ALL lightsabers should have THIS!

ALL Star Wars lightsabers should have this!
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#lightsaber #starwars #sword

[@gfmol845]

"You are not going to hit yourself with a lightsaber crossguard!" Me: *Discreetely hides away the lightchucks schematics*

[@Brandon-dg9lu]

You'll poke and eye out.

[@josephthibodeau9725]

@@Brandon-dg9lu Technically you'd poke your eye in

[@lukeblundell5610]

@@gfmol845 I think the best thing to do with that would be to immediately throw them at an opponent and hope they are stupid enough to turn them on and try use them 😂

[@curtisbeattie5571]

"I think it actually makes sense to just pretend that Disney Star Wars are not canon riiiight and ignore them." - Shad Wise words.

[@davidmcaninch4714]

Disney Star Wars *IS* canon now, and unfortunately, we just cannot ignore the fact that basically every single Star Wars movie, the original 6, they sadly all lead to the crap that is the sequels. And the disrespectful sequels fans will stop at nothing to keep it that way. The sequels shills, oh, they’re much worse. It’s almost not worth thinking about what they’ll do. Star Wars is dead, and we should just let it rest in peace.

[@SolinOutlander]

"No this isn't a video from two years ago" *Two years from now* O RLY!?

[@elios7623]

that hand montage was hilarious

[@Don-Scrima]

Yes, but I don’t think it really helped his point because none of the examples would have been prevented by a cross guard.

[@JonduGaming]

@@Don-Scrima If you watch the Grevious vs Kenobi fight, Kenobi does slide his blade down while in a bind at least once to disarm the General. So in that case, yes a crossguard could have helped.

[@pRahvi0]

@@JonduGaming On top of that, the other cases might have benefitted from a cross-guard too but in the absence of one, they had no reason to be holding the weapon in a way that would use cross-guard as a defence - because there is no cross-guard to use.

[@JonduGaming]

@@pRahvi0 Very true

[@Blotshrafn]

I would say that in lore it makes perfect sense why lightsabers with crossguards are so rare in the canon. The main reason for a crossguard is to protect the hands in combat with other swords or lightsabers. However... Since the fall of the sith and the start of "the rule of two" with Darth Bane, a thousand years before the movies, the Jedi became the main users of lightsabers (and in some cases melee weapons in general) in the Galaxy... Sabers with crossguards were way more common in The Old Republic. But when the Jedi then had monopoly on the use of lightsabers and the fact that the vast majority of the threats they faced was blasterfire, it would stand to reason that the design of sabers with crossguards fell out of fashion over time and almost forgotten about because that they were not useful in defending against opponents at range.

[@thegreatangel8251]

Nailed it

[@babilon6097]

This would make sense if not for Old Republic Jedi using the same design. But this might be just a modernism (modern game makers including anachronistic lightsaber design because they don't know any better).

[@dony2852]

I would say a part of it was likely for convenience. Jedi tended to do a lot of undercover work. A lightsaber with no guard is easier to hide and won't get caught on their robes as easily.

[@LastGoatKnight]

Yeah, I'd wager to say that it became nothing more than a ceremonial sword. It can do its job but why bother when the mere sight is enough to stop the majority of threats

[@LastGoatKnight]

​@@dony2852good point

[@Schlumpsha]

Crossguards? On my lightstick? Heresy!

[@Cosmodjinn]

Practicality is a pathway to many things some might consider... unnatural.

[@patrick_j_lee]

Wrong space fantasy franchise.

[@TheExecutorr]

@@Cosmodjinn is it possible to learn such power?

[@ZoggFromBetelgeuse]

As a fan of Halflife, my favourite weapon would be a lightcrowbar.

[@ccelik97]

In a *Sharknado* movie they have a *LightCHAINSAW!*

[@VegetaLF7]

Personal shields are rare in Star Wars but they do exist. In the new canon we see Mandalorians have deployable energy shields built into their bracers of their armor that can be activated and deactivated at will with no physical frames when shut down unlike the Gungan shields. In the old Legends continuity the Hapan Prince Isolder has a personal energy shield he likewise can deploy in an emergency from a device worn on arm. This would allow for a properly equipped Jedi to have a sword and shield option.

[@rolandswift4311]

The old canon explained there absence with technical limitations regarding power inificiancy. Basicaly; anything that could meet the power requirements for a personal energy shield was either to big and heavy to be reasonably portable for the average person, or could only power it for a very brief amount of time. The handfull of options that solved those two isues where volitile, rare, and/or non-shelf stable, with the substance the Gungans used actualy being all three.

[@rawrxdtonepforme9360]

​@rolandswift4311 that and shields strong enough to protect your whole body from modern blaster weapons bombards your body with a fuck ton of radiation.

[@johannesseyfried7933]

​@@rolandswift4311It's even pointed out in SWTOR when one of your enemies thinks a personal rayshield will make her untouchable. "You might have destroyed all my droids, but what will you do now? I still have my personal rayshield, which makes me untouchable." "You DO know that those things only last for a few minutes, right?" *Rayshield fizzles out and deactivates* "Oh. Uhm, okay, this is pretty bad."

[@Blisterdude123]

Energy shields were a thing in the KotOR games, but they mostly worked to deflect blaster/ranged weapons. Which was the game's way of explaining why so many characters would use melee weaponry in Star Wars still in a mechanical sense.

[@IncognitoActivado]

@@rolandswift4311 That excuse is bad, bro.

[@mattcat83]

In lore lightsabers stick to the other lightsabers when they block, increasing binds; they don't run down the blade to the hilt like a sword.

[@kelaarin]

Remember the proverb: Lore today, Disney'd tomorrow.

[@Ptaaruonn]

Since the lightsaber blade is omnidirectional **kicks the mandalorian darksaber down the Death Star Shaft** shouldn't they use a tsuba like handguard instead?

