Disney has reportedly revealed a "real" working lightsaber

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Your dream of becoming a Jedi may become a reality, or close enough at least

Daisy Ridley in Star Wars: The Last Jedi
(Image credit: Disney/Lucasfilm)

Disney has teased that the science boffins working on the company's theme parks have created a "real" working lightsaber. 

During a virtual press conference title "A Special Look Inside Disney Park", the chairman of the parks, Josh D’Amaro, reportedly lifted a lightsaber from a small box, turned the device on, and said: "It’s real." Those present described the lightsaber as functioning like the devices seen in the Star Wars movie, with a retractable light blade. There are no further details or any photos or videos of the new lightsaber, which was also reported on by Collider.

Presently, Star Wars fans can build their own lightsabers when they visit Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge in Savi’s Workshop, but they have plastic blades. There's currently nothing like what D’Amaro shared during the presentation. The tease, of course, has us wondering if Disney plans on making the retractable lightsaber available to the public. Disney’s upcoming Star Wars hotel, Galactic Starcruiser, could be a great way to roll them out to visitors since they’re already offering a lightsaber training experience during the two-night all-immersive adventure. 

In the past, Disney has filed patents for lightsaber-related technology. So, it’s not like any of this is far-fetched or wasn’t expected to happen eventually. The question is how "real" is the lightsaber shown by D’Amaro, and do we need to be mindful of where our hands are while wielding it since the force won’t be required to activate it. This could be a health and safety nightmare...

We'll have to wait a little longer for more details on the Jedi weapon, but the future is looking bright, or maybe that’s just the retractable lightsaber. For more on Star Wars, check out our article on all the new Star Wars movies and shows coming our way over the next few years.

Stephanie Williams

Stephanie is a comic book historian and pop culture critic for publications including SYFYFANGRRLS, Marvel, The A.V. Club, Nerdist, Den of Geek, and Rotten Tomatoes. Stephanie is also a comic creator with three ongoing webcomics, Parenthood Activate!, But What If Though?, and Living Heroes. She made her Marvel debut with a short story featuring Monica Rambeau in Marvel’s Voices: Legacy. She recently made her DC Comics debut in Wonder Woman Black and Gold #2 and is co-writing the Nubia and the Amazons miniseries.