the new saber designs...what do you think?

ok, after prowling some sith sites, and various fan sites i've discovered many are not impressed with some of the new saber designs. ezra's, the inquisitor, the cross guard....

here's the thing. a lightsaber is made by the jedi that wields it and is unique to that jedi. therefor the fighting style may not be conventional. most of the "hate" i've seen towards these new designs is based on comparison to the basic design and the basic form...remember there are 7 forms, plus the lost/ancient forms...

ezra's: the saber pistol...obviously it's a 1 handed design and therefor ill suited to "traditional" lightsaber skills..ie twirling etc...however there are 1 handed saber forms and someone that is quick thinking can come up with techniques on the fly...considering his unconventional training it makes sense to have an unconventional lightsaber.

the cross guard: most of the gripes i've seen on this one has to do with the cross guard part..."you can't twirl it without impaling yourself or severing a limb"....um really? have you tried using a claymore? you can twirl it without interference from the cross guard. of course the claymore is not meant to be twirled as it is a "power" sword...meant to overpower your opponent and cleave them....isn't it possible that this is the purpose of the cross guard saber? to intimidate and overpower?

the inquisitor's: of the new designs i find this one the most unusual and very interesting...the center grip can be spun creating a "wall" of sorts, or it can be locked in place and one or both blades ignited. with one blade ignited a saber form like dooku's is likely used...with both blades, a form like maul's is likely used...of course the center grip would seem awkward...but remember this guy built that saber for himself and likely spent years training with something similar...

so what do you folks think?

Personally I've never been upset with the cross guard design. I understand it and how it could be used. It's a pretty common sword design.

The inquisitor is, much like you said, one blade used like Dooku, two blades used like Maul but with a smaller hand base.

Ezra's blaster isn't bad at all. The blaster part looks more like a hand guard than a blaster so he holds it just like a regular saber.

I probably wouldn't used any of them but that's because they're not my sword style. Overall no complaint here. I like the idea of a weapon being made by its weilder and designed for a unique style.

yeah, i think that most of the people that complain simply don't have any sword art skills, or have limited skills...and since i've studied a large variety of fighting arts i have a wider base to compare to...

my uncle(my first sensei) was a blackbelt in renshinkan ryu ninjutsu, and several other styles, including a gold belt in tae kwon do, and when he was training me he stressed the use of improvised weapons....i can "create" a fighting style with anything i can grab a hold of....this creative ability allows me to see past the obvious when dealing with unusual weapons...maybe that's why i can so easily see how to use each of the new designs....

i want to get a cross guard saber...but not the same as the one sold on ultrasabers...i just need their 3way emitter piece...

For the logic of the show, I quite like Ezra's saber. It incorporates a weapon he is already familiar with, which makes sense. He didn't grow up in a temple, so he doesn't necessarily take the design for granted. He was being creative. Lastly, and this is important, he can walk around with it on his belt and not raise any particular suspicion. It just looks like a weird gun. No need to hide it.

I truly appreciate a bit of innovation. Spinny lightsaber just seems like a way to get hurt, but whatever. It's a cartoon.

I doubt very much it has anything to do with a lack of understanding in styles. I know a few who are very very good at fighting and various martial art systems. (Don't believe me? Come to the Indiana Training Camp and test your metal with him ) And they are purely against the cross guard of the new sith saber.

Its simply a matter of preference.

For me is purely based on "APPEARANCE" and "Story Challenges" and all three of them are ugly, un-necessary, and 'short cut' 'easy road' methods.....two sabers that spin around really fast in a saber blade of FURY!!!

As you mentioned. Anyone can take just about anything and turn it into a weapon and even find practical uses for it. Dosn't mean its necessary to do so or to purposefully attempt it.

Ezra's looks like a staple gun. And to Ruggard in the other thread...Yes, I am well aware what it's representing...and that sling shot was worse than his staple saber haha

Just personal Preference I've a right to my complaints just as others have a right to break down and find uses. I wouldn't go so far as to questions a persons ability to fight/perform martial arts/sword fight though.

Kitsu Tails wrote: Just personal Preference

at least you admit that it's a personal preference...some of the complaints etc that i saw on other forums/sites seemed less about preference and more about a lack of skill/knowledge...

everyone has their own style preference...

personally while i find the inquisitors saber interesting, it's not my style (the center grip part isn't, but double bladed is totally my style, as is dual wield)

in regard to the cross guard...i would use it if need be but again, not really my style...many of the complaints i've seen about it had to do with a lack of understanding the large assorted world of sword arts...they were trying to apply one specific lightsaber form that didn't match the lightsaber design...some of the forms require a lightsaber to be designed a certain way...

ezra's saber would require a 1 handed fighting form similar to dooku's or a modern fencing style or military saber style...when i saw his hilt design my first thought was that it looked like a u.s. military cavalry saber...

the cross guard would require a 2 handed fighting style similar to that used with a claymore or broadsword...

neither design lends itself well to a "traditional" lightsaber style that involves a lot of twirling, and spinning...

Kitsu Tails wrote: Come to the Indiana Training Camp and test your metal with him

lol i know who you're referring to...i'm still a member of the jrs...or whatever it's called now..lol

and i think they're against it for the same reason as you...personal preference...they at least know how to use large swords etc...of course i could be wrong, and they're against it based on their own experience...

but from my experience with claymores i like the design...and as i mentioned before it's not my style...

RyuJin wrote: and i think they're against it for the same reason as you...personal preference....