[@Blindy_Sama]

Perhaps or I agree with the idea of a complex hilted lightsaber like something like a swept Hill or even a Cutlass Hill. A tsuba might work but I think I wanted to be a little bit larger in diameter or if not that then perhaps some small projections out of the tsuba maybe ever so slightly curved upward from it. Bring up the fact that the blade is omnidirectional is an excellent point though.

[@aidragon4851]

I don't think the omni direction would make a tsuba more prefered. Regular crossguard is better and there is then an option to offend not on a dominate end.

[@marhawkman303]

@@aidragon4851 Well Lucas actually said once that the round shape was actually just a fluke due to the way the special effects came out and the original idea was flat blades. So Dark Saber IS the right shape. That said... I have to question why lightsaber shapes are so simple. an integral guard as a flare int eh blade would be a huge advantage, but I guess the idea is the tech doesn't work.

[@ogmiy]

@@aidragon4851 But what if opponent rotate lightsaber by force? Tsuba will protect, but not regular one.

[@RoninCatholic]

@@marhawkman303 To me it makes more sense for lightsaber blades to be stuck at pretty simple geometric configurations - rods, cones, flat blades, etc. and not really able to do curved or swept blades. Not that people who made secondary materials cared about this, given the wide array of blades across the novels and videogames. Lightsabers are always about coolness first, then practical considerations made up to justify the coolness. Which is another reason they should have crossguards. Crossguards make swords cooler and more sword-coded.

[@janregenda5573]

Even a crossguarded lightsaber is no match for the full might of the Living Force! 😶‍🌫️

[@lukeblundell5610]

I think eventually Shad will move from lightsaber to lightspear... The reach and 'all about stab' but with an effective slash and you'd struggle to stab yourself too.

[@Gordulan]

Why stop at light-spears? Go all the way with a 20 foot long light-pike.

[@KeelHeel]

And suddenly we'll be talking about shotgun blaster supremacy

[@lukeblundell5610]

@@Gordulan absolutely - and historical inspired too!

[@darthbane5357]

Yes, but then we have the issue of needing lightsaber resistant material

[@IncognitoActivado]

YES! That sounds awesome, bro!

[@jonathangrey2183]

Every metal is to a certain extent resistant to lightsaber. And just delaying a lightsaber impact for a few tenths of a second would be enough.

[@Kraleck]

The in-universe problem with a lightsaber crossguard isn't so much the method or the materials themselves, but the accessibility to the latter and the practicality of the former. On materials alone, Beskar is highly coveted by Mandalorians for improving their armor and they will fight for every scrap of the stuff. Not to mention they see Beskar weapons (even ones as simple as spears) as a form of blasphemy and will make every attempt to reclaim it on-principle. Method-wise, an energy shield would be difficult to keep compact and still project what you need for defense or would have parts easy for an opposing lightsaber to cut, disabling that defense. Then again, if you have an energy shield to block lightsabers, why not just go whole-hog on the shield alone?

[@Aravaganthus]

You could line the crossguard in some sort of ablative material that can only take two-three hits, which is still a considerable upgrade

[@babilon6097]

In KotOR and Jedi Knight games you have shields all right.

[@DBArtsCreators]

Nevermind that in the Star Wars universe energy shields do exist, and Force users specifically have access to powers that absorb energy (preventing any slips or grazes from removing their hands). Most hands getting cut off with lightsabers involve aimed strikes just below the wrist against an off-guard opponent as well - I don't think a guard would have helped in any of those cases.

[@johannesseyfried7933]

There are also other materials, but those are all very rare, expensive and difficult to mine.

[@IncognitoActivado]

Disney's Star Wars is not canon, bro.

[@dansithlis5862]

This is where a good sized Tsuba would work on a 360° cutting sided blade as a guard or a cupped guard. There were light foils for dueling in some star wars circles in nobility duels. My ideal lightsaber would actually be a warsword sized long hilt. It would need to be dual phazed for using a shorter blade in tighter areas and a longer blade in open areas. It would have a disk guard light a oversized Tsuba. Cortosis, beskar/mandaloria iron, or phric for material to resist melting...and if it did malfunction from hitting similar well it still works like a disc-mace in melee, just hit them with the guard.

[@naxmorvigatore4168]

I love that Shad did his homework and is self aware that the problem with lightsaber resistant materials is that they're so inconceivably rare and expensive to obtain let alone work with that most people don't even know if they exist, where they exist, don't wanna bother getting them because it's dangerous etc., like it's just not worth it... but also something has to give when everyone's hands keep getting cut off, and sadly energy shield bracers just ain't good enough XD

[@charliedulin]

Except he stopped short of understanding the Kylo saber and its cross guard blades

[@fi0062]

It actually is fairly well explained in books (which Tbf are mainly legends now) why cross guards aren’t found on lightsabers. Kyber crystals are drawn to one another in a way that when the blades lock they become harder to slide against one another. If you look at all of the clips of people losing their hands most of them are after their opponent hit the blade away with a strong hit and does a wide sweeping movement (besides Grevious and arguably Dooku’s scene).

[@TheVisualDigitalArts]

sticky swords

[@IncognitoActivado]

Books don't explain the reasons about WHY the lightsabers don't have crossguards anymore, so no.

[@Koushakur]

6:07 Can you guarantee that will literarily never happen though? Not even _once_ during training or combat? Because even just one singular accidental slip-up could mean a lost hand when it's a lightsaber blade we're talking about, that's one hell of a risk to go "well it won't happen to you" on.

[@babilon6097]

Both Skywalkers did fine despite lightsaber-related limb deprivation.

