Disney Research Fellow and Imagineer Lanny Smoot has expressed the possibility of turning Rey’s “real” lightsaber from Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser into a toy you can actually buy, according to a report from The Verge.
Imagineer Wants Retractable Lightsaber to Be a Toy
The “real” lightsaber was first revealed in 2021 with a teaser video for the now-defunct Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser.
The lightsaber works similarly to a tape measure, with the “blade” made of two spools of semi-transparent flexible plastic that are wound flat inside the hilt. A third spool of flexible LED tape is attached to a rounded end cap, which illuminates the full blade once it’s activated.
Smoot was the lead inventor of the lightsaber, which guests aboard the Starcruiser were able to see in “action” during the climactic battle between Rey and Kylo Ren that brought the two-night immersive adventure to a close. The experience permanently closed in September 2023, with Disney taking a $300 million tax write-off on the project. The experience reportedly “never made money,” but Disney Experiences Chairman Josh D’Amaro has said that “something will happen” with the Galactic Starcruiser, and past Disney surveys have suggested that the concept could be resurrected.
At D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event in August 2024, the YouTube channel Finding the Force asked Smoot on camera whether fans could see the technology of the retractable lightsaber hit store shelves, and Smoot said,
I think the company would like to do that. And I think Josh D’Amaro, our number two guy, our head of Disney Parks, said it at a public — I hope — meeting of toy vendors to say, hey, we’d like you to take what we have learned in terms of making a lightsaber, and translate that to something that would maybe be a little bit more accessible to the average person. So yeah, I think it’s going to come.
Lanny Smoot, Walt Disney Imagineer and Disney Research Fellow
It’s possible that since then, plans have changed or Smoot was misinformed. In a quote to The Verge via a Disney spokesperson, he said he’s “not aware of anything in the works but hope[s] to see it come to fruition in the future.”
Disney had previously confirmed prior to the opening of Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser that the “real” lightsaber would not be sold or be available for use by guests. A self-extending lightsaber toy was released in August, dubbed the Goliath Power Saber. Star Wars and Hasbro worked for two years on a version of this to come to the children’s toy market, but the latter inexplicably walked away and the inventor eventually produced it himself.
Smoot was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in January 2024, which was announced along with the reveal of his incredible HoloTile Floor invention, which allows the user to travel an infinite amount while never leaving the section of tile. You can see it in action below:
Smoot’s induction into the National Inventors Hall of Fame made him the second person from The Walt Disney Company to receive the honor; the first was Walt Disney himself.
What do you think about a “real” lightsaber becoming a toy for children and collectors? Would you want to buy one? Share your thoughts with us in the comments and on social media.
Source: The Verge
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