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'Star Wars' Lightsaber Headed for Space

by Tom Conlon on August 28, 2007 at 01:29 PM

Luke Skywalker's Lightsaber Headed for Space

This October, when NASA launches the space shuttle Discovery on a delivery mission to the International Space Station, the crew will be well-armed. That's because, to help mark the 30th anniversary of the original theatrical release of 'Star Wars,' Luke Skywalker's lightsaber will hitch a ride into space. This isn't one of those crappy toy knock-offs, either; this is the actual prop used by actor Mark Hamill.

Launch is scheduled for October 23, but the lightsaber has a lot of traveling to do between now and then. Today, it leaves California bound for Houston where it will be met by R2D2 and a battalion of Stormtroopers, who will deliver the Jedi sword to an awaiting motorcade of Hummers. It will be escorted to NASA's Johnson Space Center, where it will be put on display through Labor Day. Afterwards, the lightsaber will journey to the Kennedy Space center in Florida, where it will await takeoff.

Though the beloved lightsaber will return to Earth with the crew of Discovery, we can't help but think of a few things about 'Star Wars' we'd like to see shot into space, never to return. For example:

  • Jar Jar, obviously
  • The new CG scenes that were inserted into the original films
  • Hayden Christensen's rat tail haircut from 'Episode II'
  • Samuel L. Jackson's bad impersonation of himself straight out of 'Pulp Fiction'
  • The lame actor who dressed as Chewbacca for an awkward on-stage exchange with Sony honcho Jack Tretton at this year's E3 video-game conference

Are we forgetting any? Share in the comments section below.

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Tags: cinema, lightsaber, movies, skywalker, space, star wars, StarWars

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