#master chassis

“Ideally, a Jedi took many months to construct a single perfect weapon that he or she would keep and use for a lifetime. Once you build it, the lightsaber will become your constant companion, your tool, and a ready means of defense.

Luke held out the handle of his own lightsaber, sliding his palm over the smooth grip, then igniting it with a startling snap-hiss. The brilliant yellow-green blade drowned out even the bright sunlight in the room. 

(...) “I hope you’ll need to use your weapon only rarely...if ever.”

- The Young Jedi Knights: Lightsabers, by Kevin J. Anderson & Rebecca Moesta

Say what you will about Kevin Anderson & the somewhat dubious writing style of The Jedi Academy Trilogy, but both he and his wife, Rebecca Moesta, understood the kriffing assignment when they wrote The Young Jedi Knights series, only a few years later. The fact that The New Jedi Order & the Legacy Era shit the bed immediately afterwards is almost okay, because these books are so damn good. 

Don’t go into them looking for Shakespeare, but they feature no pointless deaths, no character assassinations, no nonsensical plotting - only good characters, fun, exciting stories - they’re just pure Star Wars. And I love it so, so much.

Here we have some pics of my personal Rudy Pando Luke V3 lightsaber (it only seemed appropriate) sporting GOTH’s Master Chassis, with a dual crystal chamber reveal, all properly modified to run a Proffieboard v2.2 soundboard. Quite nice, if I do say so myself. This post is fulfilling something of an old promise; a while ago (like, over a year ago), I hinted that I would be reinstalling this saber for one final time, and now, here it is in all its glory. My tribute to a personal hero of mine from my youth, and in the spirit of excellent ensemble  stories like The Young Jedi Knights and character pieces, like Luke Skywalker and the Shadows of Mindor. 

May they be preserved & enjoyed forever. 

Speaking of; having read Shatterpoint recently, I’m tempted to go back and read Shadows of Mindor again, if only because I’ll have a clearer idea of who Nick Rostu & Kar Vastor are, not to mention, uh, what TF is going on. It’s a great book, and it absolutely nails Luke’s character, but it’s really kriffing weird. 

Even though it’s not (in my opinion) Stover’s best work, it has a short little exchange between Luke & Kar Vastor that perfectly sums up Luke’s character, and more importantly, why he’s such a great character:

I have known Jedi. Many, many years ago. That knowing was not a gladness for me. I believed I would never know another, and I rejoiced in that belief.

But it is a gladness for me to be proven wrong.

I am happy to have known you, Jedi Luke Skywalker. You are more than they were.

“That’s -” Luke shook his head blankly, blinking against the darkness. “I mean, thanks, but I barely know anything.”

So you believe. But I say to you: you are greater than the Jedi of former days.

Luke could only frown, and shake his head again. “What makes you say that?”

Because unlike the Knights of old, Jedi Luke Skywalker...

You are not afraid of the dark.

~~~~~~

My first post of 2022 - let’s kick things off with a bang:

Here we have a Mace Windu hilt by 89Sabers, sporting GOTH’s Master Chassis, printed in Rhodium & 18K Gold-Plated Brass. While not (in my opinion) my finest work, I do think this is a strong contender for one of the nicest sabers I’ve ever built.

Only the best for the Korun Master of the Order and resident Bad Mother Fucker. 

And as it happened, when I was commissioned to build this saber, I was also reading Shatterpoint by Matthew Stover, for the first time. First off, the TL;DR version of my review for that book is that it’s legitimately brilliant, and people should talk about it more often. 

This one was something of a rarity for me, simply because I mostly deal in replica sabers. Since this saber is a ‘Flagship” hilt from KRSabers - something specifically designed for customization - and therefore doesn’t belong to a single, specific character, I was given creative license to weather & age the saber as I saw fit, so long as it gelled with the customer’s own ideas. 

I should pause here and acknowledge that the weathering on this saber was conceptualized in partnership with @threadsketchier​ to be the latest addition to her collection - and I think it came out rather well. 

As she herself has christened it, the Mary Sue Saber® (🤣) is to be a more feminine lightsaber, albeit one that has seen more than its fair share of conflict. For instance, we can see that the rosegold plating has almost completely succumbed to the ravages of time & war, exposing the oxidized brass beneath. The leather wrap is frayed & faded in places, but the oils from the users’ hands have given it a waxy pallor. The etchings on the shroud (art nouveau-inspired), are perhaps part of a family crest or adornment, once again scorched & dulled from many a close shave with other lightsaber-wielding opponents. 

For me, this is the most satisfying part of saber smithing; I get to tell a story through the subtle physical imperfections & idiosyncrasies of the saber in question. Like any good prop, it serves to draw you more fully into that world. That is the greatest thing I can ever hope to achieve. 

I did say that you ain’t seen nothing yet. Never let it be said that I’m not a man of my word.