Well A bit about the dark saber that might help. But to answer your first question all the lightsabers were based off of katana technically... Kylo rens was really the big outlier. I kinda feel like the dark saber was more hybrid katana/machete or Messer (the smaller Messer obviously 😅). But the style blade is partially utilitarian I think. Cause the magnetic properties of the white part of the blade make it attract to lightsabers. Vs the whole blade being attracted to other lightsabers. So the magnetic electricity properties are also due to the wielders "force" being sucked out. Apparently the dark saber has weight to it as well. It's not technically a "light saber" and is made by non force users to combat lightsabers. But still amazing video man! Love all your videos!
In legends continuity, the Darksaber is a "broad-blade" lightsaber. And if it operate the way they do, then the flats can still cut and do damage, but far less efficiently, the edges however are far more efficient at cutting than a standard lightsaber. They are less versatile, but more powerful cutters along their edges. As Jedi philosophy emphasizes restraint and control and with a broad-blade lightsaber being more about raw power and cutting force, it didn't really align with their ways, they also preferred the versatility and precision of the typical lightsaber.
To be fair the broad edge should make blocking blasters easier, right? And considering thats most of what jedi were doing you would think that would make broad blades MORE popular.
@@eslin2845 technically yes, but it doesn't look that much wider if at all. If it was like a Buster Sword, that would do it. I think if the Jedi wanted a weapon that was more focused on deflecting blaster fire, they would want that or more of a light-badminton-racket. I think an advantage of the broad-blade then would be that you have the option of non-destructively slapping physical objects. Like, you could cut a droid in half, and sweep the flat to push it to the side in the same motion, keeping the way in front of you clear, or to position the debris for advantage. Which actually counters the "blade has more power, so don't do it cuz aggressive," since it also gives a more "peaceful" action on the flat.
You apparently missed the scene in the beginning of one of the seasons of Mandalorian where Din burns his leg on the flat of the blade and limps for a couple episodes from it. It was clearly a wide ass burn, almost cutting a half inch into his leg.
THANK YOU for saying lots of normal Saber hilts are uncomfortable to hold with all their random bits. Huge Star Wars fan and I dislike so many iconic hilts because they either look uncomfortable to hold, or I have held replicas and know they are uncomfortable to hold. When people start talking about their favorite hilt designs in the series I am always blown away by them picking ones that look uncomfortable to hold. Have been and always will be more of a fan of Qui-gon's Lightsaber and when I saw Kyle Katarn's lighsaber it was another that look both nice to hold and is actually made for two hands.
Another Saber you might like is Jaro Tapal's lightsaber. It's got a spot where you're supposed to hold the saber and no real bits and bobs to get in the way.
Yeah, I have a few toys of Anakin's lightsaber and every time I tried to do a few moves with it, the giant activator button always go in the way. Darth Vader's lightsaber is a bit better since that's typically replaced with a small circle activator, but the weird bars on the bottom made spinning the hilt very uncomfortable and almost impossible. Kylo Ren's lightsaber hilt is honestly my favorite for how long it is, meaning you can use both hands on it with ease if need be, and how it was very smooth all around, very little in the way of greeble.
Always been a fan of obi-wan's from before he got the new one. He has it on the desk in this video, no random bits and made for 2 hands. Good pommel, even. Obi-Wan's replacement saber is a nightmare, unfortunately it became more "iconic"
There are some videos on Dookus saber design that shows the way it was used in the movie by Christopher Lee is perfect for it. Its not a flashy fighting style it more akin to Medieval Nobility dueling.
Christopher Lee was an amazing duelist long before star wars. I like Dookus sabre the best as it looks like an actual sabre my preferred fencing style is with sabre type weapons.
Yep, in A New Hope, the lightsabers used in the Vader vs Obi-Wan fight were glass rods, and they weren't meant to be swung around with abandon. For an in-lore reason why they were slow with fighting each other, the last time Vader fought Obi-Wan, he got his limbs cut off, and didn't want to take any chances this time, so instead of going all out with acrobatics and such, he takes a much more cautious and reserved approach. Hence, the slower swings and keeping the blade between him and his opponent. Also, with Vader's suit, Palpatine intentionally added in drawbacks to keep his apprentice under his thumb, i.e. not being able to lift his arms above his shoulders for very long, if at all. As for Obi-Wan, he's up there in age, and was planning on sacrificing himself so Luke and the gang could escape: he had no intention of beating Vader, just delaying him long enough. Aaaaanyways, back to the Darksaber: i agree with your assessment of it, and i think others have said this before, but the darksaber is a bit of an ancient relic, so it could be that’s why the blade is shaped the way it is. The hilt and weight problems though, i got no idea on
You cant come up with an 'in lore' excuse for something 30 years after the fact. At the time, with no further explanations, the in lore reason they fought like that was because that's how one fought with a lightsaber.
It is worth noting that Prowse was worried about hurting Sir Alec Guiness, so he wasn't exactly going as hard as he could. And the movies the fight is based on, the various samurai dueling ones, start out that way, slower paced, sizing up. They are not fast, martial art extravaganzas.
In terms of the weight issue, one thing that seems to be a bit of a theme with the dark saber is seems to have some kind of ability to feed off of and have some kind of effect on its user. In animated media, it’s been noted that whenever it’s user gets their emotions heightened, they _seem_ to get a power boost; non force users with little experience suddenly putting an experienced Jedi against the wall. Unless I’m mistaken, within the Madalorian, the blacksmith says something to the effect of the saber sensing Mandos conflicted feelings, and that was making it feel heavier for him, so there’s gotta something mystical about that blade in particular. Probably why there’s been a lot said in its clone wars appearances about just how special, mysterious, and unique it is. Of course now all kyber crystals are supposed to be some kind of semi-sentient thing, (neat idea in my mind, I like the implications this has for sith blades) so take that for what it’s worth.
Professional Welder/Fabricator here: after just a few minutes of using electric arc welding or plasma cutting processes, you will have a significant UV sunburn on any exposed flesh. A plasma arc the size of a lightsaber blade would blind you, light you on fire and cause anybody you managed to hit with it to *explode.* A real lightsaber martial art would either minimize the amount of time that the blade is ignited or rely on the ambient damage caused by simply being near the thing.
On the lightsaber vs beskar thing and how the Darksaber appeared to be slowly heating it up, that is indeed the case with all lightsabers vs beskar. Beskar is not lightsaber PROOF, just lightsaber RESISTANT. A lightsaber can and will melt through beskar armor, it just takes so long that even a Mandalorian with zero combat skills or awareness in the middle of a daydream will snap back to reality, see what you're doing and stab you in the face long before your lightsaber gets through the beskar. Any lightsaber would perform the same way we see against beskar. Most of the time we just see a quick blow that bounces off and the saber user going for another strike. Take Luke's saber and press it to the beskar spear, it would melt through exactly the same way the Darksaber did.
My question is, was it actually even melting through? If you heat any metal to a certain temperature it'll start to incandesce. Many metals do this without melting or deforming, your oven and lights do it all the time. So it makes sense the beskar would be incandescent even if it's not cutting through. I can't remember if the darksaber left notches in the spear though
In addition to everything else you've said here and in the previous videos, my issue with the Darksaber (beyond just being a dumb design that was only added in because Lucas vetoed Pre Vizla using the much more logical and preexisting weapon of a Beskad, a Beskar sword) is that it reshaped the perception of a black blade must be the Darksaber. Call it edgelord stuff all you want, and you'd be right, but one of the coolest things I loved in the Force Unleashed games was getting the black crystal and having a black bladed lightsaber. It wasn't The Darksaber, it didn't have a flat blade. It was a lightsaber that had a black blade. It was a concept I loved so much that in a Star Wars RP group I was a member of for several years, my Sith master character made a black bladed lightsaber as a symbol of her mastery over the Dark Side, having used Sith Alchemy to mess with her saber's crystal and made a blade that was narrower, stronger, and hotter than a normal blade, with the color shifting to black as a result. Then TCW comes out and gave us the Elder Wand in laser sword form and mucked it all up. Now if anyone sees a black blade, "oh my god its the Darksaber!"
the thing about the darksaber being "heavy" is that it more has a "spirit" than other sabers. it'll resist people who it deems as unworthy, which usually just means conflicting emotions. about the melting through beskar thing: it happened faster than a normal lightsaber, so that is the assumption. the hilt and shape is just rule of cool at play. some things just need to be fun
14:47 Fun fact: According to the ROTJ Director's Commentary, the lightsaber materials used for ESB and ROTJ were the exact same as ANH. They just got better at using it. However, ROTJ was the limit of how far they could take that specific technology. Simply being able to do a sweeping wide shot like at the end where Luke is hammering into Vader was apparently considered a huge deal
Well technically Darksaber blade is double-edged, so it doesn't matter which way you hold the handle, you can flip it how it fits you. You can even melt with the flat surface of the blade.
not a massive star wars nerd but i understand that there are certain things that a normal lightsaber cannot cut through, the obvious solution to this is to make the darksabre cut through things that a standard lightsabre can't due to the energy being concentrated on the edges
Dooku's saber came closest to almost being used like a rapier in the movies. Would be awesome if they actually go rapier/ fencing style (with an elegant design that make sense)... but all we got from Mickey was an impractical handle and blade used in slow clunky fight scenes.
I may have a future Project with Dooku's saber to prove that its one of the best although I will admit a fencing/rapier fighting style I don't think is engaging to watch as its very thrust heavy . Thanks for the support man!
