WHY does Obi Wan's lightsaber keep shorting out in ANH?

I know there is no way this could not have been brought up before, but I couldn't find the relevant thread.

Anyway, why does his lightsaber short out like it does during his battle with Darth Vader? I have always wondered this. Is it because its just old? I always used to think that lightsaber "power" had something to do with how strong you are with the force, but obviously that is not true because Han capably used one in ESB. And it cant be just an issue of age because Luke's lightsaber is just as old. Maybe its worn out or something, due to prolonged use?

And secondly, does this "short" that is going on with Obi Wan's lightsaber have anything to do with the fact that we actually see blood when he cuts off ponda baba's (is that his name?) arm? Every other time you see a limb cut off in the star wars universe, its a clean cut- no blood. So was his lightsaber defective or what?

 

It's because the special effects guys screwed up. Nothing deeper than that. Special effects people are humans and humans make mistakes.

But for some reason it was not fixed in the SE.

ATTENTION GEORGE
FIX IT


Rick McCallum loves you!

 

really? Im not saying that its short, as in shorter than Darth Vader's, I mean it actually looks like it's shorting out. Like it is giving out for some reason. That has to be deliberate, because Darth Vader's is just fine.

 

Dude, it was just a bad effects shot. The movie was made in 1977. It wasn't intentional and there's no deeper meaning.

 

No. No no no no no no no no no no no no no!

I have been trying to create a screen capture of this for the last 10 minutes and it just ain't working. I can tell you, though, that it takes place 1 hour, 27 minutes, and about 24 seconds into the movie. This may be off because of the copy I have, so just look for the moments immediately before you see Han and Chewie hiding, looking at the Falcon. It would make no sense for that to be a "bad effect shot" because why couldnt they just pencil in a blue line where the lightsaber is supposed to be?

 

It's just bad Special Effects. SIMPLE AS THAT. NOTHING ELSE TO IT.

The "in-universe" answer from Star Wars Insider is that sabers built with certain types of red crystals can "break" the other blade when used by a Sith with the intent of doing so. I think it's a lame answer, but it's the one we got.

 

We know exactly what you're talking about. It's when the saber effect kind of fades out and you can see the cheap rod that Alec Guinness was holding on set. They didn't have the sophistication with special effects that they have now for the PT. The lightsabers were accomplished partly by using reflective rods. What you're seeing is the rod without the proper light reflecting off of it. It's only a mistake.

 

They didn't have the sophistication with special effects that they have now for the PT. The lightsabers were accomplished partly by using reflective rods. What you're seeing is the rod without the proper light reflecting off of it. It's only a mistake

I am sorry, but I disagree. I'm watching the special editions, and that if that's a mistake, it's a huge catastrophic one that George Lucas overlooked.

This is a guy who cleaned up the landspeeder sequence so it looked like it was truly floating, even when the special effect "flaws" weren't that obvious to everyone else. He nitpicks to a fault. He has even gone as far as to say that the trilogy as they were originally seen in theaters will never, ever be released on dvd. Why? Yeah things like jabba and "greedo shooting first" are part of it, but he also feels like the special editions, with their glorious effects, are how he would have made them if he had the ability to in the first place.

Now why would a guy like that leave something like this in there? Because its cute? Because its a charming reminder of the makeshift techniques they resorted to on the first movie? No.

I'm not saying that it has a "deeper meaning", but I DO think it's intentional.

 

The "in-universe" answer from Star Wars Insider is that sabers built with certain types of red crystals can "break" the other blade when used by a Sith with the intent of doing so. I think it's a lame answer, but it's the one we got.


Yeah, that's a pretty lame answer. I must be a freaking genius, because somehow I managed to come up with an explanation in 5 minutes that not only explains THIS "bad effect" but why you happen to see blood when this particular lightsaber is used to sever a limb. And that explanation would be:

Over time, those crystals lose power, either through prolonged use or just old age. A regular, fully functional lightsaber would sever something clean- but if its old or overused, heck even DAMAGED in some way, it will make more imprecise cuts, which leads to the bloody mess you see in ANH. That ALSO explains why the lightsaber "shorts out" in the later duel with Darth Vader.

