Highlights
- Could a lightsaber theoretically deflect the Death Star’s superlaser? Fans speculate using kyber crystals and Star Wars lore.
- Fans discuss the possibility of a giant lightsaber blocking the Death Star blast – an intriguing concept with potential hurdles.
- Despite challenges like size and positioning, the thought of a lightsaber deflecting a Death Star superlaser holds fascination for Star Wars enthusiasts.
The Empire doesn’t want anyone to know about this one simple trick. Imperial scientists hate it. But the question remains: can a lightsaber theoretically deflect the planet-killing superlaser fired from the Death Star?
Star Wars has seen its fair share of technicalities over the years, even nearly from the start. “Technically” Darth Vader really did kill Luke Skywalker’s father, from a certain point of view. But as the decades have piled up, such things have expanded from simply explaining away plot discrepancies to offering up fantastical new ideas. Viewers regularly pick up on tiny details and expand upon them well beyond their original scope, bringing to life tons of Star Wars fan theories that occasionally affect the official canon itself. But this particular discussion might be a bit much even for the franchise’s wildest moments.
Fans on the Star Wars subreddit recently brought up a simple yet delightfully unhinged thought regarding how the Death Star’s superlaser works. As many now know thanks to certain plot elements in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, the laser is powered by kyber crystals, the same natural formations that make lightsabers do their thing. Among other attributes, one “thing” lightsabers excel at is deflecting blaster bolts as well as clashing with other lightsabers. So seeing as how two lightsabers can collide and bounce off one another rather than passing through, couldn’t a big enough one (made with enough kyber crystal energy) theoretically be able to block the giant blast from the Death Star?
Well, at first glance, it seems like the only hurdle would be the size of the lightsaber blade itself. While Star Wars canon hasn’t messed with that idea much, stories flying fast and loose with the source material like one in particular from season 1 of Star Wars: Visions technically open the door to new possibilities. The short in question is “The Twins” from Studio Trigger, which notably features one character supercharging his lightsaber enough to cut clean through a Star Destroyer. Despite the over-the-top nature of the short, it’s definitely enough to raise up a tiny possibility in the minds of fans. At least, it is when those same fans aren’t making admittedly chuckle-worthy jokes about how, technically, the laser was already blocked… by Alderaan.
“They would need an equivalent mass of kyber crystals to do that. That’s a big lightsaber. Plus they don’t need a lightsaber to do it. They blocked it fine with Alderaan”
The other hurdle would be ensuring the lightsaber is perfectly in the path of the already eccentrically-designed Death Star’s laser, and even more importantly, making sure it isn’t deflected into some other poor world. After all, it fires from a considerable distance, which adds plenty of variables when it comes to positioning. Even with a big enough blade, there’s a very real chance the wide beam of the superlaser could still glance off. Well, one fan theory going around is that lightsaber blades attract each other, offering a nice in-universe explanation for all the exciting lightsaber duels in Star Wars. If that property comes from the kyber crystals, then maybe it would also apply to the superlaser.
It’s a fascinating idea, and one that would be incredibly engaging to see tackled in a Star Wars version of Mythbusters. Just imagine space Adam and space Jamie renting out an entire solar system to test this one out. At the very least, it would still be less controversial than The Rise of Skywalker.
Source: U/JawBreaker0602|Reddit
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