If there is one enduring contribution to popular culture from “Star Wars,” it is undoubtedly the lightsaber. As the weapon of choice of the Jedi and a weapon for a more civilized age, lightsabers have captivated the imaginations of viewers for nearly 50 years at this point. Heck, Disney is even doing an impressive job of trying to make “real” lightsabers a thing now. In reality, the process of bringing them to life on screen might seem shockingly simple. But it’s simplicity is deceptive as there is a lot of nuance in taking what is ostensibly a fancy stick and turning it into a laser sword for the purposes of cinema.
In “The Rise of Skywalker,” Daisy Ridley’s Rey has a training montage early on in the film as she is trying to develop her skills as a Jedi as the Resistance is trying desperately to combat the growing might of the First Order. In the behind the scenes footage of this montage, we can see that Ridley is holding a lightsaber with a blade and all. It’s not all that dissimilar from an expensive collectible one might find at Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge in Disneyland. Once director J.J. Abrams had that filmed on set, the digital artists went in and replaced the blade with a glowing, blue one that makes a lightsaber a lightsaber. Not to minimize how difficult that work is but, for the viewer, it really is simple as that. It should be seamless and, in the final product, it is.