Spock's Pickled Brain

The holy grail for every Star Wars nerd is the lightsaber. It's the elegant weapon of a more civilized age. It is also an awesome laser sword that cuts through durasteel and deflects blasterfire. If it was an accessible technology, we would all immediately get one. And then accidentally chop of a limb. The next best thing is to own our very own battle-ready lightsaber, complete with movie-accurate light and sound (just not the ability to sever limbs). To get a nice one means spending hundreds of dollars, so it's not really in reach for those of us on a budget. But one day it shall be mine! Many have made their own, but there are also several companies that specialize in building and selling lightsabers. My search wasn't exhaustive, but I did look through several options. If you're interested in a much more in-depth look at buying guides and sources, SaberSourcing has a lot of information on companies, reviews, and profiles on character lightsabers. Ultrasabers is...

While building or purchasing a screen-ready full-bladed lightsaber is quite an endeavor, sometimes all you need is the hilt. With that in mind, I've experimented with materials and methods to create my very own lightsaber prop hilt. It's great for use in Jedi costumes, as it's light enough to clip onto the utility belt. For photo shoots it's relatively easy to photoshop in the blade of the lightsaber, and it's convincing enough that it can pass muster in registering a Jedi costume in Rebel Legion. This build is very cheap, simple to do, and can really be unique. Using the pop-up sink drain assembly is an idea I borrowed from many prop-builders before me, though I mostly took direction from Happy Trooper . The basics of construction aren't new, I wanted to show that there's a lot of room for customization without needing expensive tools or materials. Inspirations Canon lightsabers in Episodes 1-6 Extended universe lightsabers Essential Mate...

1. Darth Maul: Apprentice - A Star Wars Fan-Film (T7Pro) There are a fair number of Star Wars fan films. Now I know what you're thinking, what the heck would a bunch of random fans be able to do to even put a video in the same altitude as a blockbuster film made by hundreds of talented professionals? And the answer is, in many cases, that talented fans can knock it out into a neighboring asteroid belt. This one in particular struck me, it has a very simple premise that would absolutely fit in the canon of Star Wars films. In this short story, Darth Maul ambushes a group of Jedi on a distant outpost, and what follows is a series of lightsaber battles to satiate the geek craving. And you wouldn't think it, but it even generates some pathos and depth in what you'd expect to be purely a martial arts and special effects exercise. Add that with great locations, costumes, choreography, effects, and apparently way more time and effort than you'd expect for a free-to-watch vid...