[@DZ-X3]

"If ever you gamble, my friend, eventually you'll lose." -Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn. I can understand their stance, from the perspective of people who've spent decades not caring if the crossguard touches something. There's just no way to simulate "if this crossguard gets anywhere near you, at any point over the next 900 years of your career, your hand is gone". It wouldn't be worth the risk to Jedi during training, let alone in actual combat against a Sith lord. Maybe if you set up a wager where losing forces Tyranth to put on this fluffy pink mitten, and it absolutely cannot be taken off under any circumstances, until twenty years from now. That kind of incentive might come close to the "actually, that might be inconvenient, maybe I won't take that bet" threshold. But even then, it wouldn't be a credible risk because you can still take the mitten off if you feel like it.

[@Uncephalized]

No, it would absolutely happen. These guys are both thinking in terms of accidentally stabbing or cutting themselves with a normal blade. With a lightsaber you can't even let it touch your clothes. Normal longsword stances and cuts put the cross guard in contact with your body from time to time. It's not a problem when the quillons won't burn your skin off 😂

[@perceivedvelocity9914]

The "I don't like hands" montage killed me. Well done.

[@rolandswift4311]

They did approach lightsaber design from a logical historical perspective, just not a European one. George Lucas took a lot of his inspiration from old samurai and kung-fu movies, so the primary inspirations for the fighting style and design of lightsabers were more along the lines of Chinese and Japanese martial arts and sword design and refined through input and testing by actual practitioners of those martial arts. From there; They actually mapped out the technological development of lightsabers, and how the martial arts evolved alongside them.

[@ntvirtue]

Lightsabers had no crossguards because for 1000 years jedi never fought against someone else that had a lightsaber other than training with other jedi.

[@Blisterdude123]

If you read the Tales of the Jedi comics, you can see some of the REALLY ancient lightsaber designs were a little more artistic, with design flourishes that tended toward the more 'sword'-like.

[@IncognitoActivado]

That sounds __________.

[@strateg2828]

in high republic they used them and that was 200 houndred years before prequels no conflicts

[@DIREWOLFx75]

And lightsaber resistant materials are expensive and rare...

[@IncognitoActivado]

@@DIREWOLFx75 That's not an excuse either.

[@javiersavala2385]

There is a hidden canon reason the Jedi of the prequels never used crossguards. During the Era of the High Republic, 800 to 30 years before the movies jedis were able to be more creative with their lightsabers, which included the use of both types of lightsabers and even a rapier saber like you mention. But during the Hyperspace crisis and war against the Nile, the Jedi enforced the creation of battle-style sabers, similar to the sabers we are familiar with. But once these crises ended they never reverted the rule, and the most stylized saber was Dooku's dueling style saber.

[@javiersavala2385]

if you want to know more watch Star Wars Explained's video: "Why Lightsabers Became Less Ornate After the High Republic"

[@mattmcc7930]

I just always assumed that Jedi used a type of force shield around thier hand to keep the saber from hitting them. Or that the sabre 8tself had a built in force cross guard. IDK

[@Wright805]

You are correct. Jensaarai1 explains in one of his videos that the electromagnetic containment field that forms the blade also acts as a hand-guard.

[@DrFranklynAnderson]

My favorite crossguard saber is Stellan Gios’ design. The crossguard is still a beam, but folding metal quillons keep the hands safe when activated.

[@solastro5595]

I feel like a rapier stance makes it harder to deflect blaster bolts.

[@viktoriyaserebryakov2755]

Then obviously don't try to rapier poke a projectile.

[@Wright805]

Exactly. Why do people keep forgetting that a lightsabre's main purpose is deflecting blaster bolts, NOT fighting other guys with lightsabres.

[@LuciferSpiro1993]

10,000 Jedi, 1000 years, and all the hands were lost in a 30 year window. Most involving the same guy. You only need a crossguard if you know/fight/are Anakin.

[@sharemation5339]

8:49 Lol, i'v been doing this for the last 15 or so years.

[@TheNynrahGhostJo]

5:20 It’s kinda funny to think that the existence of training mode means that a lightsaber like Kylo’s could just have the energy quillons set to training mode instead of being fully capable of harming like in the film. 2:30 Gungan bubble shield technology could make that possible, and Mandalorian shield tech would also work for a tsuba or disc guard as well.

[@bloodnight26]

Lightsabers in lore used to be common around the times of the old republic but as the Sith vanished, the requirement for a saber designed to duel another saber became rare, leading to Jedi not selecting the design as most saber use became ceremonial. Also as Kanan specified the blades are drawn to eachother, the magnetic pull would mean the blades draw to other blades, often meaning blade sliding would be harder to do as the energy is locked in place to bind them. The side shrouds of the emitter exist to stop a persons hand touching the side blades, often safe as a lightsaber blade would be drawn to a lightsaber blade.

[@khodexus4963]

In legends canon, cross guard lightsabers were quite common before the end of the New Sith Wars around 1000 years before A New Hope. But afterthe war, there was a series of reforms, and one if those was that Jedi were no longer allowed to be politicians or have their own armies, and giving up "dualing" weapons was part of that. For 1000 years the Jedi didn't fight any enemies that used lightsabers and therefore had no need for guards on their weapons in their role as peace keepers. Dooku believed the Sith were returning, and studied dueling forms more than other Jedi, which is also why his saber had a curved foil/rapier grip (also because Christopher Lee was an Olympic fencer), and he even wanted to put a guard on his saber at one point, but was forbidden by Yoda from doing so. I guess he never got around to it between leaving the Jedi and his death. Might have saved him if he had.

[@kamenriderkfp6684]

A Curved Lightsaber with a swept hilt would look so good. And being what could be considered the Dueling Lightsaber it would make sense to have added hand protection

[@Blindy_Sama]

That would be cool I refer to Anja and her lightsaber from the young Jedi Knight series of books I believe the blade was straight though but I think it had a Cutlass or rapier Hill loved the idea of that as a kid reading those books

[@yakirfrankoveig8094]

​@@Blindy_Samai think he meant curved hilt like dukoos

[@lukediehl1210]

Check out the unused concept art for Oppo Rancisis' lightsaber. Curved hilt with a knucklebow.

