PHOTOS, VIDEO: First Impressions of Custom-Built Lightsabers from Savi’s Workshop in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge

Star Wars fans everywhere are gushing about the new, custom-built lightsabers available at Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge:

Yes I spent 200 on this. Yes I’m nuts. Yes it was the COOLEST EXPERIENCE EVER. Yes it is Very heavy. And YES IT WAS TOTALLY WORTH IT. #GalaxysEdge #StarWars pic.twitter.com/4a0MDxXSsJ

— SoCalAvsFan (@SoCalAvsFan) May 22, 2019

By now, we’re sure you’ve seen it all across Instagram and Twitter, but we’ve decided to break things down for you.

OMG!!! Check this custom lightsaber out from Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge from Savi’s Workshop. #StarWarsGalaxyEdge #starswars #disneyland #kybercrystal pic.twitter.com/H7wQjJ0y0z

— 🔥 FIVE FIRES 🔥 (@thecalibae) May 23, 2019

Theme park blogger @thecalibae was among the first to post about the lightsaber and kyber crystals fresh out of a preview. Even more photos were shown in an Instagram post:

Here, showing an Elemental Nature lightsaber hilt with a Rancor tooth at the base, plus a variety of kyber crystals:

But how does it all work? What does it really cost, and what’s the process like? Well, that’s where the videos floating around come in handy. A video posted to Vimeo by user Loyd Calomay detailed some aspects of the lightsaber building experience, as well as kyber crystal functionality:

And funny enough, it all starts out with a pin. Depending on the theme of your choosing (Peace and Justice, Elemental Nature, Power and Control, or Protection and Defense), you receive a special pin that you then show to the Gatherer in charge of your building session. These pins act as your key to the Builder’s Table. (More on these pins later.)

Almost everyone we’ve seen review these hilts comment on how heavy and well-made these are. They’re priced on par with Force FX lightsabers, and have the same detailed craftsmanship and quality materials.

However, if you unscrew a Force FX lightsaber, you just get the battery pack. If you unscrew the ends of a custom lightsaber from Savi’s Workshop…

(The middle part is held together by magnets, so once you loosen up the ends, you just pop the middle covers out.)

You unlock an interactive kyber crystal igniter, which hums and speaks to you through the Force. The kyber crystal acts as the heart of your blade.

Now, each kyber crystal has a different sound and hum to it when you place it in and out of the igniter. It’s great that the hilt responds even when it isn’t on. The kyber crystals we’ve seen so far tend to have pointed ends that pop into crevices on each end of the igniter. (Likewise, they pretty much just pop out once you want to swap them.)

Builders can choose between red, blue, green, or purple kyber crystals that come in small storage vials. (Do note that while this video depicts white and yellow kyber crystals, those are not available at the workshop.)

Once the new kyber crystal is inside, you close the hilt back up and ensure it’s screwed tightly, or else you may encounter a “false start” hum if you’ve inserted your crystal improperly.

You then pop in the blade and flip the switch to turn it on. Also like a Force FX lightsaber, hilts make sounds upon turning off as well as retracting the blade, and react to touch and movement just like a real lightsaber would. These blades are universal and can be popped on to the legacy lightsaber hilts sold at Dok-Ondar’s Den of Antiquities.

Another build by TMR Tours shows us a Power and Control themed lightsaber with a red kyber crystal:

Another video by Skywalking Through Neverland shows a more in-depth look at the themed pins as shown during Star Wars Celebration:

A Power and Control pin.

A look at the Peace and Justice and Protection and Defense pins.

The video shows more details about Jedi and Sith holocrons, but just to be clear, those will only be sold at Dok-Ondar’s Den of Antiquities. Each kyber crystal has a hidden character inside, so you can place the crystal inside and unlock hidden content. What happens if you pop a Jedi kyber crystal inside a Sith holocron? You’ll have to try it and see.

Now, as far as pricing goes, the Disneyland website lists a catch-all price of $199.99 per lightsaber, plus tax for the experience, but in fact each piece breaks down to have its own price:

The hilts are actually just $99.00 (plus tax) and the blades are $49.99 (plus tax). Kyber crystals cost $49.99 (plus tax) each.

That means that while your first custom build will include all three elements, you can continue to purchase extra kyber crystals (as shown above) for different colors, effects, and combinations. You can also purchase additional hilts and legacy lightsabers to pair with your existing blade. A different lightsaber for every day!

We know you’re pumped to build your own lightsaber, but if you have a 4-hour reservation lined up, do keep in mind that many have reported the experience (waiting in line, going through the lightsaber building process, etc.) to take as long as three hours. So if you’re looking to build, prioritize your time, but most importantly, relish the experience!