Luke Skywalker, seasoned fighter pilot and hero of the Battle of Yavin, faces his grand destiny when he battles Darth Vader in a stunning confrontation between the light and dark sides of the Force high above the planet Bespin.  Armed only with the Lightsaber he inherited from a father he never knew, and driven by his untested mastery of the Force, Luke fights for his life, for his friends, and for the survival of the Rebellion.

The Luke Skywalker lightsaber prop featured in The Empire Strikes Back varies slightly in detailing from the prop used in A New Hope.  Like the first movie prop, the basis of the lightsaber is an antique flashgun.  However, the prop for Episode V was outfitted with a 13-line computer edge connector, which was press-fit into the center clamp area.  The original stamped-metal D-ring holder on the back of the lightsaber was also altered for the new version.  A machined-metal connector, taken from another antique flashgun, was fitted with a D-ring and riveted to the rear of the prop.  This particular piece was apparently flipped over and reattached during filming, as it can be seen with either side facing out during the movie and in subsequent publicity photos.

The rubber grips, which were used for the first film prop, were also modified for the second film.  A small notch was cut out of the rear of each grip and pop-rivets were inserted into each recess.  In some pictures, small, slot-headed screws can also be seen on the fronts of the grips.  The name of the antique flashgun stamped into the center clamp unit was also covered so it would not be visible on-screen during close-up shots.  This covering changed during filming, varying from a wider strip with cross-hatched pattern to a narrow strip which was completely smooth.  Finally, the glass lens on the bottom of the flashgun was removed and replaced with a second, knurled silver-and-red trigger button identical to the one seen on the top of the flashgun.

Master Replicas has been careful to reproduce all of these details on our replica of the Luke Skywalker lightsaber from The Empire Strikes Back.  We believe that this attention to detail has resulted in the definitive replica of Luke's historic weapon.