I think you would use a lightsaber mostly like a Rapier, but probably with a lot more cutting involved because lightsabers are excellent at cutting, even at the tip (whereas rapiers are sub par cutters for the most part)
My thoughts exactly. The guard (tsuba) even shows some similarities to saber guards, with the back piece sweeping upwards. If the guard would extend downwards in the front to form a knuckleguard, the inspiration would be clear as day.
On the heaviness of lightsabers in episode four, another reason why they were fighting slowly (in universe) is because kenobi was something like sixty.
It was mainly that Lucas hadn’t really figured out what lightsabers were, and that the initial props in that movie were severely limited in what they could do. Extremely fragile so even the relatively soft sparring (though they weren’t that gentle. XD)they were doing was much too rough on them.
Okay so from what I know is in A New Hope, the Obi Wan Vs Vader duel was slow due to the material the blades were made of. If I remember this correctly, the blades they were using were fiberglass rods. In one of the documentaries for A New Hope, the fight choreographer had to tell Sir Alec Guinness and David Prowse to swing them but not actually make the hits because every time the blades would hit, they would shatter. One has to imagine how many stunt lightsaber blades they broke 😂
i think that the design of the darksaber is supposed to be based off of the mandalorian sword called a beskad. that’s why the general design looks more like an actual sword. also i believe it was also meant to be a one handed saber since the beskad also was, and it was meant to be used either with a blaster or a smaller dagger called a kal. this may not be exactly true but it would make more sense
The dark saber isn't single edged. It just looks like it is. It's still a light saber. It still cuts in any direction. They don't show that in the media because they think it looks cooler to have edge alignment. That's it. Also, it isn't lore breaking for the blade to curve. There is some sort of technology containing the blade of a light saber. They can be adjusted to any length. There is no reason to think they can't be shaped into curves by that same containment technology.
You know, Star Wars world doesn't give much canonical explanation of how light sabers actually works. You only can speculate on the matter by looking on the shown effects and bits of information that actually get explained. I'm personally not an expert of Star Wars canon. Just seen some movies and series. So my take might be wrong. But I'd say, that light sabers in general works by cycling charged particles aka plasma in some kind of field that defines the blade. In case of the regular light sabers the stream of plasma is equally spread along the blade axis. That makes blade omnidirectional. But when the blade comes in to the contact with cutting media, most of the energy just goes around the target not actually dealing damage. In most cases that is not a problem because of absurd power light saber has. But the Dark saber is a different story. It was made by the ruler of mandalorians. It was meant as a symbol of power and the mean to defend it and the right to rule. Meaning it was made to fight other mandalorians that pretend to the throne. Mandalorians uses beskar armors and uses weapon made out of beskar. We know that regular lightsabers cant deal much damage to the beskar. So how a mandalorian could approach to making a weapon that can damage at least not a pure beskar armor? For example by focusing the flow of plasma by making it cycle in tight looped stream around edges of the blade. So when it hits something most of the energy goes into the media and cut at least not so pure beskar and heat up pure beskar. So this way not so great form of the blade and limited versatility is a tradeoff for better satisfying to the main purpose of the weapon.
so just a few things, have you watched "the clone wars" cartoon, and rebels? they go into a lot of the history and whatnot of the dark saber there. and i believe Gar Saxon when he fights Maul uses the flat of the blade, but the reason the dark saber is the shape it is has to do with its creator a Mandolorian Jedi. when he made his blade he wanted to reflect his lineage and homeworld, also he wanted to make an heirloom that would stand the test of time.
Bingo. The actor was trained in fencing. He wanted his hilt to reflect that style. Also partly the reason Dooku uses form 2 which is specifically for dueling.
There is a lot of conflicting lore on the origins of the Darksaber. One idea I’ve seen is that it’s based on very very old lightsabers that had to be flat due to technological limitations, back in the days of a separate power pack. It’s the only one of its kind “now” because all the others were scrapped or reworked when the 360 degree version became practical. The thickness of lightsaber hilts is my evil hobbyhorse. Originally they were designed around photo flash units that are much thicker than any real world sword hilt ever, but they looked cool so they went with it. The Darksaber hilt and some of the others you showed are much closer in size to a real world sword hilt. To me that’s a very good thing regardless of any need for edge alignment in that a round sword hilt doesn’t matter when indexing isn’t an issue. Otherwise your assessment of the shortcomings of the Darksaber make good sense to me. The only in-universe excuse for it being used is that it’s an antique with a near-mythical history that automatically puts an adversary at a psychological disadvantage.
I've seen in the Expanded Universe/Legends books that lightsabers produce a strong gyroscopic effect, making them difficult to use for non Force users. Maybe that's what's happening when Mando says the Darksaber gets heavier each time he swings it?
that would make the effect even stronger for people with traditional sword training, while untrained people would be inclined to go with the flow of the lightsaber.
Is it the dark saber considered more powerful than other lightsabers? Hasn't it been said that that added power comes from the energy being condensed to a thinner form? Aside from that it's still the same type of energy as any other lightsaber. All surfaces of the blade should be able to cut no problem.
Heavy lightsabers is actually a throwback to the original movies... here and there... depending on George Lucas' mood. Mark Hamill has recounted a few times that Lucas instructed him that he needed to hold his lightsaber with both hands in Empire because it was so heavy that it required it, suggesting it effectively weighted 50+ lbs, essentially because it was projecting so much energy and there was more or less a push to it, like an actively firing jet engine. Of course that kinds flies in the face of Luke swinging it around in A New Hope when Kenobi first hands it to him, and everything seen in the prequels and whatnot, but... Lucas was always kinda changing things as he went.
A light saber should have some weight to the blade. Take any hilt and remove the blade then swing it around, it is super awkward. look at the SABNEO dark X. It’s a dark saber inspired hilt. It corrects everything you don’t like about the dark saber hilt.
Honestly i Always thought it resembled more of a falchion ( or falcione in Italian) than a katana but maybe it a little bit of both, also if i Remember correctly the dark saber is more ancient and the jedi who built it was a mandalorian so maybe that the reason for having that false edge alignement 🤔
As a kid who grew up with Star Wars, I learned very fast that some hilts just suck. Qui-gon's is the best. Even just play fighting, you'll find that the bits and nobs dig into your hand and make it very uncomfortable to weird.
The 'blade' is still omnidirectional...you can't make something hot enough to melt through steel not be. They are science, not magic, though the kyber crystal sort of bridges the gap a bit between the science and force aspects a bit...but still. She shape of of the blade would just give it a slimmer profile on one axis, which would make it a far better 'cutter' on that axis and than any lightsaber that is thicker.
@@ScreenTested It's only the DarkSaber with that quality. Because it was the kyber crystal of a Mandalore, only those who are fit to rule, AKA the strongest willed warriors, were accepted.
Expanding on this. We saw Sabeen Wren having issues learning how to use the Darksaber in her initial training with it in Rebels because she was trying to fight and force the blade to work for her instead of connecting with it as every Jedi/Sith is taught to do and Rebels was still heavily influenced by George Lucas as he was still brought on as a consultant and was the final say on everything was Dave Filoni who learned everything lore-wise from George Lucas.
@@ScreenTestedThat's not entirely accurate... It may not be a thing in any of the original mainline films, but there's some EU stuff (as in non-disney) that discusses a similar concept. There's at least some kind of connection going on between a kyber crystal and lightsaber wielder and this is not a new/strictly Disney concocted concept.
So did Dooku because Form II, his specialty, is very much based on rapier fencing. The very kendo-esque stuff we see Luke & Anakin doing is Form IV. It’s a neat detail in the lore than can add so much to a lightsaber wielder’s character that gets ignored in most major projects with the IP…but it’s still there
I do agree with the hilts design, it's weird and the guard thing is unnecessary and pretty useless. However, the indexing of the handla could be attributed to the creator of the saber. In the lore the saber was made by a Mandalorian who became a Jedi and as I understand it later returned to Mandalore to unite his people which he did and his Darksaber became a symbol of leadership. I would imagine that he would have created the darksaber after returning to Mandalore and as the Jedi and Mandalorians have a troubled history, creating a unique saber based on Mandalorian style and not traditional Jedi style of sabers would be a way of uniting the people, to separate himself from the Jedi but still showing power. I also agree that the design of the blade isn't as effective as a normal lightsaber but it's just goes back to culture, Mandalorian culture. Mandalorians are a war like people, they prove themselves in battle and they use pretty much everything. Vibroblades among those (if those are still cannon, I imagine so after the Mandalorian and the future KotOR remake) and as Mandalorians traditionally used such blades, making the saber into something that is unique and that reflects their culture and not the Jedi, that's a win for them and something they can look up to. Yeah... The Darksaber being heavy... I want to chop that up to what they sort of.. Kind of explained in the Mandalorian, something about purpose was it or want to use it? But yeah it's random and didn't need to be there at all.
That "suba" drives me absolutely bats**t. It is 100% backward. If I had one of those, I would flip the blade connection and put the switch on the other side. As it is, it's DUMB.
I wouldn't mind the whole blade shape thing if the excuse was that it concentrated the heat and cutting power in some way. Yeah, it still doesn't really make sense but at least it still gives it a reason Also, I always thought the saber fights in episode 4 being slow was because Alec Guinness was an old man, but the props being too fragile for proper hits makes a lot of sense
Wow. I know he wanted them to be superhuman but that's so strange. I totally understand who it never made it's way into canon. I know a lot of people (myself included) have tricky estimating weight. I also noticed that a few American authors seem to have trouble converting imperial to metric system given that Star wars measurements tend to go that route (when not using something unique to that universe). In the old EU they were about a single kilogram, baked by materials, for instance. One made from a rancor tusk world be lighter than one made from junk from crashed fighters or speeders. (The one made an I, Jedi was from crash scrap for instance. Speederbike Handle, iirc or fighter yoke)
If you're right and Both edges can cut then I believe the "proper way" to hold it is backwards. Therefore they are purposefully using the blade backward to show off how skilled they are using it wrong.
