When Star Wars: The Force Awakens first debuted its trailer, the Internet was immediately riven by controversy. Not over whether or not there should be another Star Wars or the seeming quality of the movie, but about whether or not you’d stab yourself with a lightsaber that had two smaller lightsabers as a cross-guard. So one heroic nerd decided to settle this once and for all.
YouTuber Thrand specializes in fact-checking pop-science programs and knows his Viking combat, so if anybody could test out a sword with a cross guard, it’s him. This is actually the second video he did, after angry nerds insisted he got it wrong on the first one, and, well, it speaks for itself. He swings the sword around in an absurd variety of ways and the only damage he suffers are a few paint splatters. Clearly, the sword wouldn’t stab you or slice off your hand.
That would seem to settle the issue of whether or not a laser sword might be a practical weapon to fight space wizards with. We hope we can now shift the discussion to more positive avenues, like how the hell that ball droid is a practical effect. Seriously, how’d they pull that one off? There’s got to be at least a bit of CGI effects work in there!