The April issue of JB Hi-Fi's free Stack magazine has three Star Wars related items in it:
An one-page article entitled In Praise Of: An Elegant Weapon for a More Civilised Age all about the lightsaber on page 18 (in the last issue it was The Eighty-seven Musketeers).
According to the Top Ten Best Sellers at JB list on page 46, Star Wars: The Old Republic is in the number 4 slot (behind #1 Mass Effect 3, #2 Street Fighter X Tekken, #3 UFC Undisputed 3).
A brief blurb about the Kinect Star Wars game on page 54.
Kinect Star Wars
George Lucas has spent years messing with the Star Wars trilogy ... and those other three flicks. Now it's your turn. Gamers have never been starved for Star Wars releases, but whether good or bad, they've all lacked the ability to feel like you're using the Force rather than just stabbing a button to initiate it. So, all hail Kinect - our conduit for all things Forceful! Yep, it's time to ditch the controller, get in touch with that inner Jedi and go the FZHWOOZH with your lightsaber, shoom around in X-wings, podrace like mad, go speeder biking and, erm, shake your groove thang for Jabba the Hutt (seriously, we're not making that up). Authentic characters and locations abound, and if you get bored with making nicey-nicey, you can always dance to a different song and go Rancor rampaging, smashing it up 'til there's nothing left.
In Praise Of: An Elegant Weapon for a More Civilised Age
If the knights of Camelot were defined by the broadsword, then the Jedi Order are defined by the lightsaber. It is this sacred tool wielded by an ancient sect that brings antiquity to a story immersed in cutting edge space travel and technology. The lightsaber and its Jedi Knights bring spirituality and soul to the Star Wars canon.
Originally associated with the Jedi, it was - according to Star Wars mythos - actually the Sith who were responsible for shaping the weapon we now commonly associate with the series. The original Jedi lightsabers were generated with belt powered packs and attached to the hilt with a lead. However, the means of powering the blade with a crystal or power cell was developed by the Sith, who also designed the schematics for the first double-bladed lightsaber.
But not any Tom, Dick or Harry can wield these sophisticated weapons. The lightsaber is a weapon forged by the Jedi at the end of the extensive training cycle and is a portal for the user to become attuned to the Force. It requires perfect balance, dexterity and confidence to operate. The standard hilt is approximately 30cms long and the power crystal that give the blade its colour is contained within. A belt hook is fixed the the end of the stock and situated along the hilt are the on / off buttons. A blade of over one metre long is projected through the crystal and will cut through most materials.
Influenced by the swashbuckling Saturday matinee movies of his youth, George Lucas conceived the idea of using swords in the original Star Wars from early in the story's development. By turning the weapon into a "lazersword", the director believed that it would better reflect the futuristic setting of the film. Lucas originally intended for Rebel and Imperial soldiers to be armed with a lightsaber, but as the storyline progressed, he decided to restrict its use to the Jedi to individualise the enigmatic Order - and disciples of the Dark Side of the Force.
We are initially introduced to the Jedi's weapon when a weary Obi-Wan Kenobi pulls Anakin Skywalker's lightsaber from a wooden chest in his hut and hands it to Luke. The young Skywalker stands up, activates the lightsaber and a blue blade buzzes to life with a hum that will become familiar to millions.
Throughout the ensuing series of films, the lightsaber becomes a symbol of the struggle against an evil tyranny. Fighting with it is an art form, a balletic combination of gracious manoeuvres that echoes an age that has long past. The lightsaber is a weapon of tradition, a symbol that commands respect even in a technologically advanced world. Without the lightsaber, there would be no Star Wars. The weapon is as synonymous with the universe that Lucas created as the characters that he populated it with.
Did You Know?Revenge of the Sith features five lightsaber duels - the most in a Star Wars film.