The Darksaber is the way it is in lore because it was made/forged by a Mandalorian, Tarre Vizsla, who likely based it on traditional Mandalorian bladed weapon designs rather than the typical Jedi designs. So in a way, the Darksaber is a Mandalorian Katana usually made entirely out of Beskar, but in this case, the blade is replaced with a lightsaber emitter made of Beskar hence the difference from typical Lightsabers, the Beskar interacts with the Kyber crystal within in ways untypical of a lightsaber.
I’m not sure if it’s in all films apparently but in the 4th Star Wars (at least the one I’ve seen) when Obi Wan first gives Luke his light saber you can see that when he is waving it around there is a primary edge and not a circle. I just remember watching it after watching i think you and Shad talking about it and thought it was interesting
. Steak knives have indexing, for the very reason you say. We can also say forks and spoons, have indexing so you know where the object's "useful" sides are. As to why the Dark Saber has indexing, I can only guess it looked cooler, but as for function, probably because Tarre Vizsla as a Mandalorian was used to making indexing. The rest... No Idea.
I do want to point out the OG lightsabers from Episode 4, 5 and 6, where all based off Kendo Sticks. Which are often used to train new recruits in the fuedal Japanese armies. It wasn't until Legends that other variations where brought in after George Lucas said that other variations existed. Which means all Lightsabers are based off the idea of a Katana, just they figured out the 360 cutting was better, and sadly we only see a Kedo style of Lightsaber, until the conception of the Darksaber, the Lightwhip, and the Lightclaymore(the type that Kylo Ren has in episode 7 on). This also can be confirmed by looking at the time before Lightsabers, when the Jedai(the precursors to both the Jedi and Sith) used Force Alchemy, later known as Sith Alchemy, to create physical swords, of all sorts, but when the Sith first created the Protosaber, there where shorter round sabers and single edged blade sabers. At the time of this part I'm barely into the video, but I wanted to make that very clear, that way no one can use the excuse of "but that's not what a lightsaber was originally." I will add more after I finish watching the video. Edit: like to say halfway in now. But I need to blast the lore reason behind the single edge design. It fits the Mandalorian life. Precision, strength, and skill is their three main objectives in combat. To be the strongest, most skilled fighter and show it, the Mandalorian Jedi who built the Darksaber purposefully used a single edge design that is only seen in some Protosabers as well. It was one of the Jedi Council of the time, biggest complaint about the Mandalorian Jedi as they felt he was being Prideful and according to them was a path to the darkside. Last edit: mostly fixing auto correct and my tired brain(it's 12:53am here and I've been awake since 8am yesterday) miss numbering episodes. P.S. outside of the lore reasons, many concepts and cannon ideas from Episode 1, 2 and 3, Clone Wars, ect. Became cannon as Fan Service. Many of the rule of two Sith that are cannon where originally Legends Characters, many of the planets where once only Legends cannon, heck even the Sidious cloning plot point of the horrible Episode 7, 8 and 9 where Legends Cannon.
Yep, Emperor Reborn, Luke's dark side brush and so on were in the Dark Horse Comic series I think. I never had the chance to read them, but those elements were mentioned in one of my favorite books, Vision of the Future, when Mara and Luke are discussing nature of the force and light/dark side stuff . (I LOVED The illustration of the or crushing facility and unable to hear the songbirds due to the noise. And how the more a person drew on the force for raw power the less able they were to hear inspiration and guidance from the force.) I liked the I, Jedi version of how lightsabers were made most.
One of my nitpicks I've always had even when I was like 12 years old in the 90's, was how Force users corner the market on plasma swords. I am sure the elegant sabers need the Force to put together and assemble without tools etc. But any military / war like race would have taken lightsabers of fallen Jedi / Sith, and reverse engineered something. Even if it was something bulky like the original proto sabers that had large power packs and a power cord to run them etc. The Dark Saber was supposed to originally be a Vibro Blade, but Lucas didn't think a Vibro Blade could block a light saber.. (While electric sticks are just fine ...) Also- You are right about fencing. Dooku's saber is made for a fencing style. While it is not in the movies so much, EU and even Disney Fighting styles. Form 2 Makashi, is based off of fencing and is specifically made for defeating / killing other lightsaber users. Dooku's saber in lore was created to benefit that style. It was also a big of a hint in the EU that maybe he was not a good guy. Because why would a Jedi in ages of Peace where the only Lightsaber users are other Jedi, need a saber style made just for defeating them.
im pretty sure since its "lightsaber energy", the entire blade can cut.. its just that with the shape of the blade it just feels better to cut with the "edge". i'd say that to support this theory is other media that has black core white core lightsaber crystals seem to be the same crystal in the darksaber, just not shaped as the darksaber. the darksaber's blade shape seems to be cosmetic only
The weight thing is only ever shown with the darksaber. And it's more like the crystal in the saber connects with the user, and if they are not clear on their purpose, or have a heavy heart so to speak, the crystal makes the saber seem heavier than it should be.
I thought even in the Mando Show they didn't explain the "heaviness" as a problem of being a force user or not, but that the Darksaber picked up on conflicting emotions and motivation and would oppose a wielder who wasn't sure of what they were doing. So, Pre Vizla, Moff Gideon, etc... were committed to their course of action, and even Finn was committed to protecting Rey. However, Din and Paz were in turmoil over losing their clan's main hideaway and what their course of action would be going forward.
Counterpoint for indexing (lightsabers in general): You may not need to know where your edge it, But knowing where your on and off button is seems kinda important. Excuse for edged saber (silly but eh we could make up some BS): If I am not mistaken, the same amount of the same plasma with the same thermal energy condensed into a smaller space should seem hotter on contact. A very small amount of thermal energy condensed to a small point can create high temperatures. The punch of a mantis shrimp creates light brighter than and heat hotter than the surface of the sun in a very tiny space. Taking a large amount of thermal energy and condensing it into a very small space should have such a result. If we assume the dark saber is very very thin or that the apparent flat of the blade is just a visual side effect and the edge is the only cutting plasma, with the same energy as a normal lightsaber that should be even hotter. Someone check me if I'm wrong, i have too much of a migraine to look into the actual math.
Well, Idk if I'm right or not, but I think the jedi's can activate or deactivate their light saber with the force, and they can protect their light saber with their force to avoid others to deactivate their light saber.
It has a tsuba tho? , feloni gave Ahsoka “katana” style hilts his production are is Japanese based , his training scene in Ahsoka has bokkens and kendo style gear the dude seems to be into samurai and bases a lot of his stuff of that.
Han Solo also used a light saber (not to fight) in The Empire Strikes back to cut open the tauntaun on Hoth. I mean, it's just a tool. I do see the narrowing adjustment that Han made to the light saber which made it a better (finer) cutter for that purpose. Perhaps the dark star saber works (or could work) similarly focusing more energy to the edge than the wider light saber edge profile. They could make that into something.
When i was writing a fan fiction, I kind of assumed through a technicality that lightsabers had a slight gravitational pull that could be interpreted as weight when being wielded. I also wrote in that this pull is different for each lightsaber as their calibration is customized by their owners.
Funny cuz a lot of people think the dark saber is like the greatest lightsaber but may I suggest a video idea could you do a video on halos energy sword
17:37-17:46 The problem with that (in-lore) is that a lightsabre's primary use in combat is to deflect blaster bolts. A fencing-type style would be practically useless for that.
Honestly, any lightsaber type weapon, other than maybe a spear, would be a pretty bad weapon for a non-Jedi. It's a weapon that has an above average chance of hurting its user and nearby friendlies, because of that 360 degree blade that cuts through anything. And that's why the spear is a maybe as well... definitely don't want to be using that in formation, for example.
I completely agree with your stance on the dark saber Tyranth. Did you know there was a black bladed lightsaber in the game "The Force Unleashed 1 and 2" long before disney got their hands on the franchise. Also, my theory of baskar is that it has its' own magnetic field which repels the containment fields generated by lightsabers much like trying to push both positive poles of two neodymium magnets together.
I agree 100% that the primary inspiration is a katana but I think the tsuna very loosely has the start of an inspiration from a Cavalry Saber cup, but without the full cup protection
The Rebels episode Trials of the Darksaber (S3E15) does a decent job at explaining the weight discrepancy. Sabine points out that it's heavier than she thought it'd be, a common observation most non force users make when first holding a lightsaber, and Kanan explains that she has to attune to it to effectively use it. Sure enough, the more she uses it and the more accepting of it she becomes, the easier it is for her to use. Din never wanted the responsibility it came with, so he was never able to properly connect with it. The way Kanan talks about it, it's a safe assumption that all lightsabers work this way, the Darksaber is just harder because of the one's own mental blocks regarding that specific saber. That same episode also shows the "flat" of the blade cutting through Sabine's gauntlet when she gets careless.
I tend to agree with the fact that the dark saber is really uncomfortable and awkward. I hate the handle . Also I have to say that I agree with the fact that lightsabers have low weight and that's why I believe that Vader's saber was meant to be handled by the bottom of the hilt where the rubber is. Reason being that u get the most range out of the sword while the ignition button, or slide, is within thumb range. The rubber prevents slipping. Thanks for the video Tyranth! Btw I love your saber choice. I woulda picked mace windu's as well 👍
One weapon I would request for you to test out given the franchise’s 30th anniversary is Fulgore from Killer Instinct and his Quad Blades. I’ve seen you guys test out Wolverine’s blades, but never something like Fulgore’s duel wielding gauntlet blades. It would even be neat to see if you guys can create a similar style helmet from an actual medieval knight helmet.