I have never had my IQ tested but I must be a genius. Or at the very least, smarter than the folks who write the EU.

EDIT- we can safely say that we have never seen a lightsaber in this condition before, or at any other point in the star wars series. By this point, it could be over 20-30 years old. So there is really nothing technically that proves me wrong. Unless I am stepping on the toes of some EU story that says that lightsabers remain perfect from the minute they are constructed.

 

I wish Lucas would also fix Vader's white lightsaber that can been after Luke shoots the door panel during their escape.

 

I also hope they fix this scene before they are out on DVD.

 

I always thought it was intentional. As Ben's saber is flickering out, Vader comments on how weak Ben's powers are. I thought a person's strength with the force determined the power of their sword. That's why Vader's sword stayed strong, and Ben's flickered. Obviously, even if this was the case in 1977, Lucas scrapped the idea when he made ESB, or Han would never have been able to use the saber to cut open the tauntaun.

 

It is just bad special effects... as to why he didn't fix it? Well...

Why didn't he fix Vader's "white" saber right after it?

Why didn't he fix the sound effect of Lukes saber being turned off in the Wampa cave, but in the very next shot, it is STILL ON!

Why didn't he delete the "Luke bounce" in the Carbon Freeze chamber?

For that matter, why didn't he fix every single lightsaber in the movie, to update them and make them look more like the PT lightsabers?


You know why? Cause we, as long time Star Wars fans, expect to see those things. In fact, we would be slightly outraged if he DID fix them. They are as much a part of Star Wars as Jabba the Hutt and Boba Fett. Mistakes? You bet. But to fix them would be to alter something that really isn't all that important in the great scheme of things. The story is where it is at. Something that people seem to forget sometimes.

Indy

 

You know why? Cause we, as long time Star Wars fans, expect to see those things. In fact, we would be slightly outraged if he DID fix them.

He didn't seem to care about the fans wishes with that whole Greedo first business. I will agree that there are some other things that were overlooked, like Vader's white light saber. But there's a difference between those things and what I am referring to, at least in my opinion. Truth is, I didn't even notice the white lightsaber until I watched it again last night. And I still haven't noticed these the lightsaber problem you mention in the Wampa cave- im sure its there, I will have to take your word on that.

What makes this different is that the "bad" special effect that I am referring to is extremely obvious, and its presence in the movie dictates how the viewer reacts to that scene. When the viewer sees Obi Wan's lightsaber flicker, after just after hearing "your powers are weak old man!", we begin to think, uh oh, this isnt going so well for old ben. What adds to the drama is the fact that immediately after that happens, the scene cuts away to something else.

Now granted, what I may consider "obvious" may not be obvious to others, and vice versa. I didn't think the white lightsaber was obvious, but im sure others did. But this really, truly is a can't miss. I saw it when I was a kid back in the late 70s, and I have seen it in every viewing since. You see it because your eyes are focused on Obi Wan in this scene- Vader's back is to the camera, and your eyes naturally go to the left, where Obi Wan is. He is the dominant figure in the frame, and it's obvious that he is in a defensive stance.

And I would buy the argument that the scene is an institution- kind of like the stormtrooper bumping his head. But like I said- Greedo shooting first. Screwing with that changed Han Solo's whole personality, but Lucas didn't care. The scene was a fan favorite, but Lucas changed it anyway.

Now I guess someone could argue that it is SO obvious that Lucas wouldn't want to change it, but I doubt it. I guess we won't recieve a definitive answer on this until the ultra mega dvd comes out, where we will undoubtedly see more tinkering.

 

From what I've read, Lucas had stated that there were at least a dozen more special effects shots he wanted to finish for the movies, but because there were specific dates set to put the special editions out, GL and ILM couldn't finish off everything they wanted to.

The Obi-Wan saber shots in A New Hope were simply bad special effects shots. They ran out of time in 1977 to fix the shot, and they ran out of time in 1997 to fix the shot. Simple as that.

