# Clone Wars - a lightsabre question. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 19, 2003, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clone-wars-a-lightsabre-question/214090 "2003-11-19T13:55:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Sweetums](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Sweetums](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sweetums)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2003, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clone-wars-a-lightsabre-question/214090/21 "2003-11-19T21:57:09Z")
Actually, cannon states that sabers are different. Some have pressure switchs that turn off when they are released, some do not. Some can switch blade length, some cannot. It depends on the Jedi who built the saber. I am such a geek! 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2003, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clone-wars-a-lightsabre-question/214090/22 "2003-11-19T22:12:17Z")
It’s really very simple: lightsabers turn off instantly when you let go of them, except in circumstances where it would be cooler if they didn’t. And it wasn’t a droid, dammit. ---
**Author:** ![Badtz\_Maru](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e36b37/32.png) [@Badtz\_Maru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Badtz_Maru)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2003, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clone-wars-a-lightsabre-question/214090/23 "2003-11-19T23:12:23Z")
Since it apparently takes exertion to force a lightsaber through a hard enough material, it stands to reason that the lightsaber would remain stuck like that. The lightsaber may be able to cut through said material if swung hard, but if the only pressure being applied is just the weight of the handle, I could see it sticking like that, if it remained on. ---
**Author:** ![Blake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a9a28c/32.png) [@Blake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blake)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2003, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clone-wars-a-lightsabre-question/214090/24 "2003-11-19T23:56:37Z")
> [@](#): > > The blades themselves have very little (if any) mass. Well they clearly have at least equal mass to the handle. When the sabre is thrown in ROTJ it clealry pivots around the middle of the length. If the blade had no mass it would pivot around the middle of the handle. If the blade had less mass than the handle it would pivot closer to the handle. They fly just like a broomstick or baseball bat when thrown. That means a pretty even weight distribution across the length. ---
**Author:** ![BraheSilver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecccb3/32.png) [@BraheSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BraheSilver)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2003, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clone-wars-a-lightsabre-question/214090/25 "2003-11-20T01:07:38Z")
Since Jedi have had a few thousand years to mess around with saber technology, I’m sure that more than a few have tinkered with the parts with come up with clever innovations. I’m willing to believe that your “standard issue” saber wouldn’t have any bells and whistles (and who makes them anyway? Does the High Council have a sweatshop in the basement churning out lightsabers for spares?), but more technically inclined Jedi would put all kinds of fancy gizmos and doodads in theirs. ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2003, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clone-wars-a-lightsabre-question/214090/26 "2003-11-20T04:00:12Z")
Ok, Durge isn’t a 'droid. What is he? And how do you all know so much when I know so little? Is the force stronger in you? And what was with the (pseudo?) Sith in the previous episode? Is there a thread where all of these secrets are revealed? FWIW, I couldn’t get the Clone Wars episodes to load from the Cartoon Network site on one of our computers; I’ve not yet tried on this one. Just been watching dutifully most nights at 8 with The Boy. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2003, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clone-wars-a-lightsabre-question/214090/27 "2003-11-20T04:48:43Z")
I believe they have a setting so that the blade doesn’t just turn off when you let go-otherwise, it would be flickering on and off after a fight. I’m guessing why the blades turn off when they’re lost is because the Jedi uses the Force to do so. Also, some Jedi have made sabers with internal switches that can only be turned on via the Force. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2003, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clone-wars-a-lightsabre-question/214090/28 "2003-11-20T04:51:40Z")
Oh, and for those who couldn’t get them to load, or missed them, they will be repeated, and they WILL be released on DVD, I believe. Check out [TheForce.Net](http://theforce.net) ---