Like, I watched the video and I hear your points and all that but my thought is "...but it looks cool." And that just kinda trumps all the points you made. 😆
I agree with what you are saying. However to be fair the reason in universe for the overall design and blade style is because it is mandalorian. It fits the culture and combat style. Is it ideal? No but it fits how their people would be trained with basic metal weapons.
It’s my first time seeing this, and yes: space katana. I thought Dooku’s saber looks like it makes you forcibly “index” even though his “blade” isn’t shown having an edge.
I get it. I agree. I think it's suppose to be hard to use though. Like its creator made it different to stand out. Also, I think it gets heavy for people who are force sensitive. They feel the weight of its history, I think.
I could develop my own 'Head Canon' about the blade: It was made by the only known Mandalorian Jedi, and they are most used to fighting with physical weapons, like swords with actual sharp edged blades. I could see the Dark Saber intentionally being made like a physical blade, focusing its cutting power into the edge, making it much stronger than an 'average' Saber when cutting along that edge, but in exchange for making its 'sides' almost useless to cut with (but still good enough to block another saber and blaster shots). Also, something I just remembered: The Mandalorian managed to damage his leg on the flat of the 'blade' in one of those episodes of "Boba Fett" he hijacked, so there is damaging power going through the 'flat' sides.
You see Din Djarin accidentally "cut" himself with the "flat" portion of the blade, so technically yes, it's like the standard lightsaber in that regard. Lore-wise, the reason it's got a visual edge it's supposed to be stronger than the standard lightsaber, potentially even being able to cut through Mandalorian Beskar, or at least cause more damage to it than a regular saber. (Ashoka clashing with the beskar spear vs Din clashing with the same weapon is a good example of it as with Din, you can see it heating the singular point much faster while Ashokas blades barely sparks against the spear. Also, keep in mind that the lore regarding beskar states that it will stop a lightsaber with little to no damage and will even reflect blaster fire.
The Dark X design from Sabneo fixes all the issues of the Darksaber. It even has the option to orientate the activation button either on top or bottom.
It's a specialised weapon that doesn't make it worse than a standard saber, just different 7:00 It's still a dual edged blade even if it's designed with a dominant side. the blade is tapered not curved (you'll not that in certain depictions even standard lightsabers have tapered tips)being shorter and flatter and thus more concentrated. The weapon itself is designed specifically to be more effective against beskar than other lightsabers yes a beskar forge melts the metal, but if you compare Ahsoka Tano vs. Morgan Elsbeth duel and Dinn vs Moff Gideon you'll see the difference in effect between th standard saber and the DS. . From handle to tip, is made by it's original creator to match and maximize their specific fighting style, so it's the handle was hypothetically made to suit a specific style of combat. In rebels and the clone wars shows we mostly see it being wielded one handed alongside standard mandalorian weapons or with an energy shield, so reverse blade attacks would be far less prevalent, whereas yes most traditional sabers are used two handed. Most mandalorians don't fight like samurai but instead incorporate a lot of tools in combat from, grapnels to flamethrowers and wrist darts. And unlike most sabers it has been seen to draw energy and even light from its surroundings.being shorter and flatter and thus more concentrated
The darksaber is fine as a fantasy weapon, and I agree turn the guard around and extend it. For the hilt shape, I prefer its hand feel to the others as it is oblong. So I would say level out the guard, keep the oblong handle and go with a standard lightsaber blade and you have one of the most comfortable lightsabers you can hold.
Lightsaber weight has been changed a lot through canon. At first they were completely weightless so having the force made it easier to not slice your own limbs off. I don't know if its specific to the darksaber but in a rebels episode where sabine is training with the darksaber she says its a lot heavier than shed have expected. I also imagine the force helps compensate for for this but its definitely not needed as its just another weapon. And to your point about it being flat is stupid. Yeah for the most part youre right. The only thing i can think of is that lightsabers arent all powerful. They dont cut through all heavy materials like butter. I imagine having a proper edge would make its cutting abilities a lot stronger. And the shape isnt anything really lore breaking. Theyve had weird shaped lightsabers in legends and now we have the lightwhip in canon which also makes zero sense.
I watched Star Wars in the Theater in 1977, so I've been a star wars fan for a long time. It seems to me that the Dark Saber is a throwback weapon. A weapon designed before the 'cuts in all directions' style of sabers were available. To me that is very confusing and in may ways silly.
I think just because the way you naturally hold it you’re never really gonna have a moment or opportunity to use the back edge, which is probably why we don’t see it obviously I’m just trying to make some head canon here to make logic out of space wizards sword made out of plasma.
Your indexing part of the video made me wonder if it would also be good for a "claymore" type lightsaber like kylo ren's, one that has "crossguard" vents/ports to help with their positioning, even tho the blade is a 360 cutting edge
I think, lore-wise, that the darksaber was made by a Mandalorian jedi, and its implied that he wasn't just taken as an infant. so, I'd think he has experience using metal bladed weapons, so he built a saber to match the already ingrained tendency to use edge alignment, and as another comment mentioned, the narrower profile on the edge may allow a better cut than a standard saber, as they always seem to have an amount of resistance when cutting, implying a "sharper" edge would cut more easily, while losing that 360 degree cutting edge. most jedi use a standard saber from youngling age, and I remember a legends book showing a young Kenobi having trouble when he's forced to use a metal bladed sword at one point.
@ScreenTested Actually its definitely not a Katana design, its definitely a European or Middle-eastern design features that your discounting especially considering the Mandalorians were based on knights in armor. Some designs that come to mind off the top of my head are the Falchion, a middle eastern Flyssa, and certain types of Messers. Though admittedly they did a poor job of translating it into the lightsaber form I think.
I mean Dave filoni being a huge samurai fan and the literal tsuba and enough evidence? It has literally no design cues from from either falchions or messers
@@ScreenTested It does if you look at some examples of the guards in particular from some german falchions (which also has that sort of S-guard shape starting from around the 1500s onward though on the Darksaber its too short to really do anything). They are also angled along the edge rather than to the sides and are a single edged. Though the blade profile resembles a Flyssa with how the blade sitcks out and isn't aligned with the hilt. And it probably does take some cues from eastern swords as well but if you look up some of these examples you'll see where I'm coming from. But I agree with you that the design choices they went with were a mismash of ideas that just didn't work well.
11:48 i think the flat would have to have some cutting ability because he twists it at the corners it may be extremely inefficient but it would have some that way
I agree the handle/hilt is funky; What REALLY bothers me, is the blade shape. More so, how tf is it Wider (how does the blade bit hang lower) than the hilt it comes out of??? The way it’s shaped looks like it A) shouldn’t fit in the hilt and B) looks like it’d cut the hilt if it was retracted…
My best guess is that since the darksaber in lore is a status symbol blade, maybe the single-edge-edness is more of a flex? Yes, *YOU* can use any weapon angle to fight, but *I* can and will beat you using only one.
Check out Damien Sabers here :
shrsl.com/4n4rq
another lazy vid dont go soft boyo
@@mastiffmythslegendsandlore just stfu and watch the fkn video(or dont and also stfu)
Well A bit about the dark saber that might help. But to answer your first question all the lightsabers were based off of katana technically... Kylo rens was really the big outlier.
I kinda feel like the dark saber was more hybrid katana/machete or Messer (the smaller Messer obviously 😅).
But the style blade is partially utilitarian I think. Cause the magnetic properties of the white part of the blade make it attract to lightsabers. Vs the whole blade being attracted to other lightsabers. So the magnetic electricity properties are also due to the wielders "force" being sucked out. Apparently the dark saber has weight to it as well. It's not technically a "light saber" and is made by non force users to combat lightsabers.
But still amazing video man! Love all your videos!
The reason the darksaber is curved is obvious. Its because it was made in Hammerfell.
😂
Lol
“They’ve got cURved swORds… CURved swORds!”
Did you see them mercernaries from hammerfell struttin about? They have curved swords. CURVED. SWORDS.
In legends continuity, the Darksaber is a "broad-blade" lightsaber. And if it operate the way they do, then the flats can still cut and do damage, but far less efficiently, the edges however are far more efficient at cutting than a standard lightsaber. They are less versatile, but more powerful cutters along their edges.
As Jedi philosophy emphasizes restraint and control and with a broad-blade lightsaber being more about raw power and cutting force, it didn't really align with their ways, they also preferred the versatility and precision of the typical lightsaber.
To be fair the broad edge should make blocking blasters easier, right? And considering thats most of what jedi were doing you would think that would make broad blades MORE popular.
@@eslin2845 Don't use logic and reason for Star Wars XD
@@eslin2845 technically yes, but it doesn't look that much wider if at all. If it was like a Buster Sword, that would do it. I think if the Jedi wanted a weapon that was more focused on deflecting blaster fire, they would want that or more of a light-badminton-racket.
I think an advantage of the broad-blade then would be that you have the option of non-destructively slapping physical objects. Like, you could cut a droid in half, and sweep the flat to push it to the side in the same motion, keeping the way in front of you clear, or to position the debris for advantage. Which actually counters the "blade has more power, so don't do it cuz aggressive," since it also gives a more "peaceful" action on the flat.
Broadsaber is Disney Canon to justify the shape of the Darksaber, it's not Legends.
