Did Luke's Graflex Lightsabers Have Batteries While filming?

The medieval broadsword comparison is nonsense. Anyone with even a cursory knowledge of actual swords knows that they are not in fact heavy. It's a stereotype that has been perpetuated by Hollywood ever since the inception of film, along with the sheer stupidity of edge to edge contact of the blades which seldom happened in historical combat. I know this may sound a bit preachy, but the idea is something that has irritated me for years. Sadly a lot of people still believe it as fact when it couldn't be farther from the truth.

A real European sword typically only weighs about 2-3 pounds at most and they aren't clunky bashing weapons, but sophisticated tools that can be just as deadly and effective when blunt as a Japanese Katana that has a razor sharp edge. An agile blade that weighed less saved lives during warfare. For anyone in doubt, just watch any video of John Clements of ARMA on YouTube.

That being said, from what I recall Lucas instructed the actors using the lightsaber props in the original trilogy to "work with them as if they were heavy, because of all of the energy being swung around. When they crashed together they would make these big explosions." It's in the Birth of the Lightsaber mini documentary of the 2004 DVD Release of the trilogy. It was merely a direction from Lucas to up the drama in the fight scenes.
 
how much a lightsaber is "supposed to" weigh

My GRAFLEX weighs in at 958.1 grams or 33.79 ounces or around 2.11225 pounds with 3 Duracell batteries and a plastic battery sleeve.

My Roman's Mk1 FX Machined Finish weighs in at 879.7 grams or 33.01 ounces or around 2.00126575 pounds.

So, as an alternative to batteries, find an aluminum bar that's about the same diameter as a D-Cell, cut it to fit within your GRAFLEX (the length of 3 D-Cells end to end), and whittle away at it or add weight to it as necessary to get it to weigh 2 pounds or so, and you should be golden!

When you hand it to someone who's never seen a lightsaber prop replica before, their reactions are priceless, (i.e. "Lightsabers are real", "It's so heavy!", etc.)

In comparison, my Paul Chen Raptor weighs in at 1162 grams or 40.98 ounces or about 2.562031 pounds. So, with an aluminum/carbon or whatever the original prop's blade was made out of attached to it... a 'lightsaber' would weigh in about the same as a real sword.

Good Luck acquiring your first lightsaber!
 
I can more than just imagine that! My latest lightsaber build does have an iron bar (pipe, anyway) in it and is completely filled with resin. It could easily be used as a hammer or a club if it already didn't have a sedated life sitting on my shelf.:p.
 
That being said, from what I recall Lucas instructed the actors using the lightsaber props in the original trilogy to "work with them as if they were heavy, because of all of the energy being swung around. When they crashed together they would make these big explosions." It's in the Birth of the Lightsaber mini documentary of the 2004 DVD Release of the trilogy. It was merely a direction from Lucas to up the drama in the fight scenes.

I think I remember Lucas saying that he wanted the actors to use both both hands, while they held the lit lightsaber, because the energy being emitted would make it feel like holding a spinning bicycle wheel. It would feel like it wanted to spin out of your hands, while lit.
IMG_0746.JPG

So, it wasn't because they were "heavy", that you needed two hands to hold them. You needed two hands to keep control of them.
 
Wait, SethS you were at Twirly Fest 1999 too! That's incredible!!! :eek Did you see the St. Pauli Girl that the German delegation brought to distract the other competitors? She was smokin' hot! :love And it totally worked, I scorched my right bicep and let go for a second, damn thing nearly took my right thumb off! At least she came over to the disqualified box and kissed me on the cheek after the paramedic was through stitching me up.

O.K., so it's Mark Hamill in 'Star Wars Featurette: The Birth of the Lightsaber' https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RIefj6dOhnM at 3:33 saying...

"George was adament that these things were really, really heavy. That we couldn't take a hand off. We always had to have two it was like Excalibur. Ffffforty or fifty pounds of weight."

Followed by...

3:43 George Lucas "They were very powerful. They had a lot of energy in them. And so that was you, ya know, you worked with them as if they were heavy. So that because when these crashed together they, ya know made these big explosions and all kind of things."

So, we're all right... from a certain point of view. Even if we are duped by Hollywood make-believe.;)

My You-Tube-Fu is a little weak today, I know there's another interview with George from the late 70's/80's (because he was thinner and it was lo-res video) where he mentions broadswords, I'll remember what it was in or find it eventually. It's not important, I just want to remember where I saw it.

I did find this though which is super funny...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v7aAXmvqRkg

And I've got to get one of these at 7:09...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fozZWSHJdyM
And HOLY CRAPPOLA!!! at 7:54 - "Rubberized Chrome Version" of a GRAFLEX!!! <---Who's doing one of those??? IT CREAKS AND EVERYTHING!!!
George at 8:14 "All I have to do is get rid of this one somehow." <---What lightsaber is he talking about???
 
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By "get rid of" I think he means making sure Anakin loses it and Obi-Wan takes it.

It always cracks me up (in that gut wrenching chilkdhood ruining way) to hear Lucas say that the PT duels had to be bigger and crazier cause in the OT we only saw a half-droid, an old man, and a kid use lightsabers.

And yet...

Grevious
Yoda
Dooku...
 
By "get rid of" I think he means making sure Anakin loses it and Obi-Wan takes it.

