‘Star Wars’ Owner Disney Developing A Real Lightsaber For Exclusive Theme Park Use

Star Wars owner Disney plans to build a real, functional lightsaber to enhance the audience experience in its upcoming theme parks. Right now, Star Wars parks are rising in Orlando, Florida, and in Anaheim, California. The two are 14-acres each in size and will offer two signature rides. These are the Millennium Falcon, and an encounter between the Resistance fighters and New Order troops.

Consistent with Disney’s continuing drive to engage all the senses of its captive audience at their theme parks, the patent to develop a working lightsaber was filed one year before the purchase of the lands set aside for the Star Wars project. This shows how serious Disney is about addressing an ardent dream, which according to the Daily Mirror, lurks in the heart of “most Star Wars enthusiasts when they were first introduced to a galaxy far, far away.”

After all, what is Star Wars without anyone wielding the Jedi Order’s classic weapon? Basically, a lightsaber is a laser sword, that is, it can slice someone or something into half with surgical precision. This is how lasers work in the medical field.

According to Disney’s patent application, however, the company, according to the source, makes certain modifications as follows.

“The patent shows a drone shooting a beam of light towards a person holding a lightsaber-like device. The drones that are set to fire the laser beams will use a clever projection system that will enable them to track the lightsabers.”

Disney Patent For Real-Life Lightsaber Battles https://t.co/CsfbeUSFwn

— Sky News (@SkyNews) August 19, 2016

So, in other words, the lightsaber that Disney is trying to develop, which will also be an available attraction at the company’s Burbank Hollywood studios, apart from the two Disney theme parks, is not going to be the weaponry in its most faithful description. Obviously, a lot of bad things could happen if real lasers were used. People could really get hurt.

A little boy was killed by an alligator recently at Disney World, reports Nature World News.

The entertainment empire probably doesn’t want to take any chances. Instead, according to the Daily Mail, “Haptic vest could be given to visitors to simulate the feeling of being hit.”

As Disney has stated, the Star Wars lightsaber that the company is developing is for its exclusive use. This means that individuals, as well as other entities, are free to develop their own lightsaber so long as they don’t utilize the same technology. The company’s design of its own Star Wars lightsaber may be a bit of a stretch.

https://twitter.com/JakkuOutpost/status/767064603188748288

But surely, no one can tell just how much the audience will enjoy the experience until the technology is actually up and running. For example, will taking a hit from a Star Wars lightsaber feel like a paintball shot or it won’t hurt at all?

One thing that the Star Wars owner assures everyone is that its own take on the Jedi lightsaber can “deflect real laser blasts from stormtroopers and Imperial ships.”

That certainly sounds like a lot of fun, especially when the audience can hear that buzzing sound whenever the Star Wars lightsaber encounters enemy resistance from another lightsaber or blaster bolt. It should feel like Luke Skywalker dueling with Darth Vader in Star Wars: Return of the Jedi.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BJWgkXWBFgY/?tagged=starwars

Disney has not yet given any hint as to when this exciting add-on will be fully operational. For some other feature details on what to expect from the theme park version of the world’s most beloved space opera, fans can consult the Orlando Sentinel.

No one knows for sure when the company expects to complete the Star Wars Lands. Theme Park Insider estimates that it might take between three to five years, based on the Disney track record with other amusement parks. A reader poll conducted by the source last year has the year 2020 at 42 percent.

That means that the Star Wars Lands’ inauguration could end up competing for attention with the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Four years is a long time, but then there are plenty of upcoming Star Wars movies to keep fans busy for a while. Here’s a schedule from Pop Sugar.

• Rogue One: A Star Wars Story: Dec. 16, 2016.
• Star Wars: Episode VIII: Dec. 15, 2017 (pushed back from May, 2017)
• Star Wars Anthology: Han Solo: May 25, 2018.
• Star Wars: Episode IX: 2019.
• Star Wars Anthology: Boba Fett: 2020.

Don’t forget to practice your Jedi moves while watching these movies, so that by the time the Star Wars Lands open, you’ll be the first ones to show off your impressive lightsaber skills.

Ever want to wield a real lightsaber? Disney might have you covered. #StarWars https://t.co/u43LZP6kw4 pic.twitter.com/4axEldqEdK

— The Cantina Forum (@TheCantinaForum) August 20, 2016

[Photo by Matt Cowan/Getty Images]