[@Riku_Light]

@@lukediehl1210Who? Never heard of em.

[@lukediehl1210]

@Riku_Light Bearded snake dude on the Jedi Council.

[@rainbowmoon1461]

I think we’re looking at this a little to much from a metal sword perspective. Lightsabers are so much more than just a sword. Talking about using the cross guard to block another lightsaber, but you really wouldn’t want another lightsaber that close to you. If a lightsaber even touches your hand it’s bad..

[@FiliusFidelis]

When discussions on this subjects come up I tend to remember Margaret Weis's "Star of the Guardian". They had a kind of lightsabers. They were partially powered through internal powersource and partially via nanites in the bloodstream channeling the body's energy. It could either cut, or shield, but not both at the same time. Shielding took twice as much energy thus favouring the more aggressive attacker.

[@qwefg3]

I agree with lightsaber resistance metal. I find the lightsaber cross guard with lightsaber beams useless due to one simple reason. Too much space between the cross guard hilt and the beam. If the lightsaber lock and slide then it will slide through the beam hilt side guard rather than the hit the beam block. Reason why I state lightsaber resistance material... The pure resistance is hard to come by and make, but there are materials that can slow it down... And those short few seconds are the difference between burn marks and missing hands.

[@Real-Grandpa]

they have stated somewhere in canon that the blades lock together somewhat like a magnet, i imagine that info combined with the blades never sliding againt eachother that they probably dont.......maybe xD

[@charliedulin]

The metal bits are there to keep your hands safe from touching your own blade(s) lightsabers hitting there if they cut through the metal would only impact the blade(s).

[@IncognitoActivado]

That is the worse excuse I hear so far.

[@qwefg3]

@@Real-Grandpa Seen far too many times the blades lock before a flourish removes a hand. Trusting the lightsaber blade bits to not drag the blade to your sword especially when you have the side beams so close to the main beam feels like risk. As what is keeping the side beams from being affected by the main beam or ensuring the beam hits the cross guard beams rather than the blade emitter?

[@qwefg3]

@@charliedulin I was referring to a lightsaber resistant material or something like the gungan shields or something akin to the blast doors in episode 1. It doesn't completely stop a lightsaber, but hopefully buy you enough time to prevent losing a limb.

[@Spyronius45]

if I'm remembering correctly the reason Kylo Ren even has a cross guard is because with the stupid way of making a red crystal by making an existing crystal bleed with the dark side somehow making it turn red, there was a better way before that made so much more sense in legends where the sith made their crystals with a special furnace and the dark side topic for another day, is because he actually cracked his original blue crystal when trying to make it bleed and so he had to put the guard on it so that the excess energy could be vented and not make the lightsaber explode which is why his lightsaber looks and sounds like it's unstable and could combust and any moment

[@Wright805]

You are correct on every count.

[@shawnwolf5961]

Shad STILL hasn't learend that Kylo Ren's "Crossguard" isn't a projected beam, but the excess heat of the weapon's older design being vented lmfao. AND TYRINTH DIDN'T MENTION IT EITHER! What the hell bizarro universe am I living in???

[@Wright805]

Tell me about it.

[@SPARTAN22294]

3:57 Shad: It's a trope in Star Wars how often people get their hands chopped off. Me: That's very true except for the Sequel Trilogy.

[@FISHYFILMPRODUCTIONS]

I'm so glad you mentioned cortosis. No ome ever talks about it. It actually shorts out the blade so it's "better" than beskar.

[@rolandswift4311]

It's also highly irradiated in its unprocessed form to the point of lethality to even the highly energy and radiation resistant Hutts, shorts out energy-based mining tools, and is hard enough to render most mechanical mining equipment inoperable in an incredibly short amount of time relative to how much usable cortosis they're able to extract.

[@johannesbowers7467]

The problem is it is less lightsaber "proof" than it is just a gimmick. The Cortosis is ACTUALLY CUT as it shorts out the blade and is therefore an ablative protection that is damaged thru use. The longer the fight, the less you have to use after repeated strikes. That and the shorting out is temporary. You have to move fast to take advantage of an opening so created.

[@IncognitoActivado]

Beskar? What is that?

[@johannesbowers7467]

@IncognitoActivado aka Mandalorian Iron. An "almost" lightsaber proof material preferred by Mandalorians over "regular" armor materials for cultural and practical reasons.

[@IncognitoActivado]

@@johannesbowers7467 And?

[@mattmaple7032]

In legends there are lightsabers called lightfoils. They are small one handed dueling sabers that had basket hilts. Basically rapiers.

[@The_Squatch_97]

One thing I never understood: why don't the Jedi use shields? Not only would a lightsaber esque shield would be perfectly in line with Jedi philosophy, but it would also be easier to block blaster bolts because they wouldn't need to flourish it at all, just hold it up and your good

[@DBArtsCreators]

Force users have access to powers that shield them from damage from any source; what's the point in equipping a physical shield (which will limit your mobility / range of motion) when you can just reinforce yourself with the Force's energy absorption?

[@babilon6097]

Because they are cumbersome and for the Jedi the benefit is too small?

[@Wright805]

The Jedi are meant to be keepers of the peace, not soldiers. A shield is something you use on a battlefield where you need serious protection. It's the same reason they don't normally wear armour. A shield and/or armour presents an overly martial image. It makes one seem like they EXPECT trouble. Why would you need all that protection if your goal is to avoid conflict? Plus there's the fact that training to deflect bolts with a lightsabre is a great way to develop and hone one's connection to the Force. It's why even non-combat focused Jedi train with them and one of the tests they have to pass is the Trial of Skill. It's a test of concentration and focus, both of which are very important to all Jedi. They don't want to make it easier to block blaster bolts because that would dull their connection to the Force.

