Star Wars: 10 Secrets Of The Lightsaber You Need To Know
7. Lightsabers Were Meant To Be More Common
From a young age, George Lucas enjoyed watching serials where heroes and villains faced off in a sword fight and so, always intended them to serve as a primary weapon in the Star Wars storyline. At first, he considered having regular blades but tweaked them into lightsabers (or 'lazer swords' as they were originally known) to match the futuristic style better.
In the Star Wars universe, lightsabers are exclusive to Jedi, Sith, and other force-sensitive warriors. But that wasn't always the case. As can be seen in early artwork, the acclaimed director originally wanted lightsabers to be a standard tool, wielded by Rebels and Imperial soldiers alike.
After some consideration, Lucas thought the lightsaber would be cooler if it was extremely rare and could only be wielded by a select few. (I mean, he has a point. How uncool would it be if every Gungan, Hutt, and Ewok was wielding a laser sword?) Considering the lightsaber has become the most famous weapon in movie history and is one of the most defining aspects of Star Wars, there's no question George Lucas made the right choice.