Since hitting the big screen in 1977, Star Wars has gone on to spawn 12 films in its saga as well as numerous spin-offs – with George Lucas’ creation becoming a worldwide cultural phenomenon.
Of course, in the 48 years that have passed since that original movie – later renamed Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope – technology has progressed rapidly. It prompted one fan and film buff to explain how the Jedi weapon, the lightsaber worked in Star Wars’ earlier productions in times of rudimentary special effects.
Christopher, known on social media as Magnify Videos, took to TikTok to reveal all. “How did they make the lightsabers work in Star Wars before computers? he asked. “Before CGI they used real sticks that spun really fast and were covered in reflective tape.”
However, Christopher pointed out that the actors were unable to hit each other very hard for risk of the sticks breaking, and so in sequel, The Empire Strikes Back, they switched to animation instead. “They drew coloured lines over the plain sticks frame by frame,” he continued. “Then when they scanned it in, they put gel on the lens to make it look glowing.”
Christopher went on to point out that he had to find footage from VHS tapes to showcase how it was done, as the original Star Wars trilogy has since been remastered with lightsabers added to each film digitally. “These are now the only versions available for streaming,” he said.
Christopher closed by urging his followers to “tag Disney” and request original film footage – including scenes without a CGI-generated Jabba the Hutt be made available for viewing. “They could make it available as a bonus feature,” he suggested.
“Maybe for May the fourth [a well-known Star Wars pun on ‘May the force’] this year.” Responding to the video, one TikTok user pondered: “Maybe that’s also why in the original ones the fights were slow and appear that sabers are heavier, but in the newer ones they make tricks and things like that.”
A second person praised: “Great video and a great idea bring back the original Star Wars.” A third cursed: “I hate that they only include the updated version. They erased so much technicolor history from their old Disney movies too.”
However, a fourth individual pointed out: “Star Wars had one of the earliest examples of CGI! It wasn’t ‘before’ CGI, it was just really early CGI, and the lightsabers were beyond the capabilities of CGI of the time.”
Elsewhere in the Star Wars universe, after three years of patience from fans, Lucasfilm’s Emmy-nominated thriller, Andor is making a return for its conclusion.
As war looms on the horizon in the Disney Plus spin-off series, Cassian Andor becomes a key figure in the Rebel Alliance. This season will showcase the political unrest and betrayals that set the stage for Rogue One: A Star Wars story.