You apparently missed the scene in the beginning of one of the seasons of Mandalorian where Din burns his leg on the flat of the blade and limps for a couple episodes from it.
It was clearly a wide ass burn, almost cutting a half inch into his leg.
That was in The Book of Boba Fett, S1E5.
Sorry, couldn’t help myself. 🤓
"More excited about the box than the lightsaber"
For a little while, you were a housecat.
THANK YOU for saying lots of normal Saber hilts are uncomfortable to hold with all their random bits. Huge Star Wars fan and I dislike so many iconic hilts because they either look uncomfortable to hold, or I have held replicas and know they are uncomfortable to hold.
When people start talking about their favorite hilt designs in the series I am always blown away by them picking ones that look uncomfortable to hold.
Have been and always will be more of a fan of Qui-gon's Lightsaber and when I saw Kyle Katarn's lighsaber it was another that look both nice to hold and is actually made for two hands.
Another Saber you might like is Jaro Tapal's lightsaber. It's got a spot where you're supposed to hold the saber and no real bits and bobs to get in the way.
Yeah, I have a few toys of Anakin's lightsaber and every time I tried to do a few moves with it, the giant activator button always go in the way. Darth Vader's lightsaber is a bit better since that's typically replaced with a small circle activator, but the weird bars on the bottom made spinning the hilt very uncomfortable and almost impossible.
Kylo Ren's lightsaber hilt is honestly my favorite for how long it is, meaning you can use both hands on it with ease if need be, and how it was very smooth all around, very little in the way of greeble.
Rahm Kota's lightsaber would be another good example, I think.
My favorite saber hilts are Dooku’s and Malgus’ sabers
Always been a fan of obi-wan's from before he got the new one. He has it on the desk in this video, no random bits and made for 2 hands. Good pommel, even. Obi-Wan's replacement saber is a nightmare, unfortunately it became more "iconic"
I agree about the Darksaber. Dooku's saber design is my favorite,curved hilt all day.
There are some videos on Dookus saber design that shows the way it was used in the movie by Christopher Lee is perfect for it. Its not a flashy fighting style it more akin to Medieval Nobility dueling.
Dooku's is my favorite too
Christopher Lee was an amazing duelist long before star wars. I like Dookus sabre the best as it looks like an actual sabre my preferred fencing style is with sabre type weapons.
That's my favorite lightsabre design.
Tyranth should review it.
Rahm Kota's lightsaber does a better job at being a space katana than the actual space katana.
Much much better , could say it’s a little simple in design but that help it with comfort
I love Kota's lightsaber hilt. The simple, rugged leather wrap looks so cool on a lightsaber.
Yep, in A New Hope, the lightsabers used in the Vader vs Obi-Wan fight were glass rods, and they weren't meant to be swung around with abandon.
For an in-lore reason why they were slow with fighting each other, the last time Vader fought Obi-Wan, he got his limbs cut off, and didn't want to take any chances this time, so instead of going all out with acrobatics and such, he takes a much more cautious and reserved approach. Hence, the slower swings and keeping the blade between him and his opponent. Also, with Vader's suit, Palpatine intentionally added in drawbacks to keep his apprentice under his thumb, i.e. not being able to lift his arms above his shoulders for very long, if at all. As for Obi-Wan, he's up there in age, and was planning on sacrificing himself so Luke and the gang could escape: he had no intention of beating Vader, just delaying him long enough.
Aaaaanyways, back to the Darksaber: i agree with your assessment of it, and i think others have said this before, but the darksaber is a bit of an ancient relic, so it could be that’s why the blade is shaped the way it is. The hilt and weight problems though, i got no idea on
You cant come up with an 'in lore' excuse for something 30 years after the fact. At the time, with no further explanations, the in lore reason they fought like that was because that's how one fought with a lightsaber.
It is worth noting that Prowse was worried about hurting Sir Alec Guiness, so he wasn't exactly going as hard as he could. And the movies the fight is based on, the various samurai dueling ones, start out that way, slower paced, sizing up. They are not fast, martial art extravaganzas.
I think they just accidentally flipped the hilt during the first design and kept it that way since.
In terms of the weight issue, one thing that seems to be a bit of a theme with the dark saber is seems to have some kind of ability to feed off of and have some kind of effect on its user. In animated media, it’s been noted that whenever it’s user gets their emotions heightened, they _seem_ to get a power boost; non force users with little experience suddenly putting an experienced Jedi against the wall. Unless I’m mistaken, within the Madalorian, the blacksmith says something to the effect of the saber sensing Mandos conflicted feelings, and that was making it feel heavier for him, so there’s gotta something mystical about that blade in particular. Probably why there’s been a lot said in its clone wars appearances about just how special, mysterious, and unique it is.
Of course now all kyber crystals are supposed to be some kind of semi-sentient thing, (neat idea in my mind, I like the implications this has for sith blades) so take that for what it’s worth.
Professional Welder/Fabricator here: after just a few minutes of using electric arc welding or plasma cutting processes, you will have a significant UV sunburn on any exposed flesh.
A plasma arc the size of a lightsaber blade would blind you, light you on fire and cause anybody you managed to hit with it to *explode.*
A real lightsaber martial art would either minimize the amount of time that the blade is ignited or rely on the ambient damage caused by simply being near the thing.
On the lightsaber vs beskar thing and how the Darksaber appeared to be slowly heating it up, that is indeed the case with all lightsabers vs beskar. Beskar is not lightsaber PROOF, just lightsaber RESISTANT. A lightsaber can and will melt through beskar armor, it just takes so long that even a Mandalorian with zero combat skills or awareness in the middle of a daydream will snap back to reality, see what you're doing and stab you in the face long before your lightsaber gets through the beskar. Any lightsaber would perform the same way we see against beskar. Most of the time we just see a quick blow that bounces off and the saber user going for another strike. Take Luke's saber and press it to the beskar spear, it would melt through exactly the same way the Darksaber did.
My question is, was it actually even melting through? If you heat any metal to a certain temperature it'll start to incandesce. Many metals do this without melting or deforming, your oven and lights do it all the time. So it makes sense the beskar would be incandescent even if it's not cutting through. I can't remember if the darksaber left notches in the spear though
In addition to everything else you've said here and in the previous videos, my issue with the Darksaber (beyond just being a dumb design that was only added in because Lucas vetoed Pre Vizla using the much more logical and preexisting weapon of a Beskad, a Beskar sword) is that it reshaped the perception of a black blade must be the Darksaber. Call it edgelord stuff all you want, and you'd be right, but one of the coolest things I loved in the Force Unleashed games was getting the black crystal and having a black bladed lightsaber. It wasn't The Darksaber, it didn't have a flat blade. It was a lightsaber that had a black blade. It was a concept I loved so much that in a Star Wars RP group I was a member of for several years, my Sith master character made a black bladed lightsaber as a symbol of her mastery over the Dark Side, having used Sith Alchemy to mess with her saber's crystal and made a blade that was narrower, stronger, and hotter than a normal blade, with the color shifting to black as a result. Then TCW comes out and gave us the Elder Wand in laser sword form and mucked it all up. Now if anyone sees a black blade, "oh my god its the Darksaber!"
the thing about the darksaber being "heavy" is that it more has a "spirit" than other sabers. it'll resist people who it deems as unworthy, which usually just means conflicting emotions. about the melting through beskar thing: it happened faster than a normal lightsaber, so that is the assumption. the hilt and shape is just rule of cool at play. some things just need to be fun
14:47 Fun fact: According to the ROTJ Director's Commentary, the lightsaber materials used for ESB and ROTJ were the exact same as ANH. They just got better at using it. However, ROTJ was the limit of how far they could take that specific technology. Simply being able to do a sweeping wide shot like at the end where Luke is hammering into Vader was apparently considered a huge deal
Well technically Darksaber blade is double-edged, so it doesn't matter which way you hold the handle, you can flip it how it fits you. You can even melt with the flat surface of the blade.
Yeah but the point still holds, it doesn't make sense for a lightsaber to have edges at all.
I always liked Dooku's hilt since it looks like a duelling/gentleman's sword, which fits his lore very much
not a massive star wars nerd but i understand that there are certain things that a normal lightsaber cannot cut through, the obvious solution to this is to make the darksabre cut through things that a standard lightsabre can't due to the energy being concentrated on the edges
Dooku's saber came closest to almost being used like a rapier in the movies. Would be awesome if they actually go rapier/ fencing style (with an elegant design that make sense)... but all we got from Mickey was an impractical handle and blade used in slow clunky fight scenes.
I may have a future Project with Dooku's saber to prove that its one of the best although I will admit a fencing/rapier fighting style I don't think is engaging to watch as its very thrust heavy .
Thanks for the support man!
@@ScreenTested That's likely true. A fencing battle could be over very fast just like in the Olympics.
I think you would use a lightsaber mostly like a Rapier, but probably with a lot more cutting involved because lightsabers are excellent at cutting, even at the tip (whereas rapiers are sub par cutters for the most part)
Strange, I never took the Darksabre to be directly inspired by a katana, it always looked more like a genuine sabre to me.
My thoughts exactly. The guard (tsuba) even shows some similarities to saber guards, with the back piece sweeping upwards. If the guard would extend downwards in the front to form a knuckleguard, the inspiration would be clear as day.
On the heaviness of lightsabers in episode four, another reason why they were fighting slowly (in universe) is because kenobi was something like sixty.
It was mainly that Lucas hadn’t really figured out what lightsabers were, and that the initial props in that movie were severely limited in what they could do. Extremely fragile so even the relatively soft sparring (though they weren’t that gentle. XD)they were doing was much too rough on them.
