Solaari Waan: The lightsaber for fighters
Lightsabers are often quite fragile in toy form. Too fragile to fight decent battles with. With the Waan lightsaber, Solaari shows that it is possible to really hit.
Star Wars has long been more than just the saga of the Moisture Farmer in training Luke Skywalker and his family history. Since the beginning of history in a galaxy far, far away, merchandise has been one of the most important aspects of the universe. There is hardly anything that has not been labelled with a Star Wars logo sooner or later. Except for one thing: a lightsaber that can be used to fight real battles.
The licence is still a little way off, but French manufacturer Solaari has produced a functional prototype in the form of the Waan lightsaber, which you can use to fight with your friends.
That's why video producer Stephanie Tresch and I thought: We're going to have a fight.
The official licence is missing
Having fun with the Solaari Waan is not cheap, however. The licence-free lightsaber costs around 250 US dollars. However, this shouldn't be an obstacle for true Jedi with a fighting spirit, as other Star Wars merchandise costs just as much or even more. A Millennium Falcon model kit from Revell costs 285 francs, while a Star Destroyer of the First Order made of Lego costs 169 US dollars.
The catch with the Millennium Falcon and the Star Destroyer: you can't beat anyone up with them. And they can't hit back either.
Okay, the Solaari Waan may be slightly dangerous for children. The sturdy polycarbonate blade, which lights up on the inside, allows for quite a bit of violence and force. In fact, I can strike with quite a lot of force at the stand and never get the feeling that I'm damaging the waan or breaking my opponent's sword.
When I strike, the hilt of the sword vibrates and a sound is emitted. It sounds nothing like the original soundtrack from the films. For good reason, because the Solaari Waan lacks the official Star Wars licence. However, this shouldn't be too difficult to obtain, because if there are official Star Wars oranges, then the waan should get the licence thrown at it.
You can freely set the colour of your blade. From red to white to turquoise or pink, everything is possible. I have an idea: If I can set the colour of the blade, then there is an interface between the app or PC and the sword. Theoretically, it should at least be possible to replace the sound effect in the sabre with the official hum of the lightsabre from the films. I'll ask about it.
"There are no plans for that at the moment," says a man at the stand, "but maybe we'll open this interface at some point."
But that's not possible, from the sound of it. I suspect that Solaari officials simply don't want to or can't admit it.
An official sport in France
The Solaari Waan is a Kickstarter project and is not yet fully funded. Around 1000 francs still need to be raised within 21 days for the campaign to be a success. At the moment, nobody doubts it.
Funny side note, by the way: lightsaber fighting is an official sport in France, meaning it has the same status as football, hockey or tchoukball.
The research in the conference room of the Sands hotel complex - the room is one of at least seven and about the size of four football pitches - is rudely interrupted. A gentleman in a suit and tie challenges me to a duel. I don't know exactly what I've done, but I accept the challenge. The fight lasts about a minute and I win with a skilful stab to the stomach of my opponent. We laugh. Two people at a specialist conference who actually have important things to do, but just take a minute out to fight each other with plastic swords.
The target group is clear: not children, but grown-up children. Those who just want to be a bit of a Jedi or Sith. Maybe the children will be allowed to join in. Later. When they're a bit older. And you've tested your Waan well. When they're not too tired. Maybe.
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Journalist. Author. Hacker. A storyteller searching for boundaries, secrets and taboos – putting the world to paper. Not because I can but because I can’t not.