Star Wars is one of the world’s most popular fantasy series. The franchise has grown significantly since the first movie was released in 1977. As the universe expands, so has the curiosity of Star Wars fans. There are many burning questions that Star Wars fans just can’t let go, but one in particular needs to be answered. Can a lightsaber deflect a Death Star blast?
Understanding how lightsabers work is the key to understanding whether or not a lightsaber can deflect a Death Star blast. In theory, it would be possible, but there are several conditions that must be met in order for a lightsaber to block or deflect a death star blast. Seeing how lightsabers are fueled by the same energy source as the death star’s super laser, it isn’t too far-fetched an idea that a lightsaber could deflect the energy blast.
Lightsabers are a science fiction lover’s fantasy tool because the science behind them allows for a lot of different battle options. Some lightsabers are stronger than others, and when wielded by the right user, the results vary. This is because the force allows Jedi and Sith to harness and manipulate the mysterious energy field that binds the galaxy together. If you are wondering how a lightsaber can possibly deflect a threat as great as the superlaser of a Death Star, keep reading.
What Is A Lightsaber
Lightsabers are a fictional weapon featured in the Star Wars franchise. They appear in all known Star Wars media and are a cornerstone of the series. The blade of a typical lightsaber is approximately 3 feet in length, with a hilt that is roughly a foot long. This gives users plenty of attacking range and the capacity for blocking or parrying incoming attacks. The blade portion of a lightsaber is composed of plasma that is contained using magnetic force.
Who Uses Lightsabers
Lightsabers are the weapon of choice for force users, namely members of the Jedi Order and their rivals, the Sith. While lightsabers are primarily used by force users, they can be wielded by normal humans. Though, this is less common because, without an affinity for the force, normal humans do not have the reflexes needed to effectively use lightsabers. The training necessary to competently use a lightsaber is also hard to come by for the average human, making the chances of mastering this unique weapon slim to none for someone who is not a member of the Jedi Order or Sith.
What Can Lightsabers Do?
Lightsabers can be used for a variety of purposes in and outside of battle situations. They can be used to strike enemies as well as deflect incoming attacks. Upon being hit by a lightsaber, human flesh is burned, seared, or cauterized, depending on the nature of the impact. Lightsabers can cut cleanly through flesh and bone, as well as most armor and objects, making them a devastating weapon to defend against. Lightsabers can also deflect laser blasts, as seen throughout the Star Wars series.
What Are Kyber Crystals
Kyber crystals are an extremely rare, force-sensitive crystal that is found in only a few places throughout the Star Wars galaxy. The energy within them is considerably mystical, making them ideal for producing unique energy weapons. The size of a Kyber Crystal determines its power, meaning larger Kyber Crystals are ideal for use in gigantic superweapons.
How Do Lightsabers Work
Although the topic is never formally discussed throughout the Star Wars series, there is much speculation as to how these fictional weapons would work in the real world. Although there are obvious scientific issues that make it difficult to realistically define how these weapons work.
Lightsaber Hilt
The hilt of a lightsaber likely contains a high-output diatium power cell, which is used to produce the plasma, which forms the lightsaber’s blade. In fiction, this plasma is formed by pushing energy from within the cell through a number of lenses, which compress the energy to produce plasma.
Kyber Crystals
The upper portion of the hilt is known to contain Kyber Crystals. This fictional crystal focuses the plasma in one direction while imbuing the blade with special, mystical properties. The first Kyber Crystal is known as the primary crystal. This crystal is directly connected to the power cell of the lightsaber and is what makes the weapon so deadly. Above the primary crystal, there is a stabilizing crystal.
The stabilizing crystals likely keep the plasma blade steady, resulting in it’s seemingly solid form. There are typically between 1 and 3 Kyber crystals inside of the average lightsaber. Because the energy of Kyber Crystals is absorbed into the blade of a lightsaber, the more crystals present, the more powerful the lightsaber will be. Then there is a need for some type of regulator capable of dictating the length and strength of the blade.
Regulator and Stabilizer
Cycling energizers are at the midsection of the hilt, and they serve this purpose. Above the regulators, there is a highly important part. The magnetic stabilizing ring sits atop the regulation energizers. This part of the lightsaber is what helps keep the plasma beam in its proper shape. Now many of these items may not exist in the real world, especially the Kyber Crystals, but given time, maybe humanity will discover a similar power source.
What Is The Death Star?
The Death Star is a fictional galactic super-weapon that was created by the Sith legion in the Star Wars series. It was designed to be a weapon capable of destroying entire planets using its massive superlaser beam.
The Death Star’s laser is made using Kyber Crystals, just like the blade of a lightsaber. There have been two iterations of the Death Star, and both were moon-sized spheres that were created with extreme power-projection capabilities. The output of a Death Star’s superlaser is said to be 6.2*1032 joules. For those who aren’t math wizzes, that is several quadrillion times more powerful than a nuclear bomb.
How Can A Lightsaber Deflect A Death Star Blast
Now you know what the Death Star is, how its laser functions, and how powerful it’s blast is. With this knowledge in mind, consider how lightsabers work. The plasma blade of a lightsaber is created using Kyber Crystals, which, in theory, means a large enough lightsaber could potentially block the Kyber Crystal based beam of the Death Star. This makes sense because when lightsabers collide, they are forced apart from each other and deflected. While a small sliver of the beam may be deflected, whoever is wielding the blade would not survive because they don’t have ability to resist the intense heat and radiation created by the Death Star superlaser. Let alone rest of the ground around you is disintegrated.
Will The Real World Ever Have Lightsabers?
Every science fiction lover would enjoy a reality where lightsabers exist, but is it ever going to be possible to make a real lightsaber? The answer is currently maybe. Plasma cutters are one-way plasma is currently used, but rather than the superheated plasma being used to cut, as seen with lightsabers, the plasma is simply used as a conductor for electrical current that then cuts through a given material. On the bright side, there are currently nuclear fusion researchers who are studying how to use magnetic fields to contain plasmas, meaning that there may be a promising future for creating lightsabers.
We will probably never see this happen in the canon story of Star Wars. But based on the information shared above, it seems highly likely that deflecting part of the energy beam from the Death Star with a lightsaber would be possible; but surviving the encompassing blast radius is another story.
Brad Burnie is the founder of Starships.com. He loves all video game genres. In his spare time, he loves reading, watching movies, and gaming
