The lightsaber is probably the most iconic movie weapon of all time. If you are under fifty years old, there is a good chance you have waved around a wrapping paper roll, or something similar, making ‘jzoom’ noises at some point. We find out what actually happened to Luke’s lightsaber from the original Star Wars trilogy.
The Creation Of Luke’s Lightsaber
Due to the relatively low budget for the first Star Wars (1977) movie, set designer Roger Christian had to come up with some ingenious ways to make some of the props. For filming “two or three” lightsabers were made, crafted from 1930s’-era Graflex camera flash handles.
Although though Luke was handed his family heirloom by Obi-Wan during the first act of A New Hope, he doesn’t actually use it in battle until Empire Strikes Back. His weapon of choice during Episode IV and V tended to be a blaster.
Even after his training with Yoda, Luke stealthily wonders the corridors of Cloud City with his blaster in hand rather than the saber. Not yet confident enough in his abilities to rely on his Jedi weapon.
Where Are The Lightsabers Today?
After filming, two of the props landed in the personal collection of Star Wars producer Gary Kurtz. Gary worked on a number of popular movies in the 70s and 80s such as American Grafitti, The Dark Crystal, and Return To Oz.
Gary Kurtz on the set of Star Wars.
The first lightsaber was sold at auction in 2008, fetching $240,000 from ‘a fan’. The second lightsaber went up for auction in 2017, just a year before the death of Kurtz. This particular lightsaber sold for $450,000 to the Ripley’s Believe It Or Not museum in Hollywood, California. This lightsaber was used in ‘The Empire Strikes Back’ and is now on public display there.
Ripley’s spokesperson Suzanna Smagala-Potts says the prop appears on screen in “Empire”. This includes a scene where Luke uses ‘the force’ to dislodge his frozen lightsaber. He also used this lightsaber to partially dismember a hungry Wampa ice monster.
Luke’s lightsaber, now on display at the Ripley’s Believe It Or Not museum in Hollywood.