BETHLEHEM, Pa. — A group of Lehigh University students is discovering that one does not need to travel to Bespin, Mustafar or even a galaxy far, far away to bring the lightsaber fights of "Star Wars" to life.
The Lehigh Lightsaber Club, officially formed just this semester, has brought weekly lightsaber dueling to the university's campus for both the flashy and competitive.
- The Lehigh Lightsaber Club, officially formed this year, is bringing a Star Wars brand of battle to the campus
- Taking inspiration from TikTok, the students focus on duels and demonstrations with special builds of the light-up swords
- Club founders say the hobby has given them many friends and memories so far, with hopes for growth in the future
With today, May the Fourth (echoing the "Star Wars" line "May the force be with you"), club President Madix Marlatt and Vice President Gio Pedroza, both college juniors, discussed how the group gradually developed out of watching lightsaber-focused TikTok videos during their freshman year.
Lightsabers, as with many other niche interests, have found a home on TikTok.
Some sabers on the market now are custom-made to keep dueling in mind (primarily as to not break during use), which Marlatt and Pedroza said can go for about $80 and up.
'The Force is strong with this one'
Eventually, Marlatt said, he bought multiple made-for-dueling sabers himself, with Pedroza and others following suit with their own and gathering to use them.
Night walks with lightsabers evolved into duels for fun. The group of enthusiasts said they eventually developed rules and a point system for competition.
"It was really something fun to do, and it defined a lot of our freshman year," Marlatt said. "I think we had a lot of good memories with that together.
"But now we have the club and we do that and we've formed it into a big thing."
The leadership said the club has 10 to 15 core members, while others often come in and join in when they hold their meetups. Some even have little knowledge of the "Star Wars" films from where the lightsabers originated, they said.
"Because we're visible, people will see us and just walk up and try to see what's going on," Pedroza said. "If anybody walks up, we have no problem just saying, 'Come on in and join.' It's for everyone."
"It's a very entry level, you don't really need experience," Marlatt said. "So we just have people come in, and you can whack [the lightsabers] together and have fun."
'Do or do not. There is no try.'
They said the club also has started movie nights to provide another avenue to engage with the "Star Wars" fandom on campus, as well.
The Lehigh students are not alone in their love of bringing lightsabers off the screen and into a fun hobby.
Tournaments for saber dueling have popped up all over the country in recent years while other events, including past events in the Lehigh Valley, have focused more on emulating the choreographed stage combat of the "Star Wars" films.
The club has attracted more than just students to its meetings, too. Marlett said that more than just students had joined in on the duels.
They said members of the Lehigh University Police Department and Vice President of Student Affairs Ricardo Hall have shown up to show their stuff with the light-up blades.
But in the end, it's a space for the students to embrace what they find fun, and to build a sense of community along with it.
"I feel like as you get older, you kind of like move away from that stigma that comes with the concept of being a nerd that floats around in high school."Lightsaber club Vice President Gia Pedroza
"I feel like as you get older, you kind of like move away from that stigma that comes with the concept of being a nerd that floats around in high school," Pedroza said.
In college, "it just kind of like fades away and people are just like 'My life's short, I'm gonna enjoy what I enjoy.'"
Marlett and Pedroza spoke about hoping to one day choreograph a whole dueling scene to perform at a campus event, potentially bringing some of the spirit of George Lucas' universe to even more on the campus.
