One Star Wars super-fan has taken his love of the franchise to new heights by crafting himself a lightsaber replica as a prosthetic arm attachment. With just a few LEDs and engineering, he found a way to bring a childhood dream to life.
There's no doubt that one of the most iconic and beloved aspects of Star Wars is the lightsaber. From the moment Obi-Wan handed Luke Anakin's old lightsaber and proclaimed it "an elegant weapon for a more civilized age," the lightsaber became one of the most recognizable and desired artifacts in fiction. Since then, fans have been enraptured by the idea of having their own laser swords in the real world. With the ability to build custom lightsabers at Galaxy's Edge and France officially recognizing lightsaber dueling as a competitive sport, some fans are finally getting the chance to live the dream of being Jedi or Sith in the real world.
Star Wars fan Trace Wilson, who was born without a right hand, took modern lightsaber crafting to a new level. Wilson posted a short video on his Twitter to show off his handiwork. In the video, Wilson waves around an immaculate lightsaber replica fitted perfectly to the tip of his right arm prosthetic. With the touch of a button, the saber ignites a Sith-red glow. In the tweet, Wilson left a message for Disney, Star Wars, and Mark Hamill: "I'm available for Sith roles." Hamill responded: "Fantastic! But why limit yourself to only Sith roles? You look like you're ready to play anything, even a Jedi."
Wilson, a children's author and motivational speaker, made the piece with parts made by the high-end LED saber manufacturer SaberForge and a 3D printed adapter to fit his prosthetic forearm. This isn't the first time he's blended his love of fictional properties with his experiences as someone with a disability. Besides being a model and involved in the cosplay community, Wilson helped launch Super-Abled Comics, a superhero anthology comic series featuring and created by people with disabilities. This latest effort is one that he has been working on for a while, and it is one that any Star Wars fan can appreciate.
Considering how many arms have been cut off in the Star Wars films over the years, the lack of lightsaber and other weapon prosthetics is almost surprising. Even though there may not be any lightsaber prosthetics appearing on-screen anytime soon, the weapon itself will always be a part of the franchise's legacy. With Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker just on the horizon, there's a high chance that more limbs will be lost before the Skywalker saga ends. At least now they can be replaced with something more elegant.
Source: Trace Wilson
