Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens

[The Romulan Republic]

On a lightsabre, there is the additional problem that an opposing blade is most likely to be caught in the corner between the crossguard and the main blade, which is the exact place there isn't an active portion to catch it.

The Stephen Colbert clip I referenced not long ago addressed this specific problem.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DazDi3yk4bw

Normally I wouldn't give a comedian's opinion much weight on the subject, but Colbert might be as much of a fan as anyone here.

[Terralthra]

I've seen it, and it doesn't cohere with the clips we've seen. The very first view we get of Ren's sabre, the main blade ignites, then the two cross-bar beams ignite. If they were split beams from one central beam, they'd come out at the same time from all three emitters.

[Gandalf]

Maybe they go through some other machinery that slows their deployment?

[Rogue 9]

I believe I got a brief introduction to fencing on stage in an acting class a long time ago, but I wouldn't call myself particularly knowledgeable about swordplay.

Have you ever used a sword?

If anyone here with proper training in swordsmanship would care to weigh in, it might help.

Yeah. If you hit yourself with your own quillons, you have no idea what you're doing. In the normal course of handling a two-handed sword, it doesn't happen.

[Anacronian]

Should be noted that "normal" lightsabers is said to be too dangerous to use by somebody without force powers - the same could apply here.

[Elfdart]

On a lightsabre, there is the additional problem that an opposing blade is most likely to be caught in the corner between the crossguard and the main blade, which is the exact place there isn't an active portion to catch it.

The Stephen Colbert clip I referenced not long ago addressed this specific problem.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DazDi3yk4bw

Normally I wouldn't give a comedian's opinion much weight on the subject, but Colbert might be as much of a fan as anyone here.

Matt Easton isn't a comedian, and he debunks the idea that the crossguard is a problem:

[RogueIce]

The whole lightsaber cross guards thing, again? Look why can't they exist for some kind of aesthetic, cultural or religious reason? Maybe the Knights of Ren (if that detail pans out) just do that for whatever reason. Like why Dooku used his curved lightsaber hilt.

Not everything exists in this realm of MUST BE SUPER PRACTICAL ABOVE ALL ELSE that sci-fi nerds seem to live in.

[Adam Reynolds]

The whole lightsaber cross guards thing, again? Look why can't they exist for some kind of aesthetic, cultural or religious reason? Maybe the Knights of Ren (if that detail pans out) just do that for whatever reason. Like why Dooku used his curved lightsaber hilt.

Not everything exists in this realm of MUST BE SUPER PRACTICAL ABOVE ALL ELSE that sci-fi nerds seem to live in.

Don't lightsabers stick together when they hit? That would explain why cross guards aren't very common as they aren't seen as necessary.

And I've thought that Kylo's saber is somewhat primitive, requiring the cross guards as a means to stabilize the blade.

[Purple]

Well one thing to consider is that the old Jedi really did not use lightsabers to fight other lightsaber users. Hand protection is not really important in that context. But if you are making a sword with the intent to fight other swords than the crossroad would still be useful for parrying attacks headed for your hands. So where as a Jedi dedicated to peace and fighting people with blasters a crossguard is just an unnecessary complication for a sith bent on cutting down Jedi it makes a lot of sense.

[Borgholio]

perhaps it was Lando and Leia and Finn's last name is Calrissian

That idea doesn't sit well with me. It seems out of character for Leia, given how she already rebuffed Lando on several occasions.

[The Romulan Republic]

Well one thing to consider is that the old Jedi really did not use lightsabers to fight other lightsaber users. Hand protection is not really important in that context. But if you are making a sword with the intent to fight other swords than the crossroad would still be useful for parrying attacks headed for your hands. So where as a Jedi dedicated to peace and fighting people with blasters a crossguard is just an unnecessary complication for a sith bent on cutting down Jedi it makes a lot of sense.

That's actually a fair point. Prior to the Sith reemerging, the typical opponent for a Jedi would be a guy or droid with a blaster, not a swordsman. For that matter, even during the Clone Wars and the rebellion, that would have accounted for the vast majority of foes Jedi faced.

