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star wars - How long does it take to activate and deactivate a lightsaber?


While reading the Trachta article on Wookieepedia, it said that that method of combat involves switching a lightsaber on and off to suprise an opponent. Yet it seems it takes a few seconds for a lightsaber to fully retract and then return. Is it an instantaneous opening or what?



Answer




I did a quick frame-by-frame and in ANH, when Luke first gazes on his new lightsaber (Anakin Skywalker's old weapon) in Ben's hut, the lightsaber pops up instantaneously. In one frame it's off, in the next it's fully extended. See the screenshots:


Luke just before activating his lightsaber in Ben's hut


Luke just after activating his lightsabre in Ben's hut


If you look closely you will notice that the characters jump slightly, so either some frames have been dropped or two different takes were joined in post-production. Whatever the reason for this, the end result is that the blade pops up instantaneously the very first time we are shown how it looks like and how it extends. At the very least it is faster than 33 milliseconds (the video I took the shots off had 30 fps).


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