A few weeks ago, news got out that, at “A Special Look Inside Disney Parks” press conference, Chairman of Disney Parks Josh D’Amaro had pulled a lightsaber hilt out of a small box and then turned it on, with a thin, apparently movie-accurate blade (in appearance, at least) rising from it in a way that had never been pulled off before without special effects. Now, in a brief announcement video for Disney World’s coming “Galactic Starcruiser” attraction in their Galaxy’s Edge Star Wars park, they’ve finally shown it off to the public, and it’s just as impressive as it sounded.
Yes, Disney is promising that what you see in the video above will be on display at the new Galactic Starcruiser “all-immersive, two-night vacation experience,” according to the Disney Parks blog. However, it’s unclear if the new, “realistic” lightsaber design is something you’ll be able to get your hands on, let alone own, as everyone has already begun speculating about.
The blog post revealing the news specifically mentions that, as park guests, you will “see it in action” and that “watching that lightsaber activate right before your eyes” will be part of the experience, but just exactly how close you’ll get to the magic yourself is still under wraps:
Yes, that’s a new type of lightsaber Rey is holding in her hand, created by Walt Disney Imagineering Research and Development. Guests who experience Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser will be the first to see it in action – along with so much more – starting in 2022 when this amazing new two-night adventure debuts. Watching that lightsaber activate right before your eyes will be just one of the countless ways that, from the moment you arrive to the moment you depart, you’ll be plunged into a Star Wars story where your decisions and actions – or even the casual conversations you may have – determine how your personal journey unfolds.
It’s also still unknown just how good this new lightsaber technology will be for doing anything other than looking movie-accurate as it extends and retracts, since the technology behind it makes banging two of them together in simulated battle seem unlikely to end well. Supposedly, they work somewhat like tape measures, with two pieces of curved, bendable plastic extending and retracting on a spool:
Next, widen the tapes and increase the curve, allowing them to partially wrap around each other and form a complete cylinder. Drive this system with a motor so both reels can be extended and retracted in synch at the push of a button. Now, you’ve got a lightsaber! pic.twitter.com/B3lLMmclDN
— Ben Ridout (@benridout) April 12, 2021
Did #Disney invent a real working #lightsaber?
Yes they did.
It won’t melt through metal blast doors, or cut off your hand, but it does feature an illuminated blade that will extend and retract at the push of a button.
This animation shows the concept behind the tech. pic.twitter.com/e7fwP06CxF
— Ben Ridout (@benridout) April 12, 2021
Still, Disney has certainly found the way to get our attention on this new park attraction on this fine Star Wars Day, and we’ll be watching closely to see if this is something we’ll actually be able to wield and maybe even own ourselves. Although, even if lightsabers like this do become available to purchase, getting that movie look just right is likely to run you several hundred dollars, based on what non-retractable high-end lightsabers already cost at Disney’s parks and elsewhere.
Galactic Starcruiser is set to open at an unspecified date in 2022.
(featured image: Disney)
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