[The Romulan Republic]

perhaps it was Lando and Leia and Finn's last name is Calrissian

That idea doesn't sit well with me. It seems out of character for Leia, given how she already rebuffed Lando on several occasions.

She wasn't fond of him in Empire Strikes Back, but that was before he proved himself a loyal and competent member of the Rebellion. Following his actions during the rescue of Han from Jabba and the Battle of Endor and his redemption, she might look more favourably on him, especially if things went badly with Han. I mean, Lando's a handsome fellow, a skilled commander, a hero, a businessman, and someone who can be charming.

Or Finn and Lando could have nothing to do with each other.

[Borgholio]

I mean, Lando's a handsome fellow, a skilled commander, a hero, a businessman, and someone who can be charming.

She DOES like scoundrels. Hmm...that would definitely be a twist nobody saw coming, especially with how Han and Leia were cosy at the end of ROTJ. I wonder why Finn has the lightsaber though. Is it looking like he's actually a Force-user or could it just be for promotional purposes?

[Anacronian]

perhaps it was Lando and Leia and Finn's last name is Calrissian

That idea doesn't sit well with me. It seems out of character for Leia, given how she already rebuffed Lando on several occasions.

A lot can happen with people over the years.

[Adam Reynolds]

I mean, Lando's a handsome fellow, a skilled commander, a hero, a businessman, and someone who can be charming.

She DOES like scoundrels. Hmm...that would definitely be a twist nobody saw coming, especially with how Han and Leia were cosy at the end of ROTJ. I wonder why Finn has the lightsaber though. Is it looking like he's actually a Force-user or could it just be for promotional purposes?

Making Finn be Leia and Lando's son is somewhat absurd frankly. That's as bad as trying to make a connection between Mace Windu and Lando. And given that it always seemed obvious that Rey was Han and Leia's daughter, it would be pointless to have another familial connection. As to why Finn has the lightsaber:
Spoiler

According to spoilers, Finn holds the lightsaber because it was for Rey and she wasn't there to receive it. Just after it was found, Rey was captured by Kylo(just like a certain Princess) and is able to turn the tables on him. After escaping on her own, she runs into Finn and Han who both came to rescue her and destroy the new First Order superweapon. In a climactic fight, Finn starts with the lightsaber and is losing to Kylo Ren until Rey steps in and saves him. So he might or might not be Force sensitive.

Though oddly enough, spoilers don't directly confirm that Rey is Han and Leia's daughter.

This was all from MakingStarWars, which one of the better spoiler sites.

Spoiler

Rey ends the movie inheriting the Millenium Falcon and Han's blaster after he sacrifices himself to save her and Finn from Kylo Ren in an Obi-Wan moment(he fulfills this role in the film, despite not being a Jedi. The last scene is her presenting her grandfather's lightsaber to her uncle.

A recent leaked image seems to confirm this, as it shows Rey and Chewie flying the Falcon together without Han. Neither look very happy to be doing it.

[Elfdart]

I'm glad I'm not the only one getting annoyed by all this bullshit about "reeeeeeal sets... practical effects":

[Adam Reynolds]

I'm glad I'm not the only one getting annoyed by all this bullshit about "reeeeeeal sets... practical effects":

It's obviously pandering. I love the bit from the official promo when Mark Hamil talks about this. As he is mentioning how amazing it is that so much of what they shoot uses practical effects, it cuts to Lupita Nyong'o using motion capture(which was nearly invented with Jar Jar). And I'm sure the space battle is 90% CGI if nothing else. There is no way the X-wings from the trailer are models.

When it comes down to it, they should just shoot whatever works best, rather than pandering to a particular group of fans. And I think they will do this regardless, but this material allows them to try and please those fans without affecting how they make the movie.

I wonder if this point might be relative to The Avengers more than it is relative to the prequels.