Okay so from what I know is in A New Hope, the Obi Wan Vs Vader duel was slow due to the material the blades were made of.
If I remember this correctly, the blades they were using were fiberglass rods. In one of the documentaries for A New Hope, the fight choreographer had to tell Sir Alec Guinness and David Prowse to swing them but not actually make the hits because every time the blades would hit, they would shatter.
One has to imagine how many stunt lightsaber blades they broke 😂
Gotta say, depending on how they shattered, that could have been an amazing outtake depending on how they broke and how they cut it.
i think that the design of the darksaber is supposed to be based off of the mandalorian sword called a beskad. that’s why the general design looks more like an actual sword. also i believe it was also meant to be a one handed saber since the beskad also was, and it was meant to be used either with a blaster or a smaller dagger called a kal. this may not be exactly true but it would make more sense
it's definitely a space katana
I thought it was very very obvious, seems some people didn’t make that connection tho.
The dark saber isn't single edged. It just looks like it is. It's still a light saber. It still cuts in any direction. They don't show that in the media because they think it looks cooler to have edge alignment. That's it.
Also, it isn't lore breaking for the blade to curve. There is some sort of technology containing the blade of a light saber. They can be adjusted to any length. There is no reason to think they can't be shaped into curves by that same containment technology.
Din actually does cut himself with the back of the saber
You know, Star Wars world doesn't give much canonical explanation of how light sabers actually works. You only can speculate on the matter by looking on the shown effects and bits of information that actually get explained. I'm personally not an expert of Star Wars canon. Just seen some movies and series. So my take might be wrong. But I'd say, that light sabers in general works by cycling charged particles aka plasma in some kind of field that defines the blade. In case of the regular light sabers the stream of plasma is equally spread along the blade axis. That makes blade omnidirectional. But when the blade comes in to the contact with cutting media, most of the energy just goes around the target not actually dealing damage. In most cases that is not a problem because of absurd power light saber has. But the Dark saber is a different story. It was made by the ruler of mandalorians. It was meant as a symbol of power and the mean to defend it and the right to rule. Meaning it was made to fight other mandalorians that pretend to the throne. Mandalorians uses beskar armors and uses weapon made out of beskar. We know that regular lightsabers cant deal much damage to the beskar. So how a mandalorian could approach to making a weapon that can damage at least not a pure beskar armor? For example by focusing the flow of plasma by making it cycle in tight looped stream around edges of the blade. So when it hits something most of the energy goes into the media and cut at least not so pure beskar and heat up pure beskar. So this way not so great form of the blade and limited versatility is a tradeoff for better satisfying to the main purpose of the weapon.
so just a few things, have you watched "the clone wars" cartoon, and rebels? they go into a lot of the history and whatnot of the dark saber there. and i believe Gar Saxon when he fights Maul uses the flat of the blade, but the reason the dark saber is the shape it is has to do with its creator a Mandolorian Jedi. when he made his blade he wanted to reflect his lineage and homeworld, also he wanted to make an heirloom that would stand the test of time.
Count Dukus lightsaber had a forward curved hilt. That should indicate a more rapier like fighting style doesn‘t it?
Bingo. The actor was trained in fencing. He wanted his hilt to reflect that style. Also partly the reason Dooku uses form 2 which is specifically for dueling.
Yes, I think it is lore that it was specifically made for dueling.
There is a lot of conflicting lore on the origins of the Darksaber. One idea I’ve seen is that it’s based on very very old lightsabers that had to be flat due to technological limitations, back in the days of a separate power pack. It’s the only one of its kind “now” because all the others were scrapped or reworked when the 360 degree version became practical.
The thickness of lightsaber hilts is my evil hobbyhorse. Originally they were designed around photo flash units that are much thicker than any real world sword hilt ever, but they looked cool so they went with it. The Darksaber hilt and some of the others you showed are much closer in size to a real world sword hilt. To me that’s a very good thing regardless of any need for edge alignment in that a round sword hilt doesn’t matter when indexing isn’t an issue.
Otherwise your assessment of the shortcomings of the Darksaber make good sense to me. The only in-universe excuse for it being used is that it’s an antique with a near-mythical history that automatically puts an adversary at a psychological disadvantage.
I've seen in the Expanded Universe/Legends books that lightsabers produce a strong gyroscopic effect, making them difficult to use for non Force users. Maybe that's what's happening when Mando says the Darksaber gets heavier each time he swings it?
that would make the effect even stronger for people with traditional sword training, while untrained people would be inclined to go with the flow of the lightsaber.
Is it the dark saber considered more powerful than other lightsabers? Hasn't it been said that that added power comes from the energy being condensed to a thinner form? Aside from that it's still the same type of energy as any other lightsaber. All surfaces of the blade should be able to cut no problem.
Heavy lightsabers is actually a throwback to the original movies... here and there... depending on George Lucas' mood. Mark Hamill has recounted a few times that Lucas instructed him that he needed to hold his lightsaber with both hands in Empire because it was so heavy that it required it, suggesting it effectively weighted 50+ lbs, essentially because it was projecting so much energy and there was more or less a push to it, like an actively firing jet engine. Of course that kinds flies in the face of Luke swinging it around in A New Hope when Kenobi first hands it to him, and everything seen in the prequels and whatnot, but... Lucas was always kinda changing things as he went.
A light saber should have some weight to the blade. Take any hilt and remove the blade then swing it around, it is super awkward. look at the SABNEO dark X. It’s a dark saber inspired hilt. It corrects everything you don’t like about the dark saber hilt.
Honestly i Always thought it resembled more of a falchion ( or falcione in Italian) than a katana but maybe it a little bit of both, also if i Remember correctly the dark saber is more ancient and the jedi who built it was a mandalorian so maybe that the reason for having that false edge alignement 🤔
As a kid who grew up with Star Wars, I learned very fast that some hilts just suck. Qui-gon's is the best. Even just play fighting, you'll find that the bits and nobs dig into your hand and make it very uncomfortable to weird.
The 'blade' is still omnidirectional...you can't make something hot enough to melt through steel not be. They are science, not magic, though the kyber crystal sort of bridges the gap a bit between the science and force aspects a bit...but still. She shape of of the blade would just give it a slimmer profile on one axis, which would make it a far better 'cutter' on that axis and than any lightsaber that is thicker.
The ease of use, or weight that was in the show was explained as the Kyber crystal accepting or rejecting a wielder.
Yeah straight Disney BS , never in any of George’s movies
pretty much, makes no sense but thats what they went with
@@ScreenTested It's only the DarkSaber with that quality. Because it was the kyber crystal of a Mandalore, only those who are fit to rule, AKA the strongest willed warriors, were accepted.
Expanding on this. We saw Sabeen Wren having issues learning how to use the Darksaber in her initial training with it in Rebels because she was trying to fight and force the blade to work for her instead of connecting with it as every Jedi/Sith is taught to do and Rebels was still heavily influenced by George Lucas as he was still brought on as a consultant and was the final say on everything was Dave Filoni who learned everything lore-wise from George Lucas.
@@ScreenTestedThat's not entirely accurate... It may not be a thing in any of the original mainline films, but there's some EU stuff (as in non-disney) that discusses a similar concept. There's at least some kind of connection going on between a kyber crystal and lightsaber wielder and this is not a new/strictly Disney concocted concept.
If I remember correctly, Palpatine often used thrusts when using his lightsaber.
So did Dooku because Form II, his specialty, is very much based on rapier fencing. The very kendo-esque stuff we see Luke & Anakin doing is Form IV. It’s a neat detail in the lore than can add so much to a lightsaber wielder’s character that gets ignored in most major projects with the IP…but it’s still there
Here is the usual full support for channel growth. Also, great hair today Tyranth.
I do agree with the hilts design, it's weird and the guard thing is unnecessary and pretty useless. However, the indexing of the handla could be attributed to the creator of the saber. In the lore the saber was made by a Mandalorian who became a Jedi and as I understand it later returned to Mandalore to unite his people which he did and his Darksaber became a symbol of leadership.
I would imagine that he would have created the darksaber after returning to Mandalore and as the Jedi and Mandalorians have a troubled history, creating a unique saber based on Mandalorian style and not traditional Jedi style of sabers would be a way of uniting the people, to separate himself from the Jedi but still showing power.
I also agree that the design of the blade isn't as effective as a normal lightsaber but it's just goes back to culture, Mandalorian culture. Mandalorians are a war like people, they prove themselves in battle and they use pretty much everything. Vibroblades among those (if those are still cannon, I imagine so after the Mandalorian and the future KotOR remake) and as Mandalorians traditionally used such blades, making the saber into something that is unique and that reflects their culture and not the Jedi, that's a win for them and something they can look up to.
Yeah... The Darksaber being heavy... I want to chop that up to what they sort of.. Kind of explained in the Mandalorian, something about purpose was it or want to use it? But yeah it's random and didn't need to be there at all.
That "suba" drives me absolutely bats**t. It is 100% backward. If I had one of those, I would flip the blade connection and put the switch on the other side. As it is, it's DUMB.
I wouldn't mind the whole blade shape thing if the excuse was that it concentrated the heat and cutting power in some way. Yeah, it still doesn't really make sense but at least it still gives it a reason
Also, I always thought the saber fights in episode 4 being slow was because Alec Guinness was an old man, but the props being too fragile for proper hits makes a lot of sense
Awesome video once again! Are there IRL swords like dooku’s the curved grip looks classy af!
Keep killing it bro
According to Hamill, Lucas told them when filming ANH that lightsabers weigh 40-50 lbs. Certainly makes Alec Guinness’ fight more remarkable!
