Obi-Wan Kenobi Star Teases New Lightsaber in Star Wars Universe

Obi-Wan Kenobi star Rupert Friend geeked out about getting to swing the Grand Inquisitor’s specialized lightsaber in the upcoming Star Wars series on Disney+. While the Insquisitorious’ spinning, dual-bladed lightsabers appeared first in Star Wars Rebels and again in Jedi: Fallen Order, Obi-Wan Kenobi is the first time the lightsabers appear in live-action since this is the live-action debut of the Inquisitors. Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, Friend admitted that he was excited to be the first flesh-and-blood person to swing the Inquisitor’s lightsaber for real in the Star Wars universe, as seen in the .

“I mean, the first time somebody handed me my lightsaber, I nearly fainted,” Friend said. “You’re just like, this is my lightsaber and we’ve never had this lightsaber in the Star Wars universe before. And I was getting to play this guy that’s never been in the live-action Star Wars, so there was a lot of firsts for me. And then standing next to Obi-Wan Kenobi himself is pretty amazing. It’s a pinch-me moment. It really was.”

Friend didn’t go stop there. He was more than happy to lovingly describe his weapon and the training that went into wielding it. 

“It is phenomenal,” he said. “It’s double ended, as you’ve seen in some of the early-release artwork. So he can use it with one or both of the ends. He can turn it into a whirling blade. He can fly with it. It’s pretty kick-ass.”

Friend continued, “Lightsaber training is amazing. I mean, the stunt guys on Star Wars are the best in the world. So every time you show up to play, as I call it, it’s like playing in the best sandbox or the best adventure castle in the world. Because I think that everyone understands that people that fight with these techniques, people that have studied the way of the Jedi — there is a smooth, silent, deadly efficiency to everything.

“It’s not two guys brawling in a bar. These are master, master swordsmen, masters of pretty much all the martial arts you could imagine rolled into one. So there’s almost a balletic quality about it that I find very, very beautiful.”

What do you think? Let us know how you feel about it in the comments section. Obi-Wan Kenobi‘s first two episodes debut Friday on Disney+. The remaining four episodes will premiere weekly on Wednesdays on Disney+.