For the most part, the teasers, trailers and TV spots for J.J. Abrams' "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" have been met with universal praise from fans of all walks of life. Disney and Lucasfilm have been applauded for their flawless marketing campaign that has maintained intrigue without revealing major plot points. Yet a long time ago in a corner of the Internet far, far away, fans were blasting the first ever footage they saw of "The Force Awakens" for one very specific reason: Kylo Ren's cross-guard lightsaber.
While some embraced the new look laser sword, many others accused it of being impractical and unnecessary (they said the same thing about Darth Maul's duel-sided lightsaber and that turned out to be the only cool aspect of "The Phantom Menace"). The weapon has even spawned a handful of speculative theories as to its origins and usage. With rumors reaching a fever pitch, Disneyland decided to set up a display in order to address many of the questions and explain how Kylo Ren's weapon actually works.
One theory suggested that Kylo Ren had constructed his lightsaber by himself. The plaque accompanying the model seems to allude to that fact.
In addition, the display also confirms that the cross-guard blades, or quillons, come from the central blade and are not separate sabers as some had guessed. It's interesting that the lightsaber is described as an "ancient design" as Kylo Ren himself is known to be a Vader-obsessive who is rumored to be searching for Sith artifacts. His sense of history with the Dark Side will likely come into play somehow during "The Force Awakens."
Although Abrams has confirmed that Kylo Ren is not a Sith, it's very possible that his goal is to become one or at least continue their legacy. One would assume The First Order implemented many of the Emperor's ideals and practices in the wake of his death and the destruction of the second Death Star. Perhaps Kylo Ren is the embodiment of that belief.
Either way, the cross-guard lightsaber looks pretty badass to us.
"Star Wars: The Force Awakens" will hit theaters on Dec. 18.
