Star Wars‘ new TV show is repeating a major Luke Skywalker complaint from the sequel trilogy, seemingly signaling Disney’s commitment to a highly controversial phrase. It’s far from a secret that the sequel trilogy movies remain some of Star Wars’ most criticized projects to date. In fact, in the franchise’s nearly 50-year history, the final sequel trilogy movie, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, may very well be the worst-received of any Star Wars movie or TV show thus far—only The Acolyte seems to have given The Rise of Skywalker a run for its money in that regard.
Among the various complaints about the sequel movies was intense backlash over the portrayal of Luke Skywalker, particularly in Star Wars: The Last Jedi. Luke ended the original trilogy as a shining beacon of hope; he was both the hero of the Galactic War and the valiant Jedi upon which their future depended. However, by the sequel trilogy, Luke had gone into hiding, apparently abandoning the hope that had defined his character for decades. Within this context, Luke uttered one phrase in particular that had die-hard Star Wars fans up in arms, and now, that same term is back again.
Maul: Shadow Lord Uses The Term “Laser Sword”
Maul: Shadow Lord is the news installment among Star Wars’ TV shows, and, as the title suggests, it will center on former Sith apprentice Darth Maul. Maul was first introduced in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace as the prequel trilogy era apprentice to Darth Sidious/Palpatine, although he (seemingly) died at the end of that movie. Several years later, the canon animated show Star Wars: The Clone Wars confirmed that Maul had actually survived his one-on-one against Obi-Wan Kenobi in The Phantom Menace and was back for revenge.
Maul has since appeared in multiple shows and movies, including an arc on Star Wars Rebels and a cameo at the end of Solo: A Star Wars Story, and he is now returning as the titular lead of his own show, which is set just after the events of Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith. While this is all exciting news for fans of Maul (of whom there are many), the newest Shadow Lord trailer has reintroduced a phrase that no doubt sounded like nails on a chalkboard to some viewers: “Laser sword.”
In the trailer, Maul is described as a “syndicate leader” who is “proficient with a laser sword,” a reference to Maul’s ongoing use of a red lightsaber. This term, controversial though it may be, isn’t new in Shadow Lord. Rather, “laser sword” has an ongoing history in Star Wars movies and TV shows, which includes, at one point, causing outrage within the fanbase because of Luke Skywalker’s use of the phrase in The Last Jedi.
The Sequel Trilogy Was Highly Criticized For The Term (But It Made Sense In Context)
There were many things about Luke in the sequel trilogy that had fans claiming Disney had “ruined” Star Wars, although one of the biggest complaints about The Last Jedi came down to Luke referring to a lightsaber as a “laser sword” when speaking to Rey. Much of the backlash claimed that this phrase made no sense as Luke, of all people, would obviously know what a lightsaber is and refer to it as such. However, Luke’s use of the term was very intentional, and it made sense in context.
Luke wasn’t referring to a lightsaber as a laser sword in sincerity. His exact line was, “You think, what, I’m going to walk out with a laser sword and face down the whole First Order?” Luke was clearly mocking Rey, and his use of ‘laser sword’ was serving specifically to underline how absurd her beliefs about what Luke can and/or would do were. Nevertheless, many fans took major issue with the line, which only makes it all the more interesting that Disney Star Wars has continued to use the phrase (beyond just The Last Jedi and Shadow Lord).
“Laser Sword” Has Its Function In Canon—And It Probably Isn’t Going Anywhere
Other Star Wars references have been made to a “laser sword,” including in The Mandalorian. Din Djarin referred to a lightsaber as a laser sword, although that usage, once again, made sense. Din knew little about the Jedi (which is why he initially had no idea what to make of Grogu’s powers), so he, of course, wouldn’t have the right language for a lightsaber. This actually connects to a pre-Disney usage of laser sword as well, as Anakin Skywalker himself used the term in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, when he also knew little about the Jedi.
The use of laser sword is neither random nor a mistake in Star Wars movies and shows, though. On the contrary, George Lucas himself referred to lightsabers as laser swords until Alan Dean Foster, ghostwriter for the novelization of A New Hope, called them lightsabers. In that sense, Maul: Shadow Lord is really just carrying on a decades-old tradition, but it remains to be seen whether fans will interpret it as such or whether, like with The Last Jedi, the term leads to backlash.
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