Lightsabers Have Never Looked Better Than Star Wars’ New TV Show

Forget droids and even X-wings; the lightsaber is undoubtedly the greatest symbol of Star Wars. George Lucas originally called them “laser swords,” but he felt viewers wouldn’t appreciate the fact their blades only had a specific length. The “lightsaber” name was actually created by Alan Dean Foster, ghost-writer of the first Star Wars novelization and the 1978 tie-in Splinter of the Mind’s Eye.

Star Wars was originally envisioned as an Arthurian epic, so it made sense for Lucas to riff on Excalibur – a sword that, in some legends, glowed with ethereal light whenever it was drawn from its scabbard. There are still hints of this in Star Wars lore, in the kyber crystals that focus a lightsaber’s blade and give each one their distinctive hue (kyber is derived from “Caiburr,” an alternative name for Excalibur). But now, 49 years after Star Wars began, lightsabers have never looked cooler.

Star Wars Keeps Working on the Lightsaber Effects

Naturally, Lucasfilm has spent a great deal of time working on lightsabers. In recent years, ILM has revolutionized the lightsaber in live-action, pivoting to high-output LED blades. It’s a very different approach to Lucas’, because it means the glow effect is an automatic part of the scene rather than added in post. In theory, this results in a much more “natural” look, as though the lightsabers are real. There are two problems with the approach, though, the most visible being that blue light sometimes washes darker shots out. The end of Obi-Wan Kenobi suffered from this problem.

The second issue, of course, is simply how to power it. Ahsoka‘s battery packs were a little restrictive, but Lucasfilm has since learned to miniaturize them. It’s why The Acolyte‘s lightsaber duels were easily the best since The Phantom Menace, allowing the actors incredible flexibility and mobility. The goal, quite clearly, is to ensure that each lightsaber duel looks better than the last one. Excitement is understandably building for Ahsoka Season 2, which will undoubtedly exploit some of The Acolyte‘s technical innovations.

But if you want to see lightsaber duels at their best, you really need to look beyond live-action. Instead, you’ve got to cast your eyes to Star Wars animation, which frequently features some of the best stories in canon. Some of these are a little controversial; Star Wars Rebels‘ lightsabers were unusually thin, a homage to original Ralph McQuarrie designs that was appreciated by some and disliked by others. But the latest Star Wars TV show, Maul – Shadow Lord, is the best yet.

Maul – Shadow Lord’s Art Style Shows Lightsabers At Their Best

Maul – Shadow Lord is one of the best Star Wars TV shows so far. In our review, we called it the Star Wars story we’ve always wanted to see; that seems to be the common opinion, because it has a staggering 100% fresh critic score on Rotten Tomatoes (and a seriously impressive 95% audience score, too). The story is unlike anything we’ve seen in Star Wars before, a beautifully-designed dance between the dark side and the light with an emphasis on Darth Maul and a potential apprentice.

And the art is absolutely glorious. Watercolor effects have been used to give this animated show a tone and style reminiscent of Arcane, probably the highest compliment that can possibly be paid to any series given that show’s beauty. The effect is particularly noticeable in lightsaber effects, and actual duels are stunning. Animation lends itself perfectly to lightsaber combat, because the animators can design every scene perfectly, controlling the play of light and shade. The watercolor effects give Maul’s double-bladed lightsaber a definite savagery.

Shadow Lord‘s opening scenes demonstrate this so very well. Here, Maul makes his debut (to a riff of “Duel of the Fates” no less), and launches an attack on police officers on the crime-ridden world of Janix. Needless to say, they don’t exactly perform well in a fight against a Sith Apprentice, but the entire scene is absolutely resplendent. There are even moments where the colors are flipped, bathing the battle in blood-red and creating a phenomenal sense of danger.

Star Wars animation is generally aimed at the hardcore fanbase. That makes sense of the deep cut here, because general viewers can be forgiven being confused over the fact Darth Maul is even still alive (notwithstanding the end of Solo: A Star Wars Story, which featured a blink-and-you’ll-forget-it live-action Maul cameo). But it’s also something of a shame, because Star Wars has never looked better than Darth Maul, and Shadow Lord explains everything pretty well meaning no prior knowledge is really required. Hopefully the show’s phenomenal reputation means general audiences will tune in.

Maul – Shadow Lord Season 1 is streaming now on Disney+.

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