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2003, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clone-wars-a-lightsabre-question/214090/29 "2003-11-20T12:47:55Z")
> [@](#): > > Also, some Jedi have made sabers with internal switches that can only be turned on via the Force. I believe that these are called “Force Sabers.” ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Carnage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/max_carnage/32/12775_2.png) [@Max\_Carnage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Carnage)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2003, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clone-wars-a-lightsabre-question/214090/30 "2003-11-20T16:00:35Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by ShibbOleth \* > \*\*Ok, Durge isn’t a 'droid. What is he? And how do you all know so much when I know so little? Is the force stronger in you? And what was with the (pseudo?) Sith in the previous episode? Is there a thread where all of these secrets are revealed? > > \*\* I find your lack of faith disturbing… > **[Databank - StarWars.com](https://www.starwars.com/databank)** > > Learn about Star Wars characters, planets, ships, vehicles, droids, and more in the official Star Wars Databank at StarWars.com. ---
**Author:** ![gonzoron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a6a055/32.png) [@gonzoron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzoron)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2003, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clone-wars-a-lightsabre-question/214090/31 "2003-11-20T16:01:53Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by ShibbOleth \* > \*\*Ok, Durge isn’t a 'droid. What is he? And how do you all know so much when I know so little? Is the force stronger in you? And what was with the (pseudo?) Sith in the previous episode? Is there a thread where all of these secrets are revealed? > \*\* Well, the frist dead giveaway is that in the episode we’re discussing, the one with the saber stuck in his chest: Obi-wan cuts his arm off, and cuts him in half, revealing gooey-looking tendrils that stretch and grow and re-attach him together. Not outside the realm of possibility for some techno-organic droids in some other sci-fantasy world. (like the Matrix maybe, or X-men comics, or maybe even Trek). But in Star Wars the droids seem to be pretty normal inside. Wires, pistons, motors, etc. It’s even clearer in the the next episode. On top of that, Durge has an action figure, and the cardback of the action figure tells his story: He is an ancient bounty hunter, enemy of the Madalorians, who was put into stasis 3000 years ago. Now awoken, he has sworn to destroy all Madalorians. Since Jango Fett was the last Madalorian, he now wants to destroy all his clones, so he joined the seperatists. As for the non-Sith Sith, her name is Asajj Ventress, and since I don’t have her figure yet :), I looked her up in the Star Wars databank: > **[Databank - StarWars.com](https://www.starwars.com/databank)** > > Learn about Star Wars characters, planets, ships, vehicles, droids, and more in the official Star Wars Databank at StarWars.com. In breif: “Much of her past remains shrouded in mystery. Ventress hails from Rattatak, … somehow, a young Jedi named Ky Narec came to be stranded on this forsaken world. Cut off from the Jedi Council, Narec took it upon himself to train a Force-strong young girl named Asajj Ventress. when her master passed away, she developed a hatred for the Republic that had abandoned her mentor… Though Ventress longed to identify herself as a Sith, she did not receive Sith training. Dooku taking her on as a Sith apprentice would have violated the ancient covenant of only two Sith Lords” ---
**Author:** ![gonzoron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a6a055/32.png) [@gonzoron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzoron)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2003, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clone-wars-a-lightsabre-question/214090/32 "2003-11-20T16:04:58Z")
Ah… corrected by the databank: [spoiler] He’s not 3000 years old, only 2000, and it was only 100 years ago that he fought the mandalorians. [spoiler] ---
**Author:** ![The\_Asbestos\_Mango](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/edb3f5/32.png) [@The\_Asbestos\_Mango](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Asbestos_Mango)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2003, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clone-wars-a-lightsabre-question/214090/33 "2003-11-20T17:05:18Z")
My lightsaber has five settings- a safety setting so that it will automatically turn off if I drop it on my foot, a standard setting so the blade will stay on if I need to throw it at someone who is annoying my cats, a flash setting so I can put it in a stand and use it as a disco light, and a 1920’s style death ray setting. ---
