Star Wars: The Force Awakens Featurette Shows Evolution Of Lightsaber

"An elegant weapon for a more civilized age..."

The lightsaber. The weapon of Jedi Knights and Sith Warriors alike, and the imagery of the bright ascending blade and its hum is forever cemented in pop culture.

The saber duels of the original Star Wars trilogy set the stage for the more advanced fight choreography of the prequels, but what are the origins of the weapon and the technique used when fighting with them? ESPN will dive into that with Star Wars: Evolution of the Lightsaber.

The featurette, hosted by Mark Hamill, will feature the sport of kendo as the basis of the sword fighting used in the Star Wars movies, and the evolution of the fights. It also looks like it will go into the different types of blades used from the standard lightsaber to the more complex double-sided and Kylo Ren's trademark claymore-based blade.

Star Wars: Evolution of the Lightsaber airs on ESPN December 15th.