Surprising lightsaber length discovery

Earlier today, I answered a post on another forum about the total length of the lightsaber (hilt + blade) (also a question I've seen on this forum a couple of times), and came with the traditional answer the the saber should reach your hip when its tip touches the floor.

This reminded me of a detail from the TV documentary about the human face, hosted by John Cleese. On that show, they mentioned the concept of the Golden Cut (not sure if that's the correct translation); A ratio which is repeated all over the body. They also mentioned that the ratio between the height of the hip (It might have been the navel, but there aren't that huge of a difference between the two) and your height equals the Golden Cut. I.e. one can only divide one's height by the Golden Cut, and one finds the distance from the floor to the hip, which is the optimal for a lightsaber.

The Golden Cut ~ 1.61803

Exampel:

My height / The Golden Cut = My optimal lightsaber length

185 cm / 1.61803 = 114,337 cm ~ 114 cm

In other words, my optimal lightsaber length is 114 centimeters. This is surprisingly correct, because the lightsaber I use nowadays is 120 cm, and I think that is a bit long.

This is just a surprising thought that caught my mind, and it seems like the method works. Now I'm gonna go cut 6 centimeters from my already shortened broomstick

EDIT:

After a little measuring, the ratio on the body is from the floor to the navel and your height. But the length is still quite optimal

EDIT 2:
Of course, this procedure only applies to humans, and doesn't work on aliens with different body proportions

 

GEEK!

But I mean that in the nicest possible, all friends on the boards way.

And it does make a twisted kind of sense....

Pete

 

Wow. I gotta try that... sometime... *bookmarks*

 

Hell's bells... I must be too used to a tiny saber... My ideal is about 117 cm, and my parksaber tops out at about 107 cm...

 

Of course, in the end, it's all a matter of personal taste.
But this method does provide at least provide a starting point if one is unsure of the length.

 

Actually, unless you want to go EU, a lightsabre has a fixed length ('cept for the hilt.) The blade is 1 meter in length, again unless you want to go EU and say it's adjustable (which I don't agree with, but that's just me)

 

It's called the Golden Ratio and like you said it occurs all over the human body. I watched a Discovery or TLC program on it. It is quite a facinating subject.

 

So ........ should you measure your height w/ or w/o shoes? Because you'd fight with shoes, but if you measured yourself with shoes, it wouldn't be your real height.

 

The Discovery channel said it was your height with 3 inch platform shoes, but every time I try it, my lightsaber is like 3 inches too long...

 

I disagree with the above (Lighsabers have a fixed length; 1 meter) comment. Lightsabers in the SAKA"N"U (Smaller, also known as "normal"universe) have blade length adjust. Just look at Qui-Gons lightsaber closely. There's an extra button to adjust his length.


Fig

 

Is Yoda's saber reg. length?

 

I doubt it. I didn't really pay attention to how big the blade was, but his hilt is like 5 inches long. And he is only 2.66 meters, so if the blade is 3 feet, I believe the saber is taller than him.

 

And he is only 2.66 meters


Wow, I didn't know Yoda was like 8 feet tall!!!

 

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOPS!!!! TYPO THERE!!! I meant 0.66 meters. I must have typed two because I was thinking 2/3 of ONE meter.

 

Does That mean yoda mesured to his hip and

ah never mind you said only applies to humans

 

Yes I have seen all of those John Clese episodes, I agree that it is very interesting stuff.

Although one could debate the merrits as far as lightsaber lengths go...

What was said in the program is that beauty in humans can be roughly scientifically measured. We have an affection for the golden ratio. This golden ratio is the ratio of growth for all lifeforms on earth. The perfect face will have a nose:mouth of 1:61803. Others include the 'perfect' height of the naval:total height 1:61803, which is what is being refered to.

 

Greetings,

I don't know much about golden anythings, but I seem to recall on more than one occasion hearing from both Lucas and some idiot on TV and on the SW website that saber blades were in the 1 meter long category. And I was also under the impression that this was probably an average. I don't think that the 'saber coming up to your hip' is being used in SW though. At least in the new movies. I have a screen cap of obiwan on the platform where he fought Jango, I cut his saber out, flipped it and stuck the tip by his foot. Now granted he standing there with his legs bent but regardless I don't get the impression that the total saber comes up to only his hip. Especially considering that the 'facet knob' portion of the saber hilt is missing from my cutout (it was behind him). As I frame advance he slowly erects himself while shutting the saber down. He doesn't get much taller. The impression is that the saber hilt comes up to above his navel.

[image=http://www.members.shaw.ca/j-tetrault/obisaber.jpg]

The 2nd capture I use is of Mace as he turns to face the droids coming down the corridor. Again, he's in a slighly crouched Jedi fighting stance (any sword fighter actually). Again, his total saber length looks like it would come up easily past his hips to his high navel lower chest area.

[image=http://www.members.shaw.ca/j-tetrault/macesaber.jpg]

So that's what looks 'offical' now what you can safely and comfortably swing around when making a fan film is of course up to the individual. I would speculate that Lucasfilm went with a standard blade length for production purposes. They could simply order X number blades and each time they needed to change blades for some reason, they could unscrew one and screw in it's replacement.

Anyway, my 2 cents worth..

 

That does it. Somebody consult the Book of Armaments and we'll get to the bottom of this.

 

Ooh I haven't seen this thread in a while.

Nothing to add, though. Nice work.

 

I read in a sword book (I know it's probably not the same for lightsabers) that when you hold the top of the hilt, your arm straight down the tip of the sword should touch the ground.

 

i have found that it is amazingly easiest to just use the simplest measurement. The blade should touch the ground and stop at the waistline (the line2-3 inches below the naval) the hilt should be about 10-12 inches on top of that for easy two handed gripping. this is why a saber would easily go to the lower chest of most jedi. the ideal blade length is from waist to floor in my opinion. easiest to swing and is proportional to the wielder.

 

by the golden cut, my lightsaber fits me exactly. No kiddin, the size of the stick fits me perfectly well. It feels light, freely movable, and it just ... fits in my hands perfectly. I think the Golden cut is really something you should make your sabers by.

 

Interseting, I just chose a 40 inch piece of PVC and used that for a blade.

I'll have to figure out my length.

As for some people (whose names go unmentioned but are earlier in this post) who think sabers are always one meter length blades except in EU, I've got a surprise for you.

Watch Episode 2. Yoda draws his saber, and there is no way that blade is one meter long!

Shorter than a meter, but then again we are talking about a 2 foot tall green Jedi Master...