Except that the cross-guards wouldn’t work. You’d just end up lopping off the emitter part and still taking out the other guy’s hand. Maybe lightsaber energy is tacky to opposing lightsaber energy. No sliding allowed!
CraigM
1563
Well the blade extends from the center of the hilt, so it would possibly cut through some metal, but the blade would remain intact and stop it.
According to this image from one of the “official” books, I don’t think that’s the case. The lens/iris that forms the cross-guard blades is in the side piece.
Obviously, the opposing space-wizard simply ignores any cross-guard issues because The Force.
I’m pretty sure they instantly lose their space powers if they don’t follow the rules of proper dueling. No sliding down the blade is like rule #1.
Re: sliding down the blade: you don’t see that very much in katana fighting, either, although that’s because making a proper parry with a katana has a better chance than you’d like of breaking your blade. Katana (and most schools of Renaissance longsword) eschew pure parries in favor of preemptive attacks, whether to the body (to force a reply) or to the blade (to divert the incoming attack).
Re: point work: having studied both modern sport fencing and Renaissance longsword, point work isn’t straight superior. Thrusting swords arose from civilian self-defense and dueling weapons, and coexisted with battlefield longswords for a century or two at least. (A longsword is handier on the battlefield, in part because it can be wielded effectively in tighter quarters, and in part because an edged sword is a better fight-stopper.) There’s room for both the point and the edge in one style, especially if lightsabers are as non-lethal as they were in TFA.
I love how much fun the writers have with those visual encyclopedia type things.
“Accusing finger reinforces unquestioned authority,” indeed.
Most katanas have a little hand guard thingie that would stop the dastardly blade slide technique anyway.
Oh, those were vents because he was no good with making a lightsaber? That’s neat.
No, the vents are part of an ‘ancient design’ and are needed to balance the power afforded by the cracked crystal, which also accounts for the beam’s ragged appearance. The saber’s crude construction suggests an experienced hand, not it’s design.
As an aside, the thrust to the throat is an important part of kendo. But since katana play is mostly cuts, obviously there will not be much blade-sliding in a duel with metal katanas, putting aside the curve which would make it awkward in any event. But one of the reasons the rapier became popular is increased lethality of thrusts over cuts. Of course you’re right that a pure thrusting sword is weaker than an all-around weapon like a rapier, but no one is arguing in favor of smallswords anyway. It’s just that the apparent physics and damage effects of a lightsaber are such that you’d be stupid not to thrust all the time if a thrust actually did anything.
I don’t aim this at anyone in particular.
CraigM
1576
That is a beautifully terrible idea Adam. 10/10 for style, 1/10 for not cutting of appendages when using.
That was unquestionably the most mall-ninja-lookin’ motherfucker I found on the first page of my GIS results.
RickH
1580
He is a hell of a nice guy.
Djscman
1581
ILM posted some cool concept art on their page. Gorgeous stuff, even if not all of it made it to the screen.