Oh no....We spent several hours using our Ranger sword (the on in the American Jedi pictures) going through various sword forms, uses, and flaws. There were more flaws than uses. Even the design team that made this saber up debated long about the use of this particular saber, they too know there are flaws....they still used it though.

The thing is...DISNEY, is the one who picked up the licence and rights to do star wars. There is a whole lot hanging on them right now that will determine the fall or rise of future Star Wars. They are already making a whole ton of changes from the "Norm" and the more changes they make, the more risk they will fall to. The only thing in their favor right now is that they chose a era/time frame that allows for a little wiggle room due to the lack of exploration during that time.

once i understood that light sabers were made of light i imagined the duels being more like laser pointer battles than sword battles
which made jedi even more impressive

EDIT
and i am totally "against" the "cross"guard

every weapon and every fighting style has flaws...

yes disney is certainly gambling, but from all the leaks i've been reading it may pay off...they're off to a good start by choosing a fan (abrams) that chose to use practical effects like the original trilogy to head the first major picture, rather than choosing someone corrupted by the dark side of cgi...

as to the changes...i wish they had kept the eu...but i'm jedi enough to not cling to the past. :lol:

and lucas did have the 3rd trilogy "fleshed out" he just didn't have it in him to make it...when he sold out to disney he even offered to be a consultant providing his notes etc...

the good thing about the new canon is that they are using bits and pieces from the eu, just not all of it

(would have loved to see the solo twins go at it)

OB1Shinobi wrote: once i understood that light sabers were made of light i imagined the duels being more like laser pointer battles than sword battles
which made jedi even more impressive

that's another aspect many swordsmen forget...a lightsaber doesn't have a sharp edge...it can cut from any angle

this allows for a greater range of attack positions than any sword art can provide...

i think the crossguard was made with "intimidation" in mind as it is wielded by a sith...the unstable blade is likely unstable due to too much power going through the crystal...which would fit in with the intimidation factor...

I really wish they had kept to EU too...I was looking forward to seeing Jaina and Jacen Solo Twins in action. Leh Sigh.....

The Cartoon Star Wars Rebels has been good so far. And the last episode had both myself and my husband jumping out of the bed with surprised gasps and hands clamped to mouths in elated joy LoL

But my stance on the sabers remain. They could have had the same scenes if not even better without all the fanciful creations. The fight scene in the last episode felt short and cheated by that blaster saber, and I cant help but roll my eyes everytime the inquisitor makes his saber spin its sooooooo Cheeeeesy! :pinch:

gotta also remember they're trying to distinguish that time period from the others...the prequel trilogy brought us the double bladed saber...the original brought us the lightsaber

it would be nice to see a live action movie with ahsoka...

That would be so cool!

RyuJin wrote: that's another aspect many swordsmen forget...a lightsaber doesn't have a sharp edge...it can cut from any angle

And with less force seemingly.......... despite contradictory concepts of weight and balance shown, as it would appear in the prequals that they have less weight then in the original trilogy - or the same weight but Vader was old and tired and Luke was inexperienced and weak, making them look heavier in the original - though come to think of it, that was just the fight scenes. When Luke was first given the saber it looked pretty light.

I think to replicate them we'd need to get suits which give you a shock when any replica lightsaber blade hits you, like a fencing outfit, and score on contact electronically. I think that would be more accurate to what fighting with the lightsabers in the movie's would be. Heavy steel blades, cutting edges and pointed tips aren't going to come close IMO.

i think luke and vader were just poorly conditioned and were winded from all the rapid movements during the fights...vader hadn't needed to fight in ages, and luke was inexperienced....

Kitsu Tails wrote: That would be so cool!

i have a soft spot for strong willed, smart allicky, women with lightsabers...no matter what planet or alien race they come from :blush:

haha nothing wrong with that You should watch Rebels

RyuJin wrote: i think luke and vader were just poorly conditioned and were winded from all the rapid movements during the fights...vader hadn't needed to fight in ages, and luke was inexperienced....

yaknow, the way i took it was that the actors and direction didnt have the capability to really do it the way it "should" be

like i just use my imagination to fill in the blanks - if a dude can practically fly and move star fighters around with his mind and react quick enough to block bullets and duel with laser pointers hes way more badash than the 70s were capable of capturing


i just took it to be as close to the essential vision as lucas was capable of with the reslurces he had

Ezra's: I've trained with 1 handed swords before. Believe me, they provide much better and more reliable wrist control than with other blades (since these blades tend to be shorter). The saber pistol is a wonderful idea, one that makes perfect sense. The hand guard, too, makes good sense, as historical single-handed fencing would regularly involve attacks to the hand. I like this one the best out of the new three.

Inquisitor's: Let's face it, this one really has no inherent flaw. It can be single or double bladed, or rotating. It's just additional aspects of the saber. Good as a thrown weapon now, but it really makes you choose between attack and defense while it's rotating. Maybe we can call this a "light shield"?

Crossguard: Bad idea. Crossguard lightsabers have been done before and done right. This one, once the blade meets another one and the hand slips up a tiny bit, you've fried your own fingers off! Why would you do that? Even while practicing my jian, I occasionally have my hand pushed up to the guard.

Also, let me say something about lightsaber pikes. A polearm works well because it is mostly wood with a metal weighted blade at the end. The saber pike is mostly metal (heavy) with a small, light plasma blade at the end. I don't see how you could even swing it correctly!