[@sephiroth6839]

Form 2 Makashi(Doku's style) is a dueling based form that came after From 1 Shii-Cho(Kit Fisto's style). Form 1 was basic straightforward, think kendo. It relied a bit on the novelty of having a light saber and basic movements. Form 2 was developed to fight against Form 1 and was essentially with a rapier. The form that come after solve differnt problems. Form 3(Kenobi's style) is meant to be highly defensive as a lightsaber is also a mobile shield if your perception is good enough, especially against blaster fire. Form 4(Yoda's style) is in contrast much more offensive and uses the force to augment movement where 1 & 2 do not to that level. Form 5(Anakin/Vader's) was developed my form 3 users who instead of waiting for an opening, the would combine perception with agression to keep enemies pinned down on the defensive then create openings. Form 6(No remarkable ppl from the movies) was a combination of all of them, lacking the strengths and weaknesses, whil combining force push and pull to a greater extent. And Form 7(Maul & Windu) was super rare and mostly a Sith form that used the darkside for hyper aggressive acrobatic movements. The Windu version used the darkside but only let it pass over them, not through and was almost unbeatable. Needless to say, they thought of using it as a rapier. When you add blasters, along with vast differnces in force powers, specializations and personality, hold it like a rapier and poke them isn't valid nearly as valid as you think. Its like saying why don't wrestlers just do blast doubles, cause there are counters and counters to counters etc.

[@SuperAnime4444]

The jedi counsel probably frowned on cross guards because before Palpatine revealed himself, they thought the Sith were dead and there were no threats of Lightsaber to Lightsaber fights. So, the Jedi looked down on features and fighting styles that were solely for Lightsaber duels.

[@krustycrusader1184]

CROSSGUARDS YEAHHHHHHH

[@TheHeroicE]

Wouldnt you want a rapier-like guard? Considering that would be the optimal fighting style for light sabres, anyway?

[@angrybirder9983]

Yes, but. Yes, you could make a lightsaber with a cup/swept/clamshell hilt or maybe a basket hilt, but these have two major disadvantages: They make it a lot bigger. A retracted lightsaber is usually incredibly compact. Add a big wide hilt and it stops being compact. A simple cross guard would at least be flat. It needs a lot of lightsaber resistant material. Maybe you can barely afford the beskar to make a simple cross guard, but don't stand a chance to get enough beskar to make a swept hilt.

[@Wright805]

No it would NOT be "the optimal fighting style for light sabres." Such a style would be useless for a lightsabre's main function, which is deflecting blaster bolts.

[@TheArthoron]

The other consideration is the lightsaber hanging on your belt with a cross guard becomes a thing, guys. Run with a metal lightsaber hanging from your belt, with and without cross guards. You'll need beskar cups and thigh plates!

[@TheArthoron]

You are thinking combat. Two-dimensional thinking. You have to think about the whole experience of carrying one all the time.

[@GAJake]

Just make them fold up…

[@diddly-squat9332]

I do agree with your points, but I have to say two things. Number one. Physical lightsabers existed in the original lore (they appeared in "Jango Fett: Open Seasons" and are mentioned in "Darth Plagueis"), they were just extremely rare. Number two. When it comes to crossguard lightsabers, please use the original design, the one with the side emitters pointing fourty-five degrees (or so) upwards, the Kylo Ren one is an embarrassment on every front.

[@IncognitoActivado]

Books don't explain the reasons about WHY the lightsabers don't have crossguards anymore; pass.

[@diddly-squat9332]

@@IncognitoActivado probably because they were introduces in the early 2000s and there was no time to fully commit, before the acquisition.

[@IncognitoActivado]

@@diddly-squat9332 Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight. ;)

[@MAOofDC]

According to the old Star War RPG books lightsabers all have a cross guard formed by the blade itself. The blade is made up of positivity charged particles. The negatively charged particles produced by the lightsaber form a small invisible disk just above the emitter. Because of the negative charge it literally repels lightsaber blades away from the handle of an active lightsaber.

[@Wright805]

That's right.

[@shrapnelbmg6267]

I always just figured cross guards aren't standard on lightsabers because the energy blades bind against other lightsabers. We never really see blades sliding down another blade. They bounce off on quick hits and bind on pressure. Maybe the magnetic fields that hold the loop of plasma in place can be the reason this is evidently true, causing the blades to "stick" to each other on prolonged contact🤔 some kind of electro-magnetic effect

[@Kishqui]

A friend of mine came up with the idea of a basket-hilted lightsaber. The basket used Gungan shield technology, so it was also useful for blaster-fire. (and looked cool!)

[@ihtfp01]

Wait... I thought Kylo Ren's light saber was like that according to LORE because his kyber crystal was damaged or defective and needed an extra way to vent energy. That's why his blades seem so ragged compared to other sabers. Why is my brain like this...

[@shanus11]

I just commented this, i also thought this, its exhaust im sure

[@Wright805]

You are correct.

[@whatthefilmwtf7171]

Maybe not Darth mauls

[@jonatassoares5318]

Looks awesome with the guard! But I think that making a cross guard from a material that can resist the heat of a lightsaber for milliseconds is way easier than one that can trap the blade for longer, so maybe that's the reason a curved cross guard wouldn't make sense. Also, hello from Brazil! English is not my first language, so, sorry for any mistakes.

[@Serahpin]

Lightsabers don't need crossguards because the magnetic containment fields bind/stick when they hit. You can't scrape a lightsaber with a lightsaber.

