Watch Emperor Palpatine Use Real Lightning Against Luke Skywalker
Regardless of whether you think the Jedi or the Sith is cooler or better than the other, Force lightning has always been awesome! From the minute we first saw Emperor Palpatine blast Luke with Force lightning in Return of the Jedi, we all collectively thought, “Whoa! I wanna shoot lightning from my fingertips!” It was so cool and impactful that it has become a staple for both Star Wars and the villainous Sith to this day. It has been used in some form in almost every Star Wars project that follows. Force lightning does not just have to be the thing of schoolyard dreams now because a clever fan has given us real life Force lightning!
Wayne Keenan, also known by his Twitter handle @wkeenan, has given us a taste of what Force lightning could look like in our world in an extremely creative recreation of the famous scene in Return of the Jedi. Wayne, who is a coder and “tinkerer” devised a method using the Tesla coil to recreate the iconic scene with his Luke Skywalker and Emperor Palpatine action figures. Reminiscent of the final confrontation, blue electrical bolts fly from Palpatine into Luke. With keen attention to detail, Keenan was even able to get the bolts to come from the Emperor’s hands. Sadly, it does not look like Daddy Vader will be coming to the rescue. The recreation of the scene with real electricity is already amazing, but Keenan took it a step further. He put the electric shocks to the tune of “The Imperial March”! It is really an entertaining video. Rigging the Tesla coil to the action figures and enabling the hands to shoot the currents was no easy task, let alone syncing them to “The Imperial March.” Needless to say, when he posted the finished video to Twitter it exploded in views and comments.
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Not only was the recreated scene fantastic to see and immensely entertaining, it also is a recreation of one of the best scenes in the original trilogy. That scene encompasses the struggle of all the films: Rebels vs. Empire, Jedi vs. Sith, Good vs. Evil. The conflict between the two opposing sides is presented right there in the throne room scene. It also shows the results of Luke’s attempt to bring his father back to the Light Side of the Force. In the last minutes of the battle, while Luke is reeling