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As far as I can tell, many of the pics you have up there of the Ep 1 sabers came from the Episode 1 Visual Dictionary. I think there are even more in there that you don't have shown.
Alas, I haven't purchased the book, so I can't post them. I know Yoda's is official and it really is that small as shown in that book.
The reason for the similarities between Luke's saber from Jedi and Obi-Wan's from ANH is found in the book, Shadows of the Empire. Luke returns to Tatooine and constructs a new saber from instructions he finds at Obi-Wan's hut. Therefore, he is essentially rebuilding Obi-Wan's saber, but using a different crystal.
------------------ "A gathering of Angels appeared above my head. They sang to me this song of hope, and this is what they said..." -Styx
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Correct, there are two more sabres I didn't include, Ki-Adi-Mundi's and Adi Gallia's, basically because the upper row of sabers are all from the old films, and if I had put more sabres in the lower row would have been messed up. The other reason is that Adi Gallia's sabre is quite a small picture of the sabre so it would have been very mooshy if I had cut it out, plus it was hanging by her side, so the cuts of my cursor would have been far too obvious. The biggest reason the picture is incomplete is because I compiled it very spontaneously and for the hell of it. It wasn't supposed to get under a microscope.
posted
That's cool. I actually thought it was really cool that the book went into that much detail about the props used even though we didn't get to see them.
Here's a little question I have, in the interest of starting a conversation here: Why are the sabers from Ep 1 so much more modern looking than the ones from Eps 4-6 even though Ep 1 takes place before ANH?
I guess we have no way of knowing how Jedi design trends flow, but it would make sense that the newer they get, the newer they look.
Another behind the scenes question: I've heard that early in the shooting of the movie, Liam Neeson and Ewan McGregor were presented with a bunch of saber hilts and asked to pick which one they wanted to use during the movie. I wonder if the sabers we see on Mace Windu and the other members of the Jedi counsel are the left over designs that the two stars didn't want.
Two other things I've noticed: The design of Windu's saber bears a similarity to the tips of Maul's Saber. Also Yoda's Saber has the same look as the "newer" sabers used in Eps 4-6. What's up with that? Are the 4-6 sabers actually older designs than the Ep 1 sabers?
------------------ "A gathering of Angels appeared above my head. They sang to me this song of hope, and this is what they said..." -Styx
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1: Yes, it was wonderful to see all the tidbits and details in the book. I'm pretty sure we'll see more of the "unused" props in the later ep's.
2: Not a little question at all, Abe! This is what I've heard, and like to believe: The first movie presented us with the REAL Jedi-breed, who at the time was a universal organization of justice, peace-keeping and diplomacy. They were the "Holy knights" of their time.
So Qui-Gonn's and Obi-Wan's sabres, as well as the Jedi-councils's, were built by their owners in the Jedi Temple in Coruscant, when they were padawan's, apprentice's. The Jedi Temple had a wide variety of parts to choose from, and encouraged creativeness from the padawan's part. The visual dictionary suggests that sabres built in places other than Coruscant weren't as advanced. Although the overall culture of the galaxy seemed to be flourishing! When the Jedi were systematically slaughtered and the universe set in chains, most of the spirit vanished.
The real reason is of course that Lucasfilm has a slightly bigger budget now, and can hire some artists to create wonderful sabres, which I think is allright! They still like to be clever though. Yoda's sabre was built partially from parts of a flashlight, just like in the good ol' days!
3: I guess!
4: Yes, I have also heard of the way the actors got their sabres. But, true or untrue, I still think the right actors got the right sabres, so it doesn't really matter.
5A: Actually, Mace Windu had a different sabre during and after the movie. At some point though, they changed it to the saber shown in VD. Yes, it is from the same parts as Mauls, and No, no reason has been divulged. A picture of the real sabre can be found at the site linked by Frank, eight posts up.
5B: Yoda's sabre can be interpreted as evidence that the quality of the sabre ddoesn't depend on the year it was built. Many, including me, believe that Yoda doesn't have much need of a sabre, being one of the oldest and most experienced Jedi master's in the galaxy. It's more of a symbol, like a marshal's badge, if you forgive the likeness, although he's probably very well trained to use it. If you've played the computer-game Jedi Knight, you've probably been forced to respect the abilities of Gorc and Pic. Pic, being of the same race as Yoda, has quite a few advantages over normal-sized humanoids, his reflexes being the greatest.
I hope I have helped thee in thou quest to find clarity in the most thrilling and confusing world that is SW. I will now hop into bed as it is twelve o'clock in my continent, so adios and may some force be with you.