[@procow2274]

Why Disney specifically? Lightsaber resistant materials predates them

[@alexandercross9081]

I like the idea of a small ray shield disk on a light saber. Particularly, as I recall an episode of Clone Wars where there were riot control droids who had energy shields that they passed the bussiness end of blasters through, and could fire effectively

[@IncognitoActivado]

Cool.

[@capacamaru]

You know, it's relatively easy to add in a lightsaber effect these days with a bit of work. I have an example of such where I added a lightsaber effect to a shad video on my channel, if anyone's interested in that kind of thing.

[@AintsofunSCDG]

A cross guard made of Beskar, perhaps ?

[@IncognitoActivado]

Cortosis is better.

[@spudley_1_325]

Plot twist: Disney only gave Kylo a cross guard so he could stab Han with it.

[@KainzMusic]

None of the hands chopped off sequences would have had other outcomes with a crossguard. Why not an enlarged cotorsis/beskar steel tsuba (a la shinobigatana)? Given that lightsaber styles are drawn mostly from stylized kendo/kenjutsu the cross guard wouldn't work. Crossguards are largely a European device, which worked well with the European sword styles.

[@kronosaur417]

Yes the cross guard is far more practical, but I think that (retroactively) the basic “tubular” design, which looks a lot like standard equipment, was meant to help hide the lightsaber in plain sight for Jedi out on assignment with their simple monk like clothing and nondescript equipment help them blend in with the general populace, (obviously Anakin was able to recognize the lightsaber that Qui-gon was using) for the unobservant, a less conspicuous design is more easily overlooked, dueling wasn’t a major concern for most Jedi due to the rarity of lightsaber and lightsaber resistant weapons in the hands of the common criminal and evil despot, whose conventional blasters usually weren’t a match for the reflexes of a Force wielding Jedi and their blaster resistant weapon.

[@ChefBeagz]

Crossguards are kinda pointless on lightsabers IMO. Since all, if not all but a few, metals can be cut through with another lightsaber.

[@tmtsky]

Jedi are not fighters or soldiers. Their mission is not to draw their sabers and chop stuff. They only use their sabers when they failed all the options before resorting to violence. And they extremely rarely face an opponent with a lightsaber. So they do not need crossguard, wich would render their -rarely used- sabers clumsier and heavier. Only the 'bad guys' Sith want to face Jedi, so they have better weapons because their objective is to face someone with a lightsaber.

[@TheLuconic]

Wow Shad to this day can’t let go of the whole lightsaber design.

[@Blindy_Sama]

Anjas lightsaber from the young Jedi Knight book series she came in near the end of the series... Put the lightsaber she had I believe had either a Cutlass or a rapier hilt I would absolutely love to have that as a replica

[@bladewraith1580]

Surely... if you add a shield to the lightsaber. You'd have it cover the forearm as well? Lose hands or forearms being a common risk among lightsaber users...

[@thenight527]

i have a design idea. a single bladed lightsabre with a duel phase function and slightly longer handle, by two to three inches. and a cross guard made of cortosis or beskar

[@kevinmorrice]

cortosis wouldnt work, so a crossguard wouldnt have enough surface area for the metal to disperse the energy which is how it shuts off lightsabers, beskar is the best bet, even a small amount of it can block lightsabers edit: cortosis needs a large surface area to disperse energy, narrow cross guards would be useless lumps of brittle metal

[@thenight527]

@@kevinmorrice true. maybe a thicker cross guard or even a basket guard if you can handle the extra weight but i would also go with beskar as a alternative.

[@marcogenovesi8570]

if you can just use lightsaber-resistent material, then whatever goes

[@IncognitoActivado]

@@kevinmorrice Whatever you say, bro. :)

[@benedict6962]

@@kevinmorrice do you have a link for this? I've found VERY conflicting information on cortosis limitations

[@0142Jason]

Never understood why Lightsabers didn’t have Crossguards. There are plenty of lightsaber resistant metals in Star Wars (eg: Phrik) and while they are rare and expensive. The Jedi are small enough in number you’d think they would build there blades out of materials that can’t be cut through so easily.

[@billmelater6470]

I could see a case for concealment in some cases.

[@SolarDragon007]

Babu Phrik

[@rolandswift4311]

They're small in number, RELATIVE TO AN ENTIRE GALAXY. There's also the mater that many of those materials were monopolized by other groups, such as the Mandalorians who kept the knowledge of how to work them secret, and various star ship manufacturers who needed them to help build ships that could withstand the varied and harsh environments of both space and different planet's atmospheres.

[@rawrxdtonepforme9360]

As the guy above me said. But what makes it even worse is most of the light saber resistant/immune materials are TERRIBLE for lightsabers.

[@IncognitoActivado]

@@rolandswift4311 The mandalorians belong to Disney, so no.

[@TeKett]

My only knowledge comes from the movies and early games, so light Sabers cuts metal via heat, like a torch (like when cutting the blastdoors). So a heat resistant cross guard could take allot of strikes before even starting to deform or melt, since the hits would be glances and not prolonged contact. A glove could also fix or help the situation. The reason why droids are cut so easily is because of subpar material in order to mass produce them (they are just guns with legs after all, cant make them all out of expensive stuff, you need that for the ships). Why Storm and Clone Armor is so easy to cut could be because they where ment to fight blasters and not lightsabres, and they need to mass produce them. Why shields or forcefields (like on the Droidekas) are pretty much non-existent is beyond me. If i lived in the Star Wars universe, there is no way i would ever be a force user (the odds are practically non-existent). I would have a rifle with both blaster and slug modes with a riot shield all around it with a forcefield (full body protection and you can put the shield on the ground so the gun is mounted), and power armour (think fallout or 40k). The armour itself covers the melee, and i would have a blaster built into the gloves.

