Concerning Lightsabers, part 2: Style and Design

As I was playing around with my Kyberlight saber, trying to find the ideal design for dueling, I came to a horrifying realization. All the possible combos follow the same general principles and are essentially different "skins" of the same weapon. Furthermore, that weapon doesn't match the sword style I was trained in. In other words, I had the wrong tool for the job.

I had noticed a varying degree of hilt design when I was shopping for a lightsaber, but I hadn't realized how important those differences are to sword style. My own indecision is what attracted me to Kyberlight in the first place, but those sabers follow a single hilt pattern, with mostly superficial differences with the various parts. Let's take a look at the structure behind Kyberlight's design.

No matter which configuration you make, every Kyberlight saber has an a handgrip located evenly between both ends, an activation switch in the upper half, and a big pommel.


Now here's the problem I ran into. I'm training in Iaido and Kendo, eastern sword forms that both use the katana. Let's take a look at the katana design.

The most glaring difference between the two handles is the pommel. Katanas have a tiny pommel that's really just there to bottom off the handle wrappings. Bigger ones are more common in many other sword designs like the Longsword, rapier, scimitar, etc. It acts like a counterweight to help the blade swing. Without that, katana users have to generate all their cutting force through wrist action from their bottom hand (which is almost always the left). The upper hand is kept loose so that it can be used to change the angle of the cut.

In addition, the grip is spread universally through the entire tsuka, so a swordsman has more flexibility in where they place their hands, though the forms usually call for them to be spread out. This creates a fulcrum down the middle that generates the power of the swing.

Returning back to the Kyberlight hilt, it doesn't really compliment katana training. Not only does it have a large pommel, but the grip is centrally located. That means that one or both hands have to be closer to the center, which reduces control, or my hands have to be half and half on the grip, which reduces its effectiveness. In either case, the hilt is more suited for someone with training in a long sword rather than a katana.

This line of thought put me on analysis of what a lightsaber design tells of the wielder's fighting style as I tried to determine which one would be a good fit for mine.

Movie Weapons

While lightsabers in the films are essentially futuristic swords, there are a few key differences that separate them from regular sword combat.

1. The blade can cut through anything other than another lightsaber blade, including the hilt of another lightsaber
2. They have an activation switch for the blade. 

With these in mind, there are 3 general sword styles that could be used when dueling with lightsabers as they're depicted: the long sword, the katana, and the rapier.

Let's take a look at the first lightsaber we ever saw.

Luke's lightsaber from A New Hope

This seemed like a promising start for a katana user. The grip is on the bottom, which suggests the bottom hand makes more constant contact. The activation switch is dead center which creates a natural gap between the hands, while the top has a smooth space for the other hand to be held loosely. 

The problem comes about in that the circumference of the two halves of the hilt is uneven. Regardless of which hand goes where, the bottom will always be holding a thicker part. The up and down ridges could also make holding more difficult, depending on the user's hand size. I could tell this created a problem for Luke in Empire Strikes Back as he favored holding the top with his right hand, even fighting one handed with it at one point. This explains why he switched to a different design. 

The main grip is toward the emitter for the top hand. The bottom has a pommel and the activation switch is right in the middle of the bottom half. I'd say this is based on a long sword fighting style with the top hand doing more of the work. The design of the hilt suggests its similar to a Bastard Sword or "hand-and-a-half".

Bastard sword with hand and a half handle.

Since the grip on the top suggests that the the top hand is meant to be on the sword at all times, while the bottom hand can be used for extra power or taken off for extra reach. The former would be more likely since someone fighting one-handed with a long sword would traditionally use a shield/buckler in their other hand, and there are no "shields" for lightsabers.

Let's move onto Obi-Wan's prequel saber.

This is basically a similar design to the Kyberlight. The grip is centrally located and has a big pommel on the bottom. I'd say because of the pommel alone, it caters to the long sword users. The grip is a bit odd since it doesn't favor either hand, nor is it long enough for both.

Let's take a look at Qui-Gon's lightsaber.

This is probably the most suitable of the movie hits for a katana user. The grip extends almost the full length of the handle. There's a minimal pommel and it's got a good enough length to match that of the katana. The one downside is the position of the activation switch. Rather than being evenly between the hands, it's a little high and sticks out enough that it could be easily bumped in a fight. 

Speaking of Qui-Gon fighting, let's move on to Darth Maul. 

Let me just get this out of the way and say a double bladed lightsaber like this is not very practical. The range of techniques is very limited, one point will always be out of your field of vision (yes, I know, Force powers) and the chances of you cutting yourself are greatly increased. It offers none of the benefits of a pole arm since only the middle of the weapon can be handled, and introduces a lot of drawbacks. If you watch the fight, you'll notice that Obi-wan and Qui-Gon are positioning themselves to make Maul's attacks easier, and they're mostly striking at the blades, not Maul himself (a typical problem in Hollywood sword fights, but helps cover a serious shortcoming in this design). 

That said, there is some thing to be said for the long handle on a single-bladed weapon. You can see these in historical blades. For example, the Nagamaki sword from feudal Japan usually had a two-foot long handle with a long blade. It was used to create big sweeping cuts, usually against cavalry. 

Nagamaki Sword

Maul's saber, when used with a single blade, would probably use similar techniques. The only draw back is the long handle would be vulnerable to cuts which would render it inoperable. 

Let's move onto Dooku's blade. 

At first glance, this may seem like its trying to emulate the katana tsuka by having a gradual curve to it, but since the blade will still be straight, that comparison falls apart. No, what this is actually replicating is that of a traditional fencing foil.

French grip of an Epee fencing foil

The curve of the handle hear allows the user to more comfortably point the tip of the sword directly at their opponent. Many fencers do acknowledge that this type of grip (as opposed to the pistol grip) often costs them leverage, but Dooku appears to have addressed that by making the hilt longer, which allows him to use his off hand on the top for extra stabilization if he needs it. You can see in his fight with Anakin and Obi-wan, he takes his top hand on and off as needed. 

The design is oddly brilliant for a dueler who wishes to combine rapier and long sword fencing schools. There's just one really glaring problem with this particular hilt.

The switch is right where Dooku's fingers need to go. Since different strikes will require him to clench those fingers from time to time, it's a small wonder his saber doesn't keep turning on and off during a fight. Putting the switch on the other side and higher up would be more logical. 

Let's finish with Kylo's infamous cross-guard lightsaber. 

Out of all the hilts, this one screams out Long Sword the most. It has the cross guard, and it has a single area to grip which suggests it favors one handed use. This makes sense with the rather deadly cross guard since a single hand allows the hilt to be further from the body and reduces the risk of the user impaling themselves on the mini-blades sticking out. I'd say the one flaw is that the emitters on the guard stick out a little more than than they should, making them more vulnerable to being cut off. 

Choose Your Weapon

As a katana user, if I had to choose between the ones seen on screen, I'd probably go with Qui-Gon's, although Luke's ANH hilt would work as well. But the availability of a wider variety hilts doesn't restrict me to those choices. 

For instance, the Legionnaire model from Vader's Vault is explicitly designed for lightsaber kendo. It has a long smooth handle and even a tsuba around the top, though that would a purely decorative feature on a "real" lightsaber. It also has a depressed handle to prevent accidental deactivations. 

Similarly, the REV-N model provides a very neutral design that would work for almost any fighting style. 

There are many, many more to choose from, which sadly puts me back where I started before my first purchase; with a bad case of analysis paralysis. Should I go movie replica or something different? Should I design my own or buy a model? Should I go for something good for kendo or for lightsaber fighting? 

In any case, I hope my overview helps you choose a lightsaber should you be in the market for one.