In the Star Wars 7 teaser trailer, we see a new, unknown Sith Lord roaming a wintery forest before revealing a strange, forked red Lightsaber. Many fans at first were confused by the design of this new Lightsaber, but upon further investigation we now have a name for it.
It's called a "Crossguard Lightsaber" and according to the Star Wars Wiki the Crossguard Lightsaber was rarely used in any of the expanded Universe and is described as "essentially a regular lightsaber with a second blade emitter protruding near the first one at a 45-degree angle to the axis of the hilt. The blade the second emitter emitted was dagger-sized. Roblio Darté's hilt was also built with a slight curve.". This unique Lightsaber model was apparently developed during the Rise of the Empire era.
But, since the Episode VII teaser landed online last Friday, fans have been critisizing its design and claiming that the wielder of such a Lightsaber would be at risk of slicing their own hands off while attempting some of the saber-wielding techniques seen throughout the previous films. It's assumed that the two additional blades running perpendicular to the elongated blade are used like knives, however some also argue these could simply be vents which help keep the Lightsaber from overheating, since it could be engineered with a more powerful crystal.
Earlier today, 9Gag posted the following photo created by one Star Wars fan, outlining how the Lightsaber's design could be improved to work more practically. By angling the two shorter blades upwards, it could act as a means to prevent opposition's sabers from sliding down and dismembering the wielder. Check it out:
It's unlikely Abrams will alter the design of this Lightsaber for the film's release, but it is amazing to see the different interpretations this one scene from an 88 second teaser reel has had in just the last 3 days.
What do you think of the Crossguard Lightsaber? Do you think it's an impracitcal design? Let us know in the comments section!