[@Wright805]

"Why shields or forcefields (like on the Droidekas) are pretty much non-existent is beyond me." Personal energy shields do exist in Star Wars but they're both rare and hugely expensive. You need a power source that can generate a shield while still being small enough to carry around. That seriously drives up the price. The other problem is that they very quickly become overheated. Within just a minute or two they become hot enough to burn human flesh (a problem droidekas don't have). Prince Isoldur (The Courtship of Princess Leia) had an energy shield disguised as a belt buckle. At one point he managed to turn a negative into a positive by using the overheating buckle as a weapon and his attacker got his face burned off.

[@gummywurms226]

In Highschool (2006-ish) I was writing a sci-fi epic where the main character had an energy "sword" that had a retractable cross guard. I use the term sword loosely because it was more of an unholy amalgamation of a sword, blaster and spear/staff. It's basically the Lance from Andromeda who had a lovechild with a lightsaber.

[@merakimelodies8931]

I love lightsaber-videos like these! 😊

[@sabaziosthorn7259]

Great product, bought a pair for my son's 9th birthday. Really impressed with the quality. Although the top cap on one of the blades popped off within 5 minutes, but a bit of superglue and it was perfect again...

[@pspppe]

Light saber duel between Shad and Terance when?

[@jarlathburns1184]

The frustrating thing about these videos is that Shad never acknowledges that Jedi AREN'T fighting other sword users most of the time. Cross guards have NO utility for blocking blaster shots. Guns are the weapons Jedi fight against most of the time. That's the real reason there's no crossguard lightsabers in the prequel films.

[@johannesseyfried7933]

I believe Count Dooku was even seen as odd for focusing on a fighting style made for duels. Jedi didn't have to fight another lightsaber user in centuries, so why focus on it?

[@jarlathburns1184]

@@johannesseyfried7933 I want Shad so badly to see this comment

[@johannesseyfried7933]

@@jarlathburns1184 Thank you.:)

[@Wright805]

Exactly! Thank you.

[@gameragodzilla]

The only downside to crossguards IRL is they can get caught on things if you have to draw at a certain angle, which is why the katana’s tsuba was actually shrunk down from the larger tsubas of the tachi. The Japanese put a heavy emphasis on iaijutsu, or drawing techniques, and the sword is more optimized for a fast draw rather than hand protection during sword on sword dueling (or kenjutsu). Similar to how handguns are often modified to be easier and quicker to draw as well in modern times vs. the bulkier dueling pistols where people walked 10 paces and fired in the past. However, given that lightsabers only activate once the button is pressed and it’s just the hilt that’s carried, the potential for snagging on a draw isn’t really an issue with lightsabers and so yeah, they probably should have that feature outside of a lore reason for not having it.

[@roadside_fury2631]

This is actually one of the rare occasions where I would prefer a tsuba over a crossguard. As with a lightsaber you don't have to worry about indexing. No matter which angle you have it at, the tsuba would provide hand cover. Especially if it was a disk that, as Shad suggested, is simply a shield generator, or hell, even a repulsor to block attacks around the hand guard. That would be like having a buckler between you and your blade.

[@ShellworldGames]

When you guys talked about hurting yourself with the crossguard, I was reminded how much you dislike hooked, spiked, and bladed crossguards that point back on the more fantastical swords.

[@AnimeVampire234]

i found a swept hilt crossguard saber online and they look absolutely amazing. there are so many really nice looking designs that are very functional too, If there was a jedi or sith in the shows or movies using that kinda guard they would stand out so much, especially if they do a mocking jab at the hand chopping meme where they don't lose their hand BECAUSE OF THE CROSSGUARD.

[@EnderLord99]

Tri-blade pata, made mostly of beskar, main blade is a lightsaber beam and the side blades are both cortosis

[@trailblazer632]

It does beg the question.... why do so many sword designs not have a cross guard of a similar size and design to European longswords?

[@krishnakantbhatt9947]

My assumption is that many, but not all, might have been used alongside shields in earlier periods. I also wonder how many cavalry swords from outside Europe had guards of any kind.

[@Wright805]

Simple. Those swords are used in a different way, so their design reflects that. Many Japanese swords for example are optimized for a fast draw. A "cross guard of a similar size and design to European longswords" would only hinder that.

[@johannesbowers7467]

The options for Lightsaber Proof and Resistant materials is quite an extensive list, each with pros and cons: 1. Beskar 2. Sith Alchemical Steel 3. Cortosis 4. Zillo Beast (and a rare few others) Scale 5. Magnetically Sealed 6. Energy Shield 7. Force Imbued Anyone making a crossguard and/or a Saberstaff or SaberPike that does NOT utilize one of the above methods to protect the lightsaber are just an exercise in Darwinism waiting to happen.

[@johannesseyfried7933]

I mean, Beskar is almost exclusivly used by the Mandalorians, who are also the only ones who know how to work with the metal. Sith Alchemy could work for the Sith, though it's not exactly an easy art to learn. Cortosis is difficult to mine and also quite brittle. Zillo Beasts are rare and practically extinct. I imagine that it's pretty difficult to find one. The other three methods should probably work.

[@mansfieldtime]

Beskar, Phrik, Songsteel, and Cortosis, are all metals that could deflect a lightsaber. Then there is Electro swords. IDK if it is made of a special material, but they too can deflect lightsabers.

[@IncognitoActivado]

Cortosis is the only canon, so not really.

[@StaticSloth]

They do have force fields. Could also maybe use that. Could even be like a separate gadget on your arm or something. Cross guard and a ray shield around your hand. Double protection

[@macattackk]

During the timeframe of the films, lightsaber duels are rare and instead much of the job of Jedi was combating blaster wielding opponents, in which case the cross guard is more of a hinderance, so it makes sense to me that it wasn’t widely used. Back in the old republic times where the Sith and Jedi were more openly at war and lightsaber duels were more common, canon and legends differ a bit. In legends the lightsabers back then are a bit more bulky, and even though it isn’t explicitly stated (to my knowledge) I think it’s a fair assumption that the technology wasn’t quite there yet for crossguards to be common. In canon by contrast, cross guards actually were common back then, as seen on Malacore. So as far as lore goes, I think there is logic.

