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star wars - Is the use of a lightsaber possible without a connection to the Force?


This is a two part question, with the two parts being mirror images to each other.


Is the ability to use the Force a requirement, for some reason, to using a lightsaber? And if so, why?


And on the other side, on Hoth, when Luke is hanging in ice in the wampa's cave, he uses the Force to bring his lightsaber into his hand. But, as best I can remember and find, the Jedi always use a lightsaber like a "real" sword and keep it in their hands (although I think there's one case in a movie where a lightsaber is thrown to cut down support for a walkway). Can a lightsaber be wielded with the Force only? For instance, when Anakin's hand was cut off, could he have controlled the movement of his lightsaber the way Vader did with the objects he Force-tossed objects at Luke in the Cloud City?


While that's two questions (that I think are closely related), another way to put it might be to ask, "How closely is the use of the Force related to wielding a lightsaber?"



Answer




Using a lightsaber is possible for anyone.. but, as has been addressed in other questions, it's a somewhat hard weapon to learn due to it's properties. (Weightless blade until it encounters things, gyroscopic effect, awareness of the location of the blade, etc.)


But that doesn't mean it's unusable for any non-Jedi... it's just not that great of a weapon, really, (just a very sharp, hot sword) UNTIL you add the Jedi skills.. With the phenomenal reflexes/precog/whatever granted by sensitivity to the Force, things like blocking blaster bolts become possible. So, anyone can use it, but it's risky.. and they don't gain the benefits of using it that a Jedi would. Han Solo used Luke's quite well as a knife.. but without Force sensitivity, couldn't have blocked blaster bolts with it, except by pure luck.


As to using it via the force? Yep; in the extended universe that's seen a bit. From base level use, like Mace Windu setting a pair of them to whirl around him defensively (called a Saber Barrier), to full blown telekenetic combat such as was used by Darth Traya, Darth Bane and Galen Marek.


It should be noted, though, that this takes a LOT of skill; in ESB, Luke called his lightsaber to his hand and Han used it later as a knife.. Both are demonstrations of a very basic, and low-precision use of a tool (the Force for Luke, the Saber for Han) that can be used in a much more effective way.


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