I don't know, judging by his body position as he moves to his left, then lowers his arm to point, I think he's pointing at what appears to be the Ewan McGregor Obi-Wan lightsaber in between the Darth Vader and the Sir Alec Guiness Obi-Wan Lightsabers.

What bothers me is that George, Mr.Star Wars, Lucas seems to almost be asking which "laser sword" is which. If he's the one that changed 'laser sword' to 'lightsaber', why does he continue to use 'laser sword' when talking about lightsabers?????? AND WHY IS HE NOT CERTAIN WHICH SABER IS WHICH???!!!

I don't think you have reimagine your childhood in a bad light due to "bigger and crazier" lightsaber battles in the prequels. Think how wide yours eyes got, nay, GET to this day everytime you see Luke ignite the GRAFLEX in Obi-Wan's livingroom. Think how you twist and lean in your chair or on the couch and jerk your arms with your Airsaber in concert with Luke as he's about to get shot in the butt by the Jedi practice ball. Think how much emotion there was in Luke as he battled Darth Vader in the cave on Dagobah. Or the frustration as he battled Darth Vader in Cloud City, lost his hand and then the EPIC reveal that Vader was Luke's father. Think how surprised you were when Luke ignited his green lightsaber for the first time. Think how wildly Luke swung his lightsaber against Vader in the Emporer's throne room on the Death Star. That is the stuff of LEGEND my friend.

Sure, there's a lot of really impressive swordplay in the prequels, but a lot of it is rather flambouyant fancy twirling. At least with me, it doesn't evoke the same spirit and emotion that Luke and his 40-50 lb lightsaber flailing about does.

Now, that being said, Ewan McGregor vs Hayden Christensen in Revenge of the Sith... that was pretty bitchin'! Even the rehearsal footage is pretty spectacular!

And don't forget, Yoda was only 870 years old or so in the prequels! ;)
 
Lightsaber was probably coined by the ANH script polishers (or rewriters depending on who you ask). Lucas has always called them laser swords and has to be educated by his own prop team on which belonged to who.
 
Well, to be fair, it isn't that much of a stretch that whilst writing the script for STAR WARS, that rather than just call a "laser-sword" just that, he took out a thesaurus and used synonyms to make it "spacier". Laser -> Light, Sword -> Saber (or Sabre). Let's call a spade a spade: it is the typical, camp laser sword and blasters are your typical, camp laser guns.

Much of what we now appreciate from the first film was really brought on by budgetary constraints and ask anyone who worked on it 40 years ago, only a very few thought it was something special, and even less could fathom that the film would become a world phenom like it is today. Let's give some leeway here.
 
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...Luke also had a separate bladed prop. None of the flash units were ever converted to motor set-ups as far as we can tell. they had the plain pipe with T track and a clamp for that.
check out scott juarez's photo
View attachment 723579
So, if "none of the flash units were ever converted to motor set-ups", why are there wires hanging out of Hamill's sleeve that are connected to the lightsaber prop, and what are they providing power for? I ask only because I've always read that for each of the lightsaber props (Luke's, Kenobi's, and Vader's) there was at least one motorized version that would spin the blade in order to get the "flickering" effect.
 
So, if "none of the flash units were ever converted to motor set-ups", why are there wires hanging out of Hamill's sleeve that are connected to the lightsaber prop, and what are they providing power for? I ask only because I've always read that for each of the lightsaber props (Luke's, Kenobi's, and Vader's) there was at least one motorized version that would spin the blade in order to get the "flickering" effect.

that IS the motorized stunt

it does the trick, if you thought it was the same prop :)
 
This reminds me, can anyone recommend or suggest a good alternative to actual batteries for a to sit on a shelf/hang on a belt? I've always wondered how much a lightsaber is "supposed to" weigh and would like to represent that once I finally get around to acquiring one.

Find a wooden dowel, drill a hole down the middle and fill it nickels penny's what ever ya feel like

That will add some weight to it


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
So, if "none of the flash units were ever converted to motor set-ups", why are there wires hanging out of Hamill's sleeve that are connected to the lightsaber prop, and what are they providing power for? I ask only because I've always read that for each of the lightsaber props (Luke's, Kenobi's, and Vader's) there was at least one motorized version that would spin the blade in order to get the "flickering" effect.

Here you go, thanks to @scottjua for the image

notagraflex.jpg


So that's a custom cut tube, a graflex clamp that might be missing a bar, bubbles, t-track, no ports/pins, no shoulder pulls, no bunny ears. What might be a glass eye on one side, and an early Folmer button with a knurled band on the opposite side.

And battery wires, obviously.
 
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And yes I'm aware some pictures may come from an ESB set, yet it's still the same stunt lightsaber as in ANH that's been used by Luke :)

Chaïm
 
That's not a Graflex. It's a tube cut to resemble one. No ports/pins.
that IS the motorized stunt. it does the trick, if you thought it was the same prop :)
...So that's a custom cut tube, a graflex clamp that might be missing a bar, bubbles, t-track, no ports/pins, no shoulder pulls, no bunny ears. What might be a glass eye on one side, and an early Folmer button with a knurled band on the opposite side.

And battery wires, obviously.
Thank you for clearing that up for me. I hadn't noticed the differences before, so I guess the stunt version did it's job well enough to fool me. :facepalm
 
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