[@lucifenxarthos625]

Food for thought A lightsaber's edge is everwhere and always aligned. Where do you put the crossguard?

[@Speedy500]

This is exactly why the Lord Corvax’s light sword is my favorite Lightsaber in Star Wars, sure it is only in the Vadar immortal trilogy of VR games, but it has a cross guard made of presumably lightsaber resistant material, though the cross guard is probably too thick

[@TheAEKaBeer]

Pistol grip behind a bowl style guard would be best in my opinion. I used to fence, primarily with an epee, we always targeted wrists, feet forearms and foreheads from range. The pistol grip lets you get behind guards and other defences with ease. Also the pistol grip gives you a very stable hold while maintaining dexterity. It's incredibly hard to disarm someone with a pistol grip

[@EclipsisTenebris]

Ah yes, I got the Templar myself. I recommend using gloves when using it but it's one of my favourites. I also like the Zebra... again, gloves recommended.

[@aokhoinguyenang3992]

Kylo Ren lightsaber crossguard is more useful on a Lightsaber pike(basically a spear), since the 2 extra blades would be away from your hands & thus less likely to injure you , while giving the pike the ability to control your opponent weapon

[@silivrengamer]

Honestly, my first thought was that any lightsaber weapon is a specialty weapon and what has been ignored, largely, in-universe, is beam control. A MASTER could turn the hilt beams on and off as needed and since it takes more control, it would be more difficult. A smart masker wouldn’t have the hilt beams on all the time. They would use them selectively as combat requires. 🤷‍♀️ keep it simple stupid is the best solution here. However, I always had the impression that since Jedis were long-lived that NEW sabers were relatively rare. We mostly see the weapons used by old masters who aren’t touting the latest and greatest, but their personal weapon that they’ve had since forever. It’s why apprentices surpass the masters so often in my opinion.

[@franohmsford7548]

It's not just about cutting yourself Tyranth - Why do you think you should be able to have your hand right next to the blade with nothing in between? And not just for a few seconds whilst you use the force to block the opponent's blade, but for a whole fight no matter whether that fight last 5 seconds or 5 hours, and every single time you use the blade!

[@lorzon]

The reason most Lightsaber styles default to a two handed grip is, according to the fluff, the magnetic field that contains the star hot plasma osscilates in such a way that it makes the weapon difficult to hold steady with one hand. That said, I do like the visual aesthetic of a full hand guard with a shield faintly glowing around it.

[@IncognitoActivado]

What?!

[@lorzon]

@IncognitoActivado Yeah, apparently, at least in the old fluff, while technically weightless, the blades have some sort of intertial motion and vibration.

[@IncognitoActivado]

@@lorzon Rhetoric question, bro.

[@Zdahszdahs]

It's simple. The Jedi were originally designed to be space samurai because many many more people find/found that cool. Most else came after as it really took off.

[@ItatsuMagnatsa]

I Love Crossguard Lightsabers. They seem more Elegant than the Standard Designs. Also Lore on Kylo Ren's Lightsaber is that the Kyber Crystal was Cracked so it made an Unstable Blade, and the Crossguard portion of the Hilt are actually Vents to help Vent the Energy of the Lightsaber. Though the Design of the Vents made it too Long and can cause some Issues when Using the Lightsaber. It's like they were trying to Combine a Bastard Sword with a Great Sword. Not to mention that Kylo's Design didn't seem to have any Lightsaber Resistant Material for the Ricasso or the Vents.

[@jtfbreedlove]

Shad is clearly a Dooku fan, whose style was inventor for his actor.

[@nicolaschaigneau2001]

One of the possible in universe explanations is the fact that lightsaber duels were more than rare in the Prequels era. Form 2 was considered useless (Dooku was an oddity in the Order for working on it) and the Jedi more focused on fighting against blasters (form 3), ending fights quickly (forms 4 and 5) or using the lightsaber as a complement with the Force (form 6) Of course that doesn't explain the lack of crossguards in the expanded materials like in the wars of the Force when Jedi and Sith often clashed.

[@PatrickBowser2]

If I was going to put a crossguard on my flashlight I'd make it out of Cortosis. It would help block weapons that normally resistant to lightsabers like Beskar, but it would have the added function of destabilizing an opponents lightsaber.

[@slicerneons3300]

This is somewhat addressed in the Legacy comics. Though the solution there was cortosis woven gloves. For Safety porpoises, I would choose to utilize both.

[@pikaleaf8914]

"The force, of course" -Shad M. Brooks

[@njsanders]

Star Wars has lightsaber rapiers with swept hilts called lightfoils. They were used by Tapani Sector nobles.

[@earnestbrown6524]

I know them from a West End Games supplement back in the day.

[@RyderDunei]

It is stated in lore and even in rebels directly that the blades are drawn to each other and stick together, like when magnets get close together, you even see it sometimes, one example i can think of is in the Ahsoka series, with the amount of effort it took to pull Anakin's blade back along Ahsoka's, that being said there is no real reason for the lack of hilts other than film aesthetics. In lore you could say technological limits or lack of materials, but even then its useful to have to prevent your grip slipping onto the blade, alot of lightsaber hilts dont even have pommels despite how essential that would be. There is the argument that they became more and more, i want to say ornamental, but they are rarely fancy looking, more like their designs became more simplistic to reflect the whole wise monk thing, and that happened as lightsaber-on-lightsaber combat became more rare, and as the jedi order was manipulated into a corrupted version of itself, but like, we are doing the writing for them at that point.