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Summary
While George Lucas is undoubtedly the bright mind behind many ofStar Wars’innovative concepts , it seems the name for lightsabers was n’t exactly his musical theme . Lightsabers were introduce inA New Hope , then just titledStar Wars . However , in that movie , the only lightsabers were drab ( for Obi - Wan Kenobi and Luke Skywalker ) and red ( for Darth Vader ) . InReturn of the Jedi , Luke had constructed a new lightsaber , introducing the color greenish into the mix . However , lightsaber colors and their meaninghave apace expanded inStar Warsmovies and tv set show .
Now , Star Warsmovies and appearance have introduced over-embellished , white , orangish , and yellow , in gain tothe Mandalorian Darksaber . UpcomingStar Warsshowssuch astheStar Wars : The AcolyteTV showare only double over down on the variety of lightsabers and their colors , withThe Acolyte’strailerdepicting multiple white-livered lightsabers . Despite this now talkative history , though , lightsabers begin as a mark - new concept inA New Hopeand therefore required explanation . Evidently , part of that explanation amount in the configuration of the name ' lightsaber ' itself , yetthe source of that name wasn’tStar Warscreator George Lucas .
It ’s taken five years , but Star Wars is in the end revealing the signification of a lily-livered lightsaber - and explaining Rey ’s new brand in Rise of Skywalker .
The Name “Lightsaber” Was Created By Alan Dean Foster, Not George Lucas
Charles Lippincott , who was antecedently the Vice President of Advertising , Publicity , Promotion , and Merchandising for Lucasfilm , liberate interview transcripts in 2015 that date back to the seventies . In a conversation from 1976 between George Lucas and ghostwriter ofA New Hope’snovelization , Alan Dean Foster , Foster explained that the name stemmed from a desire to come up to why the lightsabers were the distance they were and how they worked . Foster stated,“That ’s why I did n’t call them optical maser steel , I call them lightsabers . “The phraseology of Foster ’s explanation suggests that it was Foster himself who take the name lightsabers .
Purchase the novelisation of A New Hope , Star warfare : From the Adventures of Luke Skywalker
Foster preferred the name lightsaber over laser steel , which was the name used in original drafts ofA New Hope . In fact , even in various interviews date back toStar Wars’earliest days , Lucas consistently look up to them in that way . Interestingly , the name laser sword does appear in laterStar Warsmovies and shows . The condition was first used on - screen by Anakin Skywalker inStar war : Episode I - The Phantom Menace . Since then , Din Djarin has used the term laser sword inThe Mandalorian , and even Luke Skywalker used the name inStar war : The Last Jedi .
Din Djarin has used the term optical maser brand inThe Mandalorian , and even Luke Skywalker used the name inStar war : The Last Jedi .
Just as interestingly , the term lightsaber is only used once inA New Hopewhen Obi - Wan name the arm to Luke . While Foster was the ghostwriter for the novelization ofA New Hope , he also assist George Lucas with the handwriting forA New Hope , suggesting that he had a direct impact on the name . His principle for the change also support the fact that it was his decision to use the name lightsaber for the Jedi ’s iconic weapon .
Why Alan Dean Foster Called Them Lightsabers, Not Laser Swords
Foster had quite a good ground for preferring the name lightsaber . In the same explanation , Foster said,“The chief doubt I ’ve got to ask is why are the optical maser brand four feet long , and how they work . “From Foster ’s breaker point - of - persuasion , the term lightsaber was much clearer than optical maser sword . Specifically , Foster wanted to avoid doubtfulness regarding how the lightsabers functioned , and , arguably , he was correct that the name lightsaber well explained the plasma blade . Since then , lightsabers have been defined even further , with Foster himself afterwards identifying thefacts about Kyber crystals .
Of course , the naming of lightsabers , along with much of the other earth - construction inA New Hope , was surely a team sweat . The sheer amount of creative thinking and setting that theStar Warsfranchise take ( and continues to call for ) ca n’t really be attributed to just one person . Even so , it is fascinating that the term lightsabers came not fromStar Warscreator George Lucas but rather from writer Alan Dean Foster .
Source : Charles Lippincott
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