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Since Star Wars debuted more than 40 years ago, fans have been dying to own their very own working lightsaber, and following a surprise announcement by Disney, that could soon be a reality. During a Disney Parks press event on April 8 to announce the opening date of Avengers Campus, Disney also revealed a working prototype for a lightsaber that will likely end up for sale by the company sometime in the near future. No, we aren’t talking about a cheap plastic one you’d find at a toy store.
As Disney’s Parks, Experiences, and Products chairman Josh D’Amaro wrapped up the press conference, he reportedly ended his remarks by unveiling the device and simply teasing, “It’s real.”
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No pictures were allowed to be taken of the event and Disney has yet to publicly release anything about the device. However, Walt Disney Imagineering’s portfolio creative executive Scott Trowbridge has confirmed that it exists and hinted that photos and video will eventually be released.
“A lot of questions today about whether the lightsaber that Josh D’Amaro revealed today was real or CGI, and, whether I’d share photos or video,” he wrote in a tweet. “Yes it was/is really real, and….. not yet.”
That said, don’t start thinking about all of the trees you’re going to chop down with it. There’s no way this going to be an actual weapon. Instead, it’s likely just going to be one of the coolest collectibles ever, complete with a retractable blade.
As for how it works, that remains a mystery. However, Disney did register a patent in 2017 for a lightsaber device. A description of the patent reads as follows:
“A special effects device for providing an energy sword effect. The device includes two long plastic semi-cylinders, and these two blade body members are rolled perpendicular to their length, which creates compact cylinders of material of small volume that can be provided on a pair of spools in a hilt. To extend the blade, a motor provided in the hilt unrolls the blade body members from the spools. Each blade body member passes through a blade forming guideway that nests the semi-cylindrical blade body members together as they leave the hilt. To retract the blade, the process is reversed. The lighting of the blade is achieved with a flexible strip of light sources. The light source strip is attached to a blade end cap and positioned in the center of the two blade body members such that it is pulled up along with the blade body members during their extension.”
Obviously, Disney has not revealed when these will be available to the general public. With that immersive Star Wars hotel coming to Walt Disney World in Florida, though, one would expect you’ll be able to buy one there when it eventually opens.