[jwl]

The whole lightsaber cross guards thing, again? Look why can't they exist for some kind of aesthetic, cultural or religious reason? Maybe the Knights of Ren (if that detail pans out) just do that for whatever reason. Like why Dooku used his curved lightsaber hilt.

Not everything exists in this realm of MUST BE SUPER PRACTICAL ABOVE ALL ELSE that sci-fi nerds seem to live in.

Don't lightsabers stick together when they hit? That would explain why cross guards aren't very common as they aren't seen as necessary.

And I've thought that Kylo's saber is somewhat primitive, requiring the cross guards as a means to stabilize the blade.

I think someone made a point on a video posted earlier here that "real" swords in movies often stick together, too, so that doesn't really tell you much.

[The Romulan Republic]

Making Finn be Leia and Lando's son is somewhat absurd frankly. That's as bad as trying to make a connection between Mace Windu and Lando. And given that it always seemed obvious that Rey was Han and Leia's daughter, it would be pointless to have another familial connection. As to why Finn has the lightsaber:

If you are suggesting that I am trying to suggest a connection between Finn and Lando simply because they're both black, then please piss off.

Besides the race thing, their's the fact that Finn is a major character and probably a Force user based on him using a lightsaber on a poster, and Star Wars' history of focussing on one family. Its plausible that either him or Rey, being the new main characters, is related to the Skywalker family somehow, and unlike you, I don't take it for granted that Rey is Han and Leia's daughter. Hell, even if Abrams outright stated it, I wouldn't, given the history of misinformation about character identities in Abrams films. Do I need to link to the stuff posted on this board about how Cumberbatch's character wasn't Kahn?

So, not reading your spoilers, but I wouldn't give them much credence anyway. My position is: we'll know what happens in the film once we see it in theatres, and not before.

Granted, I'd consider Finn being related to Lando a long shot, especially since, as far as I know, there's no word about Lando being in this film. But I wouldn't absolutely rule it out either.

Edits: Of course, Finn could be related to the Skywalkers and have no connection to Lando whatsoever. There's more than one black man in the universe Leia could have slept with. Or Luke could have been the father. But Lando and Leia would be the obvious parents if Finn was related to the Skywalkers, so its as much fair game as any other speculation.

[Lord Revan]

Making Finn be Leia and Lando's son is somewhat absurd frankly. That's as bad as trying to make a connection between Mace Windu and Lando. And given that it always seemed obvious that Rey was Han and Leia's daughter, it would be pointless to have another familial connection. As to why Finn has the lightsaber:

If you are suggesting that I am trying to suggest a connection between Finn and Lando simply because they're both black, then please piss off.

it would seem odd that Finn would be Lando's and Leia's son see as Finn has skin that's much darker then Lando.

Granted it doesn't prevent Finn being Lando's son, though I'd prefer if he was unrelated to the heroes of the OT, having everyone be related makes the universe seem really small.

[The Romulan Republic]

That is true.

Like I said, its not really likely that Lando and Finn are related. And it won't necessarily be any good if they are. Just filing it under vaguely plausible scenarios.

[biostem]

It'd be neat if the crossguards were actually "exhaust ports" or sort, due to the blade using a much more powerful and/or unstable energy source, and this needing some way of dumping the extra energy - perhaps doing so in the form of smaller energy beams helps to prevent all that extra heat from negatively affecting the user.

[Adam Reynolds]

It'd be neat if the crossguards were actually "exhaust ports" or sort, due to the blade using a much more powerful and/or unstable energy source, and this needing some way of dumping the extra energy - perhaps doing so in the form of smaller energy beams helps to prevent all that extra heat from negatively affecting the user.

In the first trailer it appeared to have a stabilizing effect when watched in slow motion.

[Patroklos]

Jesus, do you guys honestly think anyone involved with the art design of that thing gave two shits about anything in universe technically? There is even less of a chance it has anything to do with real world sword play. It looked cool and screams knightly and stuff and the staff light saber was taken. That was the extent of the thought put into it.

Just like all those crap swords hanging in fantasy shops.

[Purple]

You are no fun. You also completely fail at understanding the purpose of this forum.