Ever since the first teaser trailer for Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens dropped, fans haven't stopped debating the pros and cons of the film's new style of lightsaber. Is it practical? How does the crossguard work? Doesn't it seem dangerous to the wielder?
Director J.J. Abrams himself is now adding to the discussion. Speaking with Collider during the Visual Effects Society Awards last night, the director says the controversial crossguard lightsaber design saw plenty of debate behind-the-scenes as well.
"It was a number of conversations [that led to the design]," Abrams says. "It was a sketch that became a whole thing and, you know, this was not done without a lot of conversation and it's fun to see people have the conversation that we had, but in reverse."
Abrams says he's seen plenty of feedback from fans via email both for and against the new design.
"I will say that what's been funny is, since the lightsaber's come out, I cannot tell you how many contradictory emails I have received from people who have both defended it with unbelievably detailed graphics," Abrams says. "I've gotten things that are nuts, and I've gotten people who've shown how it'll kill you and how it doesn't make any sense. It's been the funniest thing to see the arguments that have developed over this thing."
The director goes on to say he has yet to see a final cut of the film as editing is still ongoing, while also reaffirming his pledge to use real props as opposed to computer graphics when possible.
Going back to the saber talk, what Abrams says is definitely true: there have been no shortage of fan videos debating the subject. From the hilarious to the dead serious, fans of all types have weighed in. Heck, even Stephen Colbert did an entire segment on the debate.
It makes you think, if there has been this much debate and controversy over a barely minute long teaser trailer, what will the film's full trailer have in store?
