The Lightsaber Duel (An Essay)

The lightsaber. An elegant weapon, from a more civilized age. It is the weapon of a Jedi Knight and Sith Lords alike. Though nothing beats a good blaster at your side. It is an iconic image of the Star Wars Saga. I bet I could show a picture of a lightsaber to someone random joe on the street and they would know what it was and probably me able to imitate the sound.

Now let's take a look at the lightsaber duel. I'm not talking about the über flashy duels of the Prequel Trilogy, but I'm talking about the duels from the Original Trilogy, Episodes IV-VI. Now I'm by no means a master swordsman, but I've done research, however rudimentary, into fencing and sword techniques, and let's just say I've noticed a few things.

Let's start with the Ben vs. Vader duel from "A New Hope". The duel isn't very energetic or fast; most likely due to the Graflex illuminated blades, and also because a lightsaber was supposed to be an incredibly heavy weapon. But it's obvious to me, where the inspiration for the choreography comes from; 14th-16th Century Longsword Fencing.ROLL THE FILM!


Alright, so they are holding the hilt of the saber with both hands in the standard Longsword grip (See Right). They work in the Triangular foot work pattern, which is a standard martial art stance, at least to my knowledge.

 I know that the lightsaber is basically a Space Katana... but when you look at the measurements of the lightsaber (From Wookiepedia)

• Hilt: Usually 24-30 cm (9-12 in)
• Blade: Usually 145 cm (57in)

And then the measurement of a 15th- 16th Century longsword (From Wikipedia).

• Total: avg. 100–130 cm (39–51 in)
• Blade: avg. 90–110 cm (35–43 in)

Pretty similar, wouldn't you say. Though a note about the blade length given by Wookiepedia, I own a Master Replica's Force FX lightsaber, and I can tell you the blade is not 57 inches. It's actually ~36 inches, which in turn matches up with my Cold Steel Hand-and-a-Half Practice Sword, which is essentially a 15th-16th Century Longsword.

On to the "The Empire Strikes Back" and the climax of the film, where Luke squares off with Vader for the first time. Lights please!


Again we see the standard longsword grip from Luke. But Vader switches back and forth between the two handed grip and swinging his saber with a single hand. I think this was done to show that Vader was the significantly better swordsman. This is my absolute favorite duel of the series. Especially with that big reveal at the end. The image to the right is taken from a fencing manual displaying a fencer using a buckler.






Now to "Return of the Jedi"

At this point I've already covered most of the similarities that I see between Lightsaber Fencing and Longsword fencing. But I wanted to mention at 4:09 in this duel Luke uses a stance which looks very similar to the Ox Guard of the German Longsword Fencing Manual, as depicted in the images to the right.

"This was the formal weapon of a Jedi Knight. Not as clumsy or random as a blaster. More skill than simple sight was required for its use. An elegant weapon. It was a symbol as well. Anyone can use a blaster or a fusioncutter—but to use a lightsaber well was a mark of someone a cut above the ordinary."
―Obi-Wan Kenobi

Star Wars is Dieselpunk, and Here's Why.

So after finding out someone close to me hasn't seen Star Wars (I know, right?), I had the urge to go back and watch the Original Trilogy. While watching I began to notice that the films have a distinct "Dieselpunk" style. Probably due to the films drawing inspiration from Flash Gordon and Buck Rogers.

Now for those of you asking... What is Dieselpunk?

We are all familiar with Steampunk, is a post-modern design aesthetic based around the Victorian Era technology. Steam Engines, Tesla Coils, Giant Airships, Ornithopters, Gears, Aether, and Alchemy. Basically the Victorian idea of the future(i.e. H.G. Wells and Jules Verne's writing). Steampunk

focuses on themes of the day, such as Imperialism, Exploration, and Industrialization.

Cyberpunk

Many of us are also familiar with Cyberpunk. A dystopian look at the future, embodying the idea of "Low-life, High Tech". Created in the 1980's when personal computers were coming into their own, and the punk rock movement was in full swing. Themes of cyberpunk usually are, Mega-Corporations, A super connected world, and Cyber-space.

Dieselpunk

Now Dieselpunk... One of my favorite of the "Punk" genres. It is often seen as the the go
between atwixt Steampunk and Cyberpunk. Dieselpunk is to the 1910's-1940's, what Steampunk is to the Victorian Era. Dieselpunk usually centers around Pulp Style Adventuring, a la Indiana Jones, warfare, and discovery of forgotten knowledge. Based on the aesthetic of the Interwar Period, Jazz is the popular form of music, the economy is booming, and the bad guys are usually jack-booted, goose-stepping fascists.



Now onto Star Wars.

Yeah... Because Giant Robotic Camels... Completely Practical!

Awesome But Impractical: Dieselpunk is about big things! Big Buildings, Big Ships, Big Weapons, Big Cities, Big Money, Big Women, Big Fun! Star Wars has several examples of these. Coruscant, a planet that's one giant city. Star Destroyers, giant battleship-esc starcraft. AT-ATs, towering walkers. And probably the most notable, the Death Star. A moon-sized space station with enough power to destroy a planet.

Evil Fascists: The Imperial Uniforms have a distinct Nazi feel to them.

Dirt and Grime Everywhere!: George Lucas said he wanted the sets to feel "lived in". Thus the gritty and dirty look of Star Wars. I saw a picture somewhere on the interwebs stating, "Dieselpunk, Because steam wasn't gritty enough".

Hive of Scum and Villainy:  Okay, So I took the line from Star Wars...But seriosuly there is always a place where the hero is surrounded by gangsters, and criminals. Singapore in the Temple of Doom/ Mos Eisley on Tatooine!

Weaponry: The blasters of Star Wars are so Dieselpunk, I can't even! Basis for the props were actual firearms (duh...)! The C95 Mauser was the basis for the DL-44. The Stormtrooper Blaster Rifle was nothing more than an MG34. The Heavy Blaster Rifle carried by Stormtroopers was a Lewis Gun with some modifications! Don't believe me? Check it out on IMFDB here!

Boilerplate Starships: I really don't have much to say... Just look at them!

Space Combat = WWII Dogfight: The animatic for the Death Star Battle in ANH, was cut together from WWII Aerial combat footage... and the film replicated it almost shot for shot...
Death Star Battle
WWII Aerial Combat