The One Star Wars Thing Hayden Christensen Wishes He Could Bring Into Reality
Hayden Christensen was an upcoming, still relatively obscure talent when he was picked to play the pivotal role of Anakin Skywalker. He'd cut his teeth on horrors and indie dramas, so he was understandably nervous about auditioning for something as big as "Star Wars." But after starring in "Star Wars: Episode II — Attack of the Clones" and "Episode III — Revenge of the Sith," Christensen became one of the most recognizable faces in the franchise. In 2022, after nearly two decades away from the role, the actor returned to reprise Anakin once again alongside his old scene partner Ewan McGregor for "Obi-Wan Kenobi" on Disney+.
With Christensen back in the franchise, many fans rekindled their love for his prequel performances. When the "Jumper" star appeared onstage with McGregor at Star Wars Celebration Anaheim in May, the audience erupted into cheers, with lightsabers thrust toward the sky. "I missed you guys, too," he said.
Of course, as with most actors who've been a part of the franchise, Christensen has long held opinions regarding his favorite aspects of the galaxy far, far away. Here's the one thing from "Star Wars" Hayden Christensen wishes he could have in real life.
Like the rest of us, Hayden Christensen wants lightsabers to be real
In a resurfaced interview alongside George Lucas to promote "Star Wars: Episode III — Revenge of the Sith," Hayden Christensen revealed that, out of everything in "Star Wars," he'd most want to bring a lightsaber into the real world (via Moviefone on YouTube). "Definitely the lightsaber," Christensen said. "I gotta say, it was one of the real pleasures of putting on the costume every day, was to attach that lightsaber to the belt and just know that it was there."
It's no surprise that, of all the impossible things in "Star Wars," Hayden Christensen wants a lightsaber most of all. Although the galaxy far, far away contains miracles such as faster-than-light travel, Beskar armor, and whatever this thing that produces green milk is, many fans would undoubtedly prefer to hold the humming hilt of a lightsaber if given the choice. Plenty of science-fiction worlds contain interplanetary travel, but the lightsaber is integral to the spark of imagination that makes "Star Wars" unique. When one flashes to life onscreen, we are reduced to wide-eyed children. In his interview, Christensen continued, "There's a great line in this last film where obi wan uses a gun and goes, 'So uncivilized." There is something elegant about the lightsaber, and the noise it makes, and just the glow."
The lightsaber is at the heart of why we love Star Wars
Regarding Obi-Wan's remark in "Star Wars: Episode III — Revenge of the Sith" that a blaster is uncivilized, the lightsaber is, by contrast, an elegant weapon above all else. When creating "Star Wars," George Lucas drew heavily from the works of Japanese film director Akira Kurosawa, whose depictions of shogunate samurai warriors emphasized their nobility and the precision of their swordsmanship. The lightsaber is a futuristic twist on a katana and therefore manages to feel simultaneously historic and otherworldly. As literary scholar Fredric Jameson notes in his seminal essay, "Postmodernism and Consumer Society," "Star Wars" gives fans the opportunity "to gratify a deeper and more properly nostalgic desire to return to that older period and to live its strange old aesthetic artifacts through once again."
The lore surrounding lightsabers emphasizes their connection to ancient tradition. Each Jedi must craft her or his own saber by traveling to the planet of Ilum and finding a kyber crystal, the material which focuses the blade's beam (via Star Wars). While a Jedi can wield another person's saber, such as Luke's use of Anakin's old blade in "Episode IV — A New Hope," the idea that a warrior's lightsaber is an extension of them guided the design of various lightsabers throughout the series. Count Dooku's design, built to accommodate his obscure combat style, sports a curved hilt, while Kylo Ren's cross-guard blade reflects his lack of training and his volatile personality.
Lightsabers are elegant because they feel deeply rooted in the history of both our own world and the "Star Wars" galaxy, and because they're informed by the personality of their owner, which in turn enhances the story being told on screen. Hayden Christensen's wish to own a lightsaber in real life may be a common one, but it's hard to say he chose wrong.