At the rate we’re going, people are going to be complaining about Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ crossguard lightsaber until the next full trailer is released. In the meantime, Popular Science asked several expert swordsmen from different disciplines to weigh in on two questions: whether the three-bladed lightsaber actually requires a crossguard, and if so, how to fight with it.
In Japan’s Toyama Ryu Battodo style, swordsmen use katanas without any crossguards. Instead, they parry their opponents’ strikes before they can land. Parrying with a katana, writer and practitioner Charles Q. Choi explains, is all about pushing your sword at your opponent to prevent yours from getting pushed back.
However, devotees of historical European martial arts (HEMA) train with the German longsword, the crossguard of which they definitely utilize. While they can block swords with the crossguard—as Star Wars fans have assumed will be the case with Kylo Ren’s weapon—practitioners sometimes also turned the tables. It was not unusual for a swordsman to grab his longsword by the blade so that he could use the crossguard (sometimes spiked for just this purpose) to catch in his opponent’s armor or simply for bludgeoning. Of course, that’s not very feasible when your sword can lop off your fingers.
PopSci has videos of both methods of swordfighting for you to compare. Here’s hoping the next The Force Awakens trailer features actual lightsaber fights!
So what’s the conclusion here? Lightsabres have got along without crossguards for almost 40 years, and some RL sword techniques for a lot longer than that. And some of the pro-crossguard techniques we’re shown here are completely useless when your sword’s blades are made of space-lazurs. It hasn’t really provided an answer that hasn’t been given already.
I’m a little less sceptical about it, or that the main reason *isn’t* “duh-hurr it’s kewl”, but I’m still sceptical.
And I guess the only response to Stephen Colbert is, “who’s scruffy-lookin’?”
There’s actually a whole host of techniques that rely on the crossguard existing, not just the couple they demonstrated in that video.
The Popular Science article is rather dumb. Why discuss the whole grabbing the blade to attack with the hilt maneuver when that’s, as they say in the article after detailing it, impossible with a lightsaber?
The problems with the crossguard are pretty clear. You can badly injure yourself and an enemy’s lightsaber would cut right through the metal that projects the energy for the crossguard.
I think this is one of two things. Either an art department design decision that no one thought too much about or the first of many groan-worthy “kewl” lightsabers we’re going to be subjected to.
Unless, of course, that material for the crossguard is beskar or a cortosis alloy.
As much as I like the cortosis alloy argument (or other EU material) it fails on two points:
1) Why not just make the entire cross guard out of that material as it would seem impratical to use it as a offensive weapon in 99% of most fights
2) Its in the EU, and Disney has list this as non canon for the movies.
They of course could reintruduce it in the movie to make it part of the new star wars canon but that still leaves problem 1
Basically it was either a stupid idea by art deparment or someone in production who didn’t think it threw, or a stupid idea by a character who didn’t think it through and that is a character flaw they have.
Yes, because we all know, no one ever designs a weapon to look cool at the expense of function, except for virtually every fantasy sword ever made.
Yeah, no. It’s still a stupid looking lightsaber.
I think the “you can badly injure yourself with this” argument kind of falls apart for me right around the moment that the weapon is a lightsaber in the first place. The regular lightsaber represents a serious threat to personal safety, and the only explanation for how Jedi don’t constantly lop things off accidentally is that weilding one safely requires a heightened force sense — which would also explain why non-Jedi don’t typically use them.
So as long as the heightened force sense is ALREADY giving Jedi the advantage to weild the already ludicrously unsafe thing safely, I don’t see why the crossguard would represent any additional danger. It could even offer some close-quarters offensive possibilities.
Also, I’ve noticed that it calls back kind of cleverly to Luke in the old classic Star Wars posters (in some his lightsaber has a kind of starburst emanating at the hilt, and others have a much more dramatic energy beam perpendicular to the main blade — GIS it).
If it just exists for defense, then it seem pretty questionable. It could have some interesting offensive capability, especially if the sides could be extended independently.
Guuuuuuuuuuuuuuys
It’s an ancient Sith warrior come back from the dead or from an ancient long-lost Sith planet or some-such… the lightsaber is actually emitting some sort of exhaust due to the less efficient overall design. Can you all please stop being such big babies, now.
Here’s another video of a HEMA practitioner:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QsRVcmEG3VY
Gest of the story: the cross guards won’t hurt yourself unless you’re stupid (having practiced a bit of longsword myself, I agree; even though I am not very good, I have never hit myself with the crossguard), the only really weird thing is that the part of the crossguard is metal, that makes it pretty pointless.
Overall, I’ve come to the conclusion that it looks rather cool.
I imagine that it’s main “in-universe” function is intimidation.
I think this guy saw the original starwars movies so he didn’t wan´t to lose a hand :P
As a martial artist who primarily do swordplay, I would NEVER use a sword without a guard if I had a choice. Fingers are just way too important to lose them, and even with a guard, you can get your fingers hit easily. Kudos on them making a sword that is allot more logical.
Does a crossguard makes more sense in a sword? Yes. Does a crossguard made of sharp metal (like, basically, two knives) makes sense in a sword? No. It can look cool, like spikes on shoulderpads, but it’s not really functional.
As someone who’s been studying and teaching HEMA for 20 years…
1. Even traditional Japanese swords “without crossguards” still normally have hand protection. It’s called a tsuba.
2. Crossguards were often spiked or sharpened to be used offensively, especially for longsword. There’s a lot of historical sources for this, such as Lichtenauer or Talhoffer. The pommel (bottom of the handle) was also used and is the source of the term “to pummel“. When you’re in a life or death fight, you use whatever you have to not die.
I always thought that lightsaber combat was more a manstifestation of Force ability rather than technical prowess as in “I’m more powerful in the Force, so I’m better at the saber.” If that’s the case, a saber can look like anything and still be effective.
Personally I think the best argument has been Stephen Colbert’s. The horizontal beam is a single continuos beam, and the little metal bits are to protect his hand.
maybe he just wants to lessen the possibility of his hand getting cut off, like Anakin, then Luke, then Vader….
I really don’t get what the big fuss is about. There are many many different styles of swords, why not the same diversity in light sabers? As with any martial art, from boxing, to judo, to tae kwan do – the style matters less than the proficiency of the person that weilds it.
A person who is a proficient boxer could knock out someone who is a half assed tae kwan do user. (And vice-versa)
The same is true of sword designs.
Worf could do more with the smaller mek’leth than most could do with the larger, seemingly more powerful, bat’leth.
It’s all in the individual’s prowess, not in the particular utensil used.
Star Wars: Episode VII Lightsaber Crossguard Tested – Is It Dangerous?I am a Swordsman my self and demostrate the idea begind the new lightsaber!
http://youtu.be/PLzvznM2dDo?list=UUNz5BlP5XafcfOWGbxCAgxQ
That’s a good video Thrand Godfrey@20. Properly wielded as is demonstrated, the crossguard isn’t dangerous to the wielder. The big question, as mentioned, is whether it can be cut or not.