**Author:** ![Kizarvexius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/da6949/32.png) [@Kizarvexius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kizarvexius)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2003, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clone-wars-a-lightsabre-question/214090/34 "2003-11-20T17:11:16Z")
A Jedi constructs his own lightsaber, which is one of the criteria for “graduation” as it were. This is why Vader comments that Luke’s training is “complete” in ROTJ. Sabers cannot be machine made because the process of construction requires the use of the Force to align the crystals properly. Since each Jedi makes his own saber, they can (I suppose) include whichever bells and whistles they favor. That’s why Darth Maul had the “quarterstaff” saber. As far as what trainees use, I don’t know. Perhaps Jedi donate their old sabres to the “training pool” each time they make a new one. Or else there are some Jedi who specialize in saber construction and crank them out on a regular basis. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2003, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clone-wars-a-lightsabre-question/214090/35 "2003-11-20T20:25:25Z")
The younglings use training sabers, with a low energy pulse. It just gives you a little burn, like an Indian rub, or whatever. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2003, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clone-wars-a-lightsabre-question/214090/36 "2003-11-20T21:23:10Z")
Also, the Jedi have been around for thousands and thousands of years. And it’s a pretty high-risk occupation. I’m sure they’ve got a vault somewhere on Coruscant that’s full of old lightsabers from bygone Jedi. ---
**Author:** ![SirRay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cc9497/32.png) [@SirRay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SirRay)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2003, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clone-wars-a-lightsabre-question/214090/37 "2003-11-21T20:56:39Z")
Well, to bump this a bit, episode 9 had Obiwan using the ol’ throw-a-lightsabre into the enemy trick, this one a rolling ‘pillbug’ droid - what’s funny to me is that he then mind-pulls the sabre out of the droid (leaving a neat little hole), which then waits a few beats and finally explodes like a car-off-the-cliff-in-a-Hollywood movie (in a puff of that odd red-yellow smoke which denotes explosions in this microseries). As for Durge, in this episode he’s spaghetti boi, seemingly impenatrable to anything the Clone-troopers throw at him, and was only defeated [?] when Obiwan ended up inside his chest [!], and finally exploded out in multicoloured puddles of gore… “I made a mess”, indeed! Did anyone else have trouble accessing the shorts in Real format (I kept losing sound; after switching to Quicktime no more problems - so far)? ---
**Author:** ![Avalonian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ee7513/32.png) [@Avalonian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Avalonian)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2003, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clone-wars-a-lightsabre-question/214090/38 "2003-11-21T21:11:18Z")
For anyone who’s missed the microseries so far, Cartoon Network’s going to be showing all 10 episodes in a row, starting at 7:30 this evening (Friday the 21st). Also, episodes 11-20 should be coming out next year… March or April I think? ---
**Author:** ![Soapbox\_Monkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ed655f/32.png) [@Soapbox\_Monkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Soapbox_Monkey)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2003, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clone-wars-a-lightsabre-question/214090/39 "2003-11-22T00:23:28Z")
I saw that episode, as well as 1 other, and damn, what bullshit. Obi Wan deflecting hundreds of blaster shots AND flames with telekinesis (thus defeating the purpose of having a lightsaber)? WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT!? If all the EU is that fucking stupid I’m really glad I pay no attention to it. Like I always say, whatever doesn’t appear onscreen in the actual movies is of no importance or relevance whatsoever. ---
**Author:** ![Avalonian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ee7513/32.png) [@Avalonian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Avalonian)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2003, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clone-wars-a-lightsabre-question/214090/40 "2003-11-22T01:36:38Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Soapbox Monkey \* > \*\*Like I always say, whatever doesn’t appear onscreen in the actual movies is of no importance or relevance whatsoever. \*\* True enough… but then again, what _does_ appear onscreen in the actual movies has no importance or relevance whatsoever either. Particularly when Lucas [keeps changing it](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=224711). Personally, I think the “Clone Wars” microseries is doing just fine. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clone-wars-a-lightsabre-question/214090.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clone-wars-a-lightsabre-question/214090.md?page=3)