One of Luke Skywalker’s most controversial lines inStar Wars: The Last Jediactually serves as an homage to the earliest drafts of the originalStar Wars, which was later retitledA New Hope.The Last Jediwas a controversialStar Warsmoviefor quite a few reasons. From the ways it changed Luke’s character afterReturn of the Jedito the ways it diverged fromStar Wars: The Force Awakens,The Last Jedistepped on quite a few toes. Many viewers had problems with the movie, but one line in particular caused a lot of those issues.
After Rey Skywalker found Luke on Ahch-To inThe Last Jedi, she asked him to join the Resistance. Luke responded by saying “I’m going to walk out with a laser sword and face down the whole First Order?” which caused a bit of uproar. Many viewers thought that it was strange that Luke would call lightsabers “laser swords,” given all the knowledge he had of thevarious lightsaber typesand his experience using them. Though many thought the line was disrespectful to one of the most iconic weapons in sci-fi history, it actually paid off a big part of the early script forA New Hope.
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The Term “Laser Sword” Was Used In A New Hope’s Earliest Drafts
In the early drafts forA New Hope, the iconic Jedi and Sith weapon wasn’t called a lightsaber. In fact,George Lucas didn’t come up with the term lightsaber: it was Alan Dean Foster, the ghostwriter of the novelization ofA New Hope.Both Lucas and early versions of the script forA New Hopecalled them laser swords instead, and Foster began using the term lightsaber to better explain how they work. Luke’s use of the term “laser sword” inThe Last Jediis a tribute to the earliest origins of lightsabers, but it wasn’t the first - or last - time that term would be used.
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Laser Sword Is Becoming A More Common Term In Star Wars
SinceThe Last Jedi, the term “laser sword” has become increasingly common.SinceThe Last Jedi, two other characters have called a lightsaber a laser sword: Din Djarin inThe Mandalorianand Hunter inStar Wars: The Bad Batch. Based on the fact that both Din and Hunter weren’t very familiar with the Jedi or the Sith, “laser sword” seems to be a sort of slang term that the franchise has introduced. It would make sense for there to be slang about lightsabers as well, given the legendary status the Jedi had inStar Wars, especially after Order 66.
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The term “laser sword” hasn’t just recently been introduced toStar Warscanon, though.The first time anyone referred to a lightsaber as a laser sword on-screen was when Anakin Skywalker first met Qui-Gon Jinn inStar Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace. SinceThe Phantom Menacewas released in 1999, it predated Luke’s use of “laser sword” by over a decade in both real life and in theStar Warstimeline. It also serves as further proof that “laser sword” was a slang term used by people with little experience with the Jedi, as Anakin was still just a child at the time.
Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace
Cast
Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace is set in a galaxy facing political turmoil, as Jedi Knights Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi seek peace while encountering Anakin Skywalker, a slave with great potential in the Force. Meanwhile, the Sith begin their resurgence, threatening the stability of the Republic.
Though “laser sword” seemed like an ignorant term inThe Last Jedi, it actually has some deep roots both within and withoutStar Warscanon. It’s also exactly the kind of deep-cut reference that should have served as a love letter to longtime fans, yet it wasn’t received that way. In that way, Luke’s reference to laser swords works as an example of both the backlashThe Last Jedireceived and the ways it was misunderstood. A reference as deep as Luke’s “laser sword” line proves how much loveStar Wars: The Last Jedihad forStar Wars.
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