Wow. I know he wanted them to be superhuman but that's so strange. I totally understand who it never made it's way into canon.
I know a lot of people (myself included) have tricky estimating weight. I also noticed that a few American authors seem to have trouble converting imperial to metric system given that Star wars measurements tend to go that route (when not using something unique to that universe).
In the old EU they were about a single kilogram, baked by materials, for instance. One made from a rancor tusk world be lighter than one made from junk from crashed fighters or speeders.
(The one made an I, Jedi was from crash scrap for instance. Speederbike Handle, iirc or fighter yoke)
Look at Star Wars wiki on the darksaber and Beskad
Looking at it has comparison to Greek kopis or movie 300 spartan sword
Very logical points there, Tyranth. Musical greetings from Belgium, Gunther (singer and lyrics writer of Gabriel Scar)
If you're right and Both edges can cut then I believe the "proper way" to hold it is backwards. Therefore they are purposefully using the blade backward to show off how skilled they are using it wrong.
The Darksaber is the way it is in lore because it was made/forged by a Mandalorian, Tarre Vizsla, who likely based it on traditional Mandalorian bladed weapon designs rather than the typical Jedi designs. So in a way, the Darksaber is a Mandalorian Katana usually made entirely out of Beskar, but in this case, the blade is replaced with a lightsaber emitter made of Beskar hence the difference from typical Lightsabers, the Beskar interacts with the Kyber crystal within in ways untypical of a lightsaber.
tl;dr: it was made by the star wars equivalent of a mall ninja with a forge
I’m not sure if it’s in all films apparently but in the 4th Star Wars (at least the one I’ve seen) when Obi Wan first gives Luke his light saber you can see that when he is waving it around there is a primary edge and not a circle. I just remember watching it after watching i think you and Shad talking about it and thought it was interesting
4:45 that Mace Windu saber is badasssssss 🤩💜
Huh I've never seen it as a katana, I like i can see it but also i just can't either.
. Steak knives have indexing, for the very reason you say. We can also say forks and spoons, have indexing so you know where the object's "useful" sides are. As to why the Dark Saber has indexing, I can only guess it looked cooler, but as for function, probably because Tarre Vizsla as a Mandalorian was used to making indexing. The rest... No Idea.
I do want to point out the OG lightsabers from Episode 4, 5 and 6, where all based off Kendo Sticks. Which are often used to train new recruits in the fuedal Japanese armies. It wasn't until Legends that other variations where brought in after George Lucas said that other variations existed. Which means all Lightsabers are based off the idea of a Katana, just they figured out the 360 cutting was better, and sadly we only see a Kedo style of Lightsaber, until the conception of the Darksaber, the Lightwhip, and the Lightclaymore(the type that Kylo Ren has in episode 7 on). This also can be confirmed by looking at the time before Lightsabers, when the Jedai(the precursors to both the Jedi and Sith) used Force Alchemy, later known as Sith Alchemy, to create physical swords, of all sorts, but when the Sith first created the Protosaber, there where shorter round sabers and single edged blade sabers.
At the time of this part I'm barely into the video, but I wanted to make that very clear, that way no one can use the excuse of "but that's not what a lightsaber was originally." I will add more after I finish watching the video.
Edit: like to say halfway in now. But I need to blast the lore reason behind the single edge design. It fits the Mandalorian life. Precision, strength, and skill is their three main objectives in combat. To be the strongest, most skilled fighter and show it, the Mandalorian Jedi who built the Darksaber purposefully used a single edge design that is only seen in some Protosabers as well. It was one of the Jedi Council of the time, biggest complaint about the Mandalorian Jedi as they felt he was being Prideful and according to them was a path to the darkside.
Last edit: mostly fixing auto correct and my tired brain(it's 12:53am here and I've been awake since 8am yesterday) miss numbering episodes.
P.S. outside of the lore reasons, many concepts and cannon ideas from Episode 1, 2 and 3, Clone Wars, ect. Became cannon as Fan Service. Many of the rule of two Sith that are cannon where originally Legends Characters, many of the planets where once only Legends cannon, heck even the Sidious cloning plot point of the horrible Episode 7, 8 and 9 where Legends Cannon.
Yep, Emperor Reborn, Luke's dark side brush and so on were in the Dark Horse Comic series I think.
I never had the chance to read them, but those elements were mentioned in one of my favorite books, Vision of the Future, when Mara and Luke are discussing nature of the force and light/dark side stuff .
(I LOVED The illustration of the or crushing facility and unable to hear the songbirds due to the noise. And how the more a person drew on the force for raw power the less able they were to hear inspiration and guidance from the force.)
I liked the I, Jedi version of how lightsabers were made most.
One of my nitpicks I've always had even when I was like 12 years old in the 90's, was how Force users corner the market on plasma swords. I am sure the elegant sabers need the Force to put together and assemble without tools etc. But any military / war like race would have taken lightsabers of fallen Jedi / Sith, and reverse engineered something. Even if it was something bulky like the original proto sabers that had large power packs and a power cord to run them etc.
The Dark Saber was supposed to originally be a Vibro Blade, but Lucas didn't think a Vibro Blade could block a light saber.. (While electric sticks are just fine ...)
Also- You are right about fencing. Dooku's saber is made for a fencing style. While it is not in the movies so much, EU and even Disney Fighting styles. Form 2 Makashi, is based off of fencing and is specifically made for defeating / killing other lightsaber users. Dooku's saber in lore was created to benefit that style. It was also a big of a hint in the EU that maybe he was not a good guy. Because why would a Jedi in ages of Peace where the only Lightsaber users are other Jedi, need a saber style made just for defeating them.
im pretty sure since its "lightsaber energy", the entire blade can cut.. its just that with the shape of the blade it just feels better to cut with the "edge".
i'd say that to support this theory is other media that has black core white core lightsaber crystals seem to be the same crystal in the darksaber, just not shaped as the darksaber. the darksaber's blade shape seems to be cosmetic only
Problem is there is the clip with Mando fighting Paz and the flat is on his arm not cutting or doing damage 👍🏼
@@ScreenTestedthe scene on the catwalk? Beskar is lightsaber resistant and you also see it temporary leaves the area red hot
Tyranth is the man!
The weight thing is only ever shown with the darksaber. And it's more like the crystal in the saber connects with the user, and if they are not clear on their purpose, or have a heavy heart so to speak, the crystal makes the saber seem heavier than it should be.
I love the type of the video
I thought even in the Mando Show they didn't explain the "heaviness" as a problem of being a force user or not, but that the Darksaber picked up on conflicting emotions and motivation and would oppose a wielder who wasn't sure of what they were doing. So, Pre Vizla, Moff Gideon, etc... were committed to their course of action, and even Finn was committed to protecting Rey. However, Din and Paz were in turmoil over losing their clan's main hideaway and what their course of action would be going forward.
Cool talk ! And I also get excited about cool packaging
I think the weight of the blad is nothing to do with the forse abilty of the user but the mind set of the user. How attune and conetend it is
Counterpoint for indexing (lightsabers in general):
You may not need to know where your edge it,
But knowing where your on and off button is seems kinda important.
Excuse for edged saber (silly but eh we could make up some BS):
If I am not mistaken,
the same amount of the same plasma with the same thermal energy condensed into a smaller space should seem hotter on contact.
A very small amount of thermal energy condensed to a small point can create high temperatures. The punch of a mantis shrimp creates light brighter than and heat hotter than the surface of the sun in a very tiny space.
Taking a large amount of thermal energy and condensing it into a very small space should have such a result.
If we assume the dark saber is very very thin or that the apparent flat of the blade is just a visual side effect and the edge is the only cutting plasma, with the same energy as a normal lightsaber that should be even hotter.
Someone check me if I'm wrong, i have too much of a migraine to look into the actual math.
Well, Idk if I'm right or not, but I think the jedi's can activate or deactivate their light saber with the force, and they can protect their light saber with their force to avoid others to deactivate their light saber.
i always thought it was baised off a cutlass type design or maybe a messer design myself.
It has a tsuba tho? , feloni gave Ahsoka “katana” style hilts his production are is Japanese based , his training scene in Ahsoka has bokkens and kendo style gear the dude seems to be into samurai and bases a lot of his stuff of that.
Indexing.... a flat sided object would be more comfortable dangling from your belt.
Han Solo also used a light saber (not to fight) in The Empire Strikes back to cut open the tauntaun on Hoth. I mean, it's just a tool.
I do see the narrowing adjustment that Han made to the light saber which made it a better (finer) cutter for that purpose. Perhaps the dark star saber works (or could work) similarly focusing more energy to the edge than the wider light saber edge profile. They could make that into something.
When i was writing a fan fiction, I kind of assumed through a technicality that lightsabers had a slight gravitational pull that could be interpreted as weight when being wielded. I also wrote in that this pull is different for each lightsaber as their calibration is customized by their owners.
Funny cuz a lot of people think the dark saber is like the greatest lightsaber but may I suggest a video idea could you do a video on halos energy sword
17:37-17:46 The problem with that (in-lore) is that a lightsabre's primary use in combat is to deflect blaster bolts. A fencing-type style would be practically useless for that.
Honestly, any lightsaber type weapon, other than maybe a spear, would be a pretty bad weapon for a non-Jedi. It's a weapon that has an above average chance of hurting its user and nearby friendlies, because of that 360 degree blade that cuts through anything. And that's why the spear is a maybe as well... definitely don't want to be using that in formation, for example.
