It’s May 4th aka The Star Wars Day and with a new video showing the lightsaber in action, Disney has made this day more special, and finally showing off the first look at its “real” retractable lightsaber, which the company began teasing in April — and to be honest it looks really, really cool and epic.
Like the crackling energy blades in the movies and shows, the new toy lightsaber does not need any awkward plastic prop blades, instead featuring a retractable light-up blade that stretches out from the (otherwise pretty normal-looking) hilt.
How its Works – Still Unanswered
Although the announcement doesn’t go into great detail on how the retractable sabers operate, some clever internet minds have pieced together a rough idea based on Disney’s patent filings. The new blade functions in a similar way to a modified, motorized tape measure, retracting and extending a sheet of plastic and using LED lights to simulate the ignition effect.
Will be part of Upcoming Star Wars
The new sabers will, as planned, be part of Disney’s forthcoming Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser immersive hotel, which aims to build on the initial concept of its Galaxy’s Edge park into a two-night interactive Star Wars adventure in the Westworld style.
New Sabres Still Under work
The new sabers are still in the works, according to Walt Disney Imagineering Research and Development, but they should be available for purchase when the Galactic Starcruiser hotel experience opens in 2022. Of course, there’s no word on pricing yet, but considering that Disney’s “standard” lightsabers are now $200 each at Galaxy’s Edge, expect the updated ones to be in the same ballpark (if not more).
[…] The Hacksmith team previously established a Guinness World Record by developing the world’s first retractable proto-lightsaber. […]