It would seem reasonable that sabres like Luke's which were essentially made from parts that he could find around Tatooine would look a little more 'hardwareish'. While the ones made during the golden age of the Jedi would have a more artistic and designed look to them.
That doesn't quite explain Yoda's sabre. While he doesn't use it that much, I would still argue that he carries it. At least I bet he has it on under his robes during Ep 1. His is very reminisent of both of Vaders sabres in eps 4-6. It has that Hardware look to it with the polished metal and what not. Yet, his was constructed when the Jedi were a free organization. Granted it was probably constructed decades if not centuries ago.
------------------ "A gathering of Angels appeared above my head. They sang to me this song of hope, and this is what they said..." -Styx
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all though you'd think a Jedi would never go anywhere, and I mean anywhere, without his trusty lightsaber, I think Yoda might be the type of Jedi that wears his lightsaber all the timesay for example "he might not have walked around Dagobah with his lightsaber, remember he suggested to Luke during his training that he wouldn't need his weapons.
------------------ "I'm not feeling alright today, I'm not feeling that great"
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I'm confused. If you think "Yoda might be the type of Jedi that wears his lightsaber all the timesay", isnt' that agreeing with the belief that Jedi's don't leave their sabres?
Anyway, he probably didn't need his lightsabre at his side on Dagobah. The planet was uninhabited, and beasts and predators he could probably have fended off with mind tricks or telekinesis if he got in a squeeze. And if Vader would've found him, I think he knew a sabre wouldn't save him.
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I was just wondering about the design lineage of the sabers.
If we can say that Yoda's was costructed a long time ago, then we'd say the hardware design is old.
Then the sleeker designs come along like Qui-Gonn's.
But then they apparently go back to a hardware look because of Vader's sabre which would have been constructed after he lost the one Luke ended up with. I guess the one Vader used in Ep 4 could've been one he stole from a Jedi that he killed. Maybe that Jedi's sabre was also very old.
------------------ "A gathering of Angels appeared above my head. They sang to me this song of hope, and this is what they said..." -Styx
posted
Very nice! Where did you get it? One theory states that a lightsabre can only have a red, green or blue color due to the limited variety of crystals you can use. If these colours are verified in Episode II I guess we can consider that theory PRETTY weakened!
posted
That's a groovy picture. What mag did it come from?
IIRC, though, those are simply the pics from the vis dic with a blade added in Photoshop. So the colors of the beams are probably not official. I think the "official" color of Windu's sabre is like a purpleish blue.
It'll also be interesting to see whether or not the sabre that Kenobi gave to Luke in Ep 4 is the first and only one Anakin had as a Padawan or whether he will show up with one that looks more like Obi-Wan's from Ep 1. If he does have newer looking one at first, he will have to loose it, build the one from Ep 4 and then loose that one too (probably in his battle at the lava pit with Obi Wan in Ep 3).
I've heard that the one's Vader has in Eps 4-6 were stolen from Jedi that Vader killed. ------------------ "A gathering of Angels appeared above my head. They sang to me this song of hope, and this is what they said..." -Styx
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There's a popular theory that a sabre only can have a red, green or blue color. Though a little dull, it hasn't been ruled out yet.
It certainly will be interesting to see what sabre Anakin builds.
I don't think Vader stole his sabre from another Jedi, unless it was a Sith knight. The sabrecolor-theory still stands. That is, that good jedi have blue, evil have red and undetermined have green. Luke's second sabre was green and he was at a crossroad in ROTJ. Qui-Gonn's also was green, and though it is my all-time favourite sabre, it COULD represent his diversity in the force. For example, he couldn't see the danger and fear in the boy, or chose to ignore it.
Why do you think Windu's sabre is purple? I really want to know!
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Well, I guess I'm a little wrong. Starwars.com says that Windu has a "blue bladed lightsabre". Personally, I like the idea that the crystal effects the color of the blade. I think that sabres are sabres and anyone can build them (although Jedi better than others). Perhaps the red color that most bad guys' blades seem to have is due to the techniques used in cutting the gems. Maybe they employ dishonorable methods or something. Not that this effects the color mystically or anything. Perhaps those particular techniques simply produce a redish blade.
The theory about the color being determined by a characters nature doesn't really make sense to me. Did Luke's sabre color change after ep 6 (in the books) after he became a full Jedi and firmly in tune with the Force?
------------------ "A gathering of Angels appeared above my head. They sang to me this song of hope, and this is what they said..." -Styx
This is what I've heard, and like to believe: 
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