan does this little "trick" where he twirls his lightsabre around his hand. Since light is supposed to have no mass or weight, can this really be done? The prop used in filming has a stick to give the sabre length, and therefor weight, which makes the twirl possible. But in the SW universe, the only weight should be from the hilt itself.

I don't have a hilt replica to try this with, so I don't know for sure. However, I suspect this trick is actually not possible without a weighted "sabre" portion to produce the moment about which the whole thing turns.

Anyone ever tried to reproduce this trick with just the hilt?

 

Good catch!

With the momentum needed from the weight nearer the top of the blade, it would probably not be possible to move it like that.

As an aside, that twirl is a sign of impatience and aggression in more earthly martial arts ^_^

 

Interesting, I did not know that! Thanks! I wonder if that knowledge was purposely used by Ewan and the stunt coordinators, or just something he thought looked cool. I seem to remember an interview where he said it was just something that looked good....

*shrugs*

 

The thought behind the lightsaber is that the blade has so much energy is gives the impression of weight. Lucas told the OT acters to use two hands on the hilt while fighting b/c it would be hard to control with one.

 

What a crock! So, apparently lightsabres magically gained A LOT of weight in the twenty years between trilogies, huh?

EDIT: I'm not doubting the validity of your comment, I know GL has said this. I just hate his flip flops in "logic" sometimes.

 

No I think the lightsabers were always supposed to have weight. That's why Obi-Wan and Vader hold them with two hands.

 

I've always wondered about this, until I watched the "Birth of the Lightsaber" documentary - it sounds like the lightsabers do give off so much energy that there is a kind of weight effect. BTW, does anyone know if they actually give off heat? In the ANH novel it says they don't, but in other novels it says they do, and when Qui-Gon cuts through the door in TPM, it looks like his saber is melting it.

 

They Lightsabers were heavy in ANH because the props broke pretty easily and were indeed heavier. If the actors fought too fast with it they broke apart. Logically Lucas told his actors to slow it down a bit.

In the seuqels and prequels however, the props are less heavy and therefor they can move pretty quick.


I don't see a reason to pick on this since almost anything is possible in the GFFA. A lightsaber twirl, sound in space and whatnot. Also, explain the shadows Lightsabers make on the floor of the Throne Room in ROTJ? They are the outlines of the stick props. Live with them. Enjoy the movie and don't ruin the magic because of logical thinking.

 

According to Star Wars Magazine, a lightsaber would cast a shadow - remember, it's a laser beam, not just light. It has more density than anything around it - therefore, it'd cast a shadow. Strange, I know, but apparently it's scientifically true.

 

I always had the impression that lightsabers aren't heavy but they have a side effect: Because of the immense energy being used, it produces somekind of electromagnetism. Imagine using an metalic sword in a room of huge magnets.So, the sword would have an unpredictable behaviour. A lightsaber needs no magnet effect, the energy produced is enough and only someone skilled in the Force (or strong enough,General Grie-ahem-vous) could handle it. Han Solo in ESB did only a cut but if he tried to make complex swings, the saber would probably fly from his hand.

 

Strilo edit: Not appropriate

 

Watching the Ep3 preview of the new DVDs, Ewan twirls the lightsabre around alot in rehersal. It looks cool in my opinon.

 

Looked cool back in 1999 and still does in 2005..... and probably won't lose it's coolness anytime down the road.

 

watch the fight featurette on the TPM dvd. Apparently it was something Ewan himself just kept doing. He also appears to be a little hard on the props, he swung so hard that he was bending the pipes they used for blades.

 

the lightsaber does give off heat, for evidence just check out the clone wars, when kit is swimming it produces steam, just as anakin's does when it rains on yavin iv.

also i like the twirl as it shows how good and confident obi-wan is with his blade.

 

Lightsabers don't give off heat. If they did no one would be holding on to it for very long. The energy from the blade will heat up matter in contact with the blade, like the door in TPM and the steam effect around Kit's blade in the clone war cartoon. When the blade is not touching anything no energy is released.

 

Watching the Ep3 preview of the new DVDs, Ewan twirls the lightsabre around alot in rehersal. It looks cool in my opinon.

AHHHHHH!!! SPOILERS, NOOOOOOOOOO!!!

NA-NA-NA-NA-NA-NA....I'M NOT LISTENING TO YOU! NA-NA-NA-NA-NA-NA-NA-NA-NA-NA-NA!!!!

j/k

 

Bah, lightsabres aren't just light. If they were, how do they *block* eachother?

And who says the hilt isn't heavy? Crap, you can twirl just about anything...

 

"No I think the lightsabers were always supposed to have weight. That's why Obi-Wan and Vader hold them with two hands."

No, they held them with two hands because there's no weight other than the hilt. You have to put your own weight and strength behind them for them to be effective - otherwise Obi-Wan's lightsaber through Maul would only have singed his skin.

Try it yourself, on something that's near the size of a lightsaber hilt. You have to put strength behind them, otherwise their useless. That's why they have two hands on them.

 

1. Get an Obi-Wan Kenobi lightsaber toy (the electronic kind)
2. unscrew the top
3. Unscrew the bulb
4. Pop the blade out the bottom of the top
5. re-attatch the top to the rest of the hilt
6. twirl it.

It can be done.

 

A lightsabre does give off heat. Thats why it seals the wounds when someone is cut. It cuts and then burns everything shut. Plus I remember reading that you cant feel the heat coming off the blade, it's only when you touch it.

 

No. A lightsabre does not give heat in the athmosphere or any surroudings of gas. But it CAN heat objects while colliding with it. Therefore, A lightsabre does not lose it's energy (not a laser) when doing nothing , but it does when it collides with another lightsabre or object.

Also, huge ammounts of energy do have weight. But IMO, the ammount of energy in a lightsaber is not enough to create so much weight to actually feel it. . .

Also, we know that in SW they have repulsorlifts. They could use the same technology to create a point where gravity and outer-circing forces could hold on to it. (the opposite of anti=gravity)

(Someone payed attention in science class)


But dudes, what the heck: It'S Star Wars!!!! Science-Fiction Fantasy!!!

 

yes. very true. it's only a movie..........

 

Cant believe you didnt consider this? Maybe in the film he uses the force to help him twirl it?

 

^^^
That's what I'm implying