For whom it may be involved with The Walt Disney Company and / or Lucasfilm:
Show me the damn light saber. I know you have a real one now. And it’s time to climb.
Let’s go back a little. Yesterday, during a seemingly routine press conference for the upcoming launch of Disneyland’s new Avengers campus area on June 4, Disney Parks President Josh D’Amaro closed his presentation with a surprise unveiling of a new light saber .
According to tweets from reporter Carlye Wisel of the theme park, who attended the press conference, the candlestick was not the typical IRL candlestick of ‘a giant candlestick attached to a neat corpse’. In fact, it was the holy grail of replica sabers: one that can fully extend and retract the blade, just like the ‘real’ light saber in the movies.
I just attended a virtual press conference and Josh D’Amaro had a lightsaber and it worked like a LIGHTSABER, not an ‘im drag this long stick’ lightsaber like a FUCKING LIGHTSABER LIGHTSABER
– Carlye change host Very amusing! ✨ (@carlyewisel) 8 April 2021
There is ample evidence that a better toy saber has been on Disney’s mind for a while. The current crop of replica props and custom Galaxy’s Edge sabers are already very popular.
The company is clearly aware of the fact that the large plastic blades are a nuisance – both Disney and many third-party sellers offer suitcases. And a truly retractable saber that looks light and good (and no, the lame plastic of stacked tubes does not count) will be a big upgrade for park lovers and cosplayers.
More enlightening is a patent that Disney filed in 2018 for a ‘Sword Device with Retractable, Internal Illuminated Blade’ – a light saber lever with a motorized retractable blade that can extend out of charge, complete with lighting and sound effects.
To be clear, since the new Disney model almost certainly does not have the ability to fuse a bundle of pure energy that can cut through any object, it is still not a true light saber. Plus, I’m not sure where Disney can get cyber crystals. The retractable plasma blade from Hacksmith Industries is still the closest to it, but the construction required a massive power pack and is almost certainly not safe to sell as a child toy in a theme park.
But back to my original point: after teasing this fantastic upgraded saber … DISNEY did not release the video.
There are probably a few reasons for this. Wisel’s report notes that the new saber ‘* zhooped *’ from a ‘small box (like a handle, but much wider)’, indicating that the retractable saber is still in the design phase and that work probably needs to be done before it is ready is for primetime. Disney may also be planning to save the new sabers for its upcoming immersive Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser hotel, where the more realistic sabers fit.
But I do not really care for all those very logical business reasons. I just want to see the cool new light saber. Balls in your court, Disney.