 

For what it's worth, I could fix that shot myself in about half a day on my computer here at home. I don't even have training on such things. In 1997? Yeah I guess that might have been an undertaking. But for the reasons mentioned above, I think it's a pretty glaring thing to miss. In fact I would have fixed that before anything else.

 

This is the point where most would say "just drop it, okay?" but here ya go:

[image=http://www.jedimaster.net/_borders/JizLane.gif]

The Star wars kid is holding a golf club. A GOLF CLUB. Not a reflective rod that is intended to be dubbed in later. A GOLF CLUB. Now I realize that this lightsaber effect was created in 2003, and we are talking 1997 technology here, but really- would it have been that hard for GL to throw something as simple as a lightsaber in?

Yes, I know about the white lightsaber. But this is so incredibly obvious, why leave it in there? Everyone and their grandfather notices it. I'm really sorry, but nobody has made a compelling enough argument to sway me.

 

Ben's lightsabre does not "short out".It just looks that way in that one shot because of the angle he is holding it at and all you can see is the tip of the blade.And as for the bloody arm in the cantina scene,the blood came from the severed limb.You didn't see blood pouring from Luke's severed hand in ESB because it fell down the shaft.

 

You didn't see blood pouring from Luke's severed hand in ESB because it fell down the shaft

What about when Zam Wessel had a limb severed? No blood there. What about Darth Maul? Yep, he was falling down a shaft, but the camera was focused on him- dont you think we would see some blood spewing about? What about when Anakin gets his hand cut off? No blood there. What about when the Tauntaun gets cut open? no blood there. What about when Obi Wan gets his arm singed during the fight with Count Dooku? Was his sleeve bloody? no.

You people are driving me crazy.

I find it extremely humorous that this entire forum is filled with members who read into EVERYTHING. Everything is broken down and dissected, and the most ridiculous ideas are tossed back and forth on a daily basis. People continuously think of ideas that explain continuity errors and "bad effects shots". Heck, Boba Fett CLEARLY dies in Return of the Jedi, but noooooooooooooooooooooooooooo, he didn't REALLY die...


My point is that I find it extremely laughable that people invent ideas and scenerios here all the time, but this idea of mine- that actually has some rational thought and actual logic behind it-is completely dismissed.


EDIT- Thanks darkcide, for at least entertaining the idea enough to come up with an explanation other than "it's a bad effects shot dude, get over it". There is nothing I dislike more than seeing someone go to some length to write a thoughtful post, only to have it completely dismissed with a one sentence answer. It's like telling someone a longwinded, 5 paragraph story on an instant messager, only to have them answer back with "lol." What the heck is that?

 

I guess you're right about the blood thing,suineme.I used to think Ben's lightsabre was shorting out,but now I say it's the angle.This thread reminds me of the MAD magazine parody "Star Roars" when Oldie Von Moldie's lightsabre shorts out and he blames it on the short extension cord!

 

Guys, guys guys. The reason his saber appears to "short out" is not a special effects blunder. Look carefully next time. He is pointing the TIP of the saber directly at the screen so all you can see is the blue/white dot that you would expect. Seriously, this is exactly what happens!

 

EDIT- Thanks darkcide, for at least entertaining the idea enough to come up with an explanation other than "it's a bad effects shot dude, get over it". There is nothing I dislike more than seeing someone go to some length to write a thoughtful post, only to have it completely dismissed with a one sentence answer. It's like telling someone a longwinded, 5 paragraph story on an instant messager, only to have them answer back with "lol." What the heck is that?

Sorry if the answers are short, but "It's a bad special effects shot" is the correct reply...

"Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar"

 

I reckon it was just a bad FX shot, sure he could have fixed it, but as others have said, he could have fixed a lot of things.

The lightsabers throughout the OT are pretty inconsistent. In ANH Luke's saber was almost white, Ben's saber drew blood. In ESB they sever body parts with no blood, and in ROTJ they just seem to "push" people over, (the sail barge scene) not even making a cut. Do I sit there and consider the "meaning" behind such changes? No, It's just the result of bad FX and changing audiences. (No more bloody severed limbs or charred corpses to be found in Star Wars these days.)

 

Man, this is the ultimate geek thread...

 

And it's nice to have you join us