Star Wars: Return Of The Jedi, Luke Skywalker Reveal Lightsaber

replica movie prop weapon

A storyboarded but unused scene from ROTJ depicts Luke, alone with his droids in a cave on Tatooine, creating his new lightsaber.  There was much speculation about whether the scene was ever actually shot and if so, what prop saber was used.  Elstree Props provided prop materials for E6, and years later claimed to have produced just such a saber for a cave scene that was filmed but left on the cutting room floor, and thereafter ultimately lost.

In 2007, two fantastic looking slightly different mechanically complex sabers purported to be originals were available for sale online, for big money.  However, their authenticity has always been in question, in part due to prior dubious prop sales by certain former Elstree principles. The evidence against: a. One Elstree reveal has been shown to be identical to a fan-made prop created in 2005. b. Another Elstree reveal saber has electronic components that appear to date from later than 1983. c. The Elstree sabers have a green crystal, while Luke’s saber was supposed to be blue right up until post-production. d. In 2010, a clip demonstrating that the missing scene had indeed been shot was unveiled to the public by George Lucas; however, the saber in use did not appear to be one of the Elstree reveals.

Whether based on an original prop or an ingenious fake, this all-metal aluminum and brass replica, handmade from 75 individual parts, is a work of mechanical art in its own right, and functions exactly like the ‘original’.  Telescoping twist-lock articulations separately reveal the piston and crystal chambers, operating with satisfying precision and the sound of metal on metal. The emitter cover slides forward smoothly on an o-ring to reveal the emitter elements, and the control box cover slides back revealing the internal control circuitry.

By Rylo.