I completely agree with your stance on the dark saber Tyranth. Did you know there was a black bladed lightsaber in the game "The Force Unleashed 1 and 2" long before disney got their hands on the franchise. Also, my theory of baskar is that it has its' own magnetic field which repels the containment fields generated by lightsabers much like trying to push both positive poles of two neodymium magnets together.
The blade of the Dark Saber should have an omni directional blade because its made of plasma.
It doesn't matter what side you use, its all plasma.
There is the scene when Mando and Paz are fighting and the flat is on his arm not cutting or doing damage. 👍🏼
Flipping it over makes sense because the "button" to turn it on is set for the trigger finger that way.
I agree 100% that the primary inspiration is a katana but I think the tsuna very loosely has the start of an inspiration from a Cavalry Saber cup, but without the full cup protection
The Rebels episode Trials of the Darksaber (S3E15) does a decent job at explaining the weight discrepancy. Sabine points out that it's heavier than she thought it'd be, a common observation most non force users make when first holding a lightsaber, and Kanan explains that she has to attune to it to effectively use it. Sure enough, the more she uses it and the more accepting of it she becomes, the easier it is for her to use. Din never wanted the responsibility it came with, so he was never able to properly connect with it. The way Kanan talks about it, it's a safe assumption that all lightsabers work this way, the Darksaber is just harder because of the one's own mental blocks regarding that specific saber. That same episode also shows the "flat" of the blade cutting through Sabine's gauntlet when she gets careless.
I tend to agree with the fact that the dark saber is really uncomfortable and awkward. I hate the handle . Also I have to say that I agree with the fact that lightsabers have low weight and that's why I believe that Vader's saber was meant to be handled by the bottom of the hilt where the rubber is. Reason being that u get the most range out of the sword while the ignition button, or slide, is within thumb range. The rubber prevents slipping. Thanks for the video Tyranth! Btw I love your saber choice. I woulda picked mace windu's as well 👍
One weapon I would request for you to test out given the franchise’s 30th anniversary is Fulgore from Killer Instinct and his Quad Blades. I’ve seen you guys test out Wolverine’s blades, but never something like Fulgore’s duel wielding gauntlet blades. It would even be neat to see if you guys can create a similar style helmet from an actual medieval knight helmet.
Did you also look at carrtoons were darksaber debut?
Like, I watched the video and I hear your points and all that but my thought is "...but it looks cool." And that just kinda trumps all the points you made. 😆
The only thing having a specific edge would theoretically make sense for, is if it concentrated the plasma and made it cut with more intensity
I agree with what you are saying. However to be fair the reason in universe for the overall design and blade style is because it is mandalorian. It fits the culture and combat style. Is it ideal? No but it fits how their people would be trained with basic metal weapons.
Spongebob-ass meme there, buying something for the box.
I think looking at mandalorian weapon design may help inform us about its design choices and bring shad along
Because it's not a Lightsaber. It's this cursed object that has a hybridized physical/energy blade instead of a pure energy blade.
It’s my first time seeing this, and yes: space katana. I thought Dooku’s saber looks like it makes you forcibly “index” even though his “blade” isn’t shown having an edge.
I get it. I agree. I think it's suppose to be hard to use though. Like its creator made it different to stand out. Also, I think it gets heavy for people who are force sensitive. They feel the weight of its history, I think.
ive always wanted the counts lightsaber, a curved hilt and form 2 is the absolutely the most satisfying way to duel
I could develop my own 'Head Canon' about the blade:
It was made by the only known Mandalorian Jedi, and they are most used to fighting with physical weapons, like swords with actual sharp edged blades.
I could see the Dark Saber intentionally being made like a physical blade, focusing its cutting power into the edge, making it much stronger than an 'average' Saber when cutting along that edge, but in exchange for making its 'sides' almost useless to cut with (but still good enough to block another saber and blaster shots).
Also, something I just remembered: The Mandalorian managed to damage his leg on the flat of the 'blade' in one of those episodes of "Boba Fett" he hijacked, so there is damaging power going through the 'flat' sides.
You see Din Djarin accidentally "cut" himself with the "flat" portion of the blade, so technically yes, it's like the standard lightsaber in that regard. Lore-wise, the reason it's got a visual edge it's supposed to be stronger than the standard lightsaber, potentially even being able to cut through Mandalorian Beskar, or at least cause more damage to it than a regular saber. (Ashoka clashing with the beskar spear vs Din clashing with the same weapon is a good example of it as with Din, you can see it heating the singular point much faster while Ashokas blades barely sparks against the spear. Also, keep in mind that the lore regarding beskar states that it will stop a lightsaber with little to no damage and will even reflect blaster fire.
The Dark X design from Sabneo fixes all the issues of the Darksaber. It even has the option to orientate the activation button either on top or bottom.
It's a specialised weapon that doesn't make it worse than a standard saber, just different
7:00 It's still a dual edged blade even if it's designed with a dominant side. the blade is tapered not curved (you'll not that in certain depictions even standard lightsabers have tapered tips)being shorter and flatter and thus more concentrated. The weapon itself is designed specifically to be more effective against beskar than other lightsabers yes a beskar forge melts the metal, but if you compare Ahsoka Tano vs. Morgan Elsbeth duel and Dinn vs Moff Gideon you'll see the difference in effect between th standard saber and the DS. . From handle to tip, is made by it's original creator to match and maximize their specific fighting style, so it's the handle was hypothetically made to suit a specific style of combat. In rebels and the clone wars shows we mostly see it being wielded one handed alongside standard mandalorian weapons or with an energy shield, so reverse blade attacks would be far less prevalent, whereas yes most traditional sabers are used two handed. Most mandalorians don't fight like samurai but instead incorporate a lot of tools in combat from, grapnels to flamethrowers and wrist darts. And unlike most sabers it has been seen to draw energy and even light from its surroundings.being shorter and flatter and thus more concentrated
The darksaber is fine as a fantasy weapon, and I agree turn the guard around and extend it. For the hilt shape, I prefer its hand feel to the others as it is oblong. So I would say level out the guard, keep the oblong handle and go with a standard lightsaber blade and you have one of the most comfortable lightsabers you can hold.
Lightsaber weight has been changed a lot through canon. At first they were completely weightless so having the force made it easier to not slice your own limbs off. I don't know if its specific to the darksaber but in a rebels episode where sabine is training with the darksaber she says its a lot heavier than shed have expected. I also imagine the force helps compensate for for this but its definitely not needed as its just another weapon.
And to your point about it being flat is stupid. Yeah for the most part youre right. The only thing i can think of is that lightsabers arent all powerful. They dont cut through all heavy materials like butter. I imagine having a proper edge would make its cutting abilities a lot stronger. And the shape isnt anything really lore breaking. Theyve had weird shaped lightsabers in legends and now we have the lightwhip in canon which also makes zero sense.
I watched Star Wars in the Theater in 1977, so I've been a star wars fan for a long time. It seems to me that the Dark Saber is a throwback weapon. A weapon designed before the 'cuts in all directions' style of sabers were available. To me that is very confusing and in may ways silly.
I think just because the way you naturally hold it you’re never really gonna have a moment or opportunity to use the back edge, which is probably why we don’t see it obviously I’m just trying to make some head canon here to make logic out of space wizards sword made out of plasma.
Your indexing part of the video made me wonder if it would also be good for a "claymore" type lightsaber like kylo ren's, one that has "crossguard" vents/ports to help with their positioning, even tho the blade is a 360 cutting edge
I think, lore-wise, that the darksaber was made by a Mandalorian jedi, and its implied that he wasn't just taken as an infant. so, I'd think he has experience using metal bladed weapons, so he built a saber to match the already ingrained tendency to use edge alignment, and as another comment mentioned, the narrower profile on the edge may allow a better cut than a standard saber, as they always seem to have an amount of resistance when cutting, implying a "sharper" edge would cut more easily, while losing that 360 degree cutting edge. most jedi use a standard saber from youngling age, and I remember a legends book showing a young Kenobi having trouble when he's forced to use a metal bladed sword at one point.
Because it looks cool.
There are several lightsabers I find the design to be beautiful but not practical for personal reasons such as to slick with no gripping
@ScreenTested
Actually its definitely not a Katana design, its definitely a European or Middle-eastern design features that your discounting especially considering the Mandalorians were based on knights in armor.
Some designs that come to mind off the top of my head are the Falchion, a middle eastern Flyssa, and certain types of Messers.
Though admittedly they did a poor job of translating it into the lightsaber form I think.
I mean Dave filoni being a huge samurai fan and the literal tsuba and enough evidence?
It has literally no design cues from from either falchions or messers
@@ScreenTested It does if you look at some examples of the guards in particular from some german falchions (which also has that sort of S-guard shape starting from around the 1500s onward though on the Darksaber its too short to really do anything). They are also angled along the edge rather than to the sides and are a single edged. Though the blade profile resembles a Flyssa with how the blade sitcks out and isn't aligned with the hilt.
And it probably does take some cues from eastern swords as well but if you look up some of these examples you'll see where I'm coming from.
But I agree with you that the design choices they went with were a mismash of ideas that just didn't work well.
11:48 i think the flat would have to have some cutting ability because he twists it at the corners it may be extremely inefficient but it would have some that way
I agree the handle/hilt is funky; What REALLY bothers me, is the blade shape. More so, how tf is it Wider (how does the blade bit hang lower) than the hilt it comes out of??? The way it’s shaped looks like it A) shouldn’t fit in the hilt and B) looks like it’d cut the hilt if it was retracted…
My best guess is that since the darksaber in lore is a status symbol blade, maybe the single-edge-edness is more of a flex? Yes, *YOU* can use any weapon angle to fight, but *I* can and will beat you using only one.