George Lucas recalls that Star Wars was influenced by pirate and swashbuckling films of the 1940s, which showcased the romantic side of fighting. The director needed a weapon that would match the Jedi’s ideals. In a clip from Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, the lightsaber is introduced by Obi-Wan Kenobi, who describes it to be “not as clumsy or random as a blaster. An elegant weapon for a more civilized age.” Originally, Lucas says, Jedi were meant to fight with just swords. But to give the weapon a technological edge, they became “laser swords.”