Author: Rocky Blonshine

(A brief note on Eleven-ThirtyEight’s spoiler policy—we don’t really have one. Editorially, I hope to keep the site in line with the philosophy I detailed in this post a while back; in short, “I am your father” is a spoiler, but “battle on snow planet” is not. Officially-released information, like Friday’s teaser, is absolutely not a spoiler. If one of us chooses to go into especially revealing material we will endeavor to warn you first, but by and large I’m leaving this to the writers’ discretion. If you’re the type to cringe at a movie still or a piece of concept art or a blurry spy photo, you may want to tread lightly in these parts for the time being. – Mike Cooper, EIC)

Well, it’s happened. We have a teaser for The Force Awakens, and now that I’ve finally stopped running around the internet hyperventilating, I can sit down and put together some coherent thoughts. Let’s talk about the state of the galaxy thirty years in the future and the design of the…

Spoilers to follow.

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The lightsaber: the iconic weapon of the Jedi Knight. An elegant weapon for a more civilized age, able to deflect blaster bolts and cut through armor plating, and you know you’ve definitely made the “vshhhhh” noise while turning on a flashlight and swinging it around. Lightsabers are showy and surprisingly useful weapons, and reinforce the fantasy element of Star Wars. We see many versions of lightsaber combat, and a look at a duel from a mechanical perspective makes it all the more impressive.

Let’s start with the basics of lightsabers. They operate like many different types of bladed weapons, though European longsword and katana have been the greatest influence. Lightsabers can be one- or two-handed weapons, can be dual-bladed, can be dual-wielded either as two normal-size lightsabers or a normal one and a shoto, and have great room for individual variation in style. Lightsabers can be extendable, can be waterproof, and can be heirlooms as well as originally made. From a combat standpoint, lightsabers are among the most versatile weapons we ever see. Because they are unique to the user, and able to accomodate so many species of Jedi and Sith, there are infinite ways to fight with a lightsaber. We see styles that seem more like modern fencing, styles that emphasize precision and control. There are some who are more flashy in their fighting, embracing Force-enhanced acrobatics. Against droids and blasters, some Jedi manage to use their lightsabers as more defensive weapons. With seven separate forms, the Jedi of the Old Republic refined their lightsaber skills into an impressive and deadly art, until much of that knowledge was lost with Order 66. Read More

151,000 people, four days, one large convention center, altogether too many overpriced snacks, nowhere near enough hours of sleep. That’s quite a convention experience. It was my third year attending NYCC, and this year, I wasn’t just there for fun and mischief. Being at the con as Eleven Thirty-Eight’s woman on the street was an experience, and I come bearing tales of what Star Wars has in store.

In all honesty, last year I saw a good deal more Star Wars cosplay. This year it was a bit scarce, though I did run into a Mara Jade, quite a few Mandalorians, a few Sabines, a Tahiri, and several different versions of Leia, Anakin Skywalker, and Darth Vader. The Rebel Legion and 501st definitely had less presence than last year, but there were a few around. As a whole, cosplay was not what stood out the most about Star Wars fandom. Instead, the very presence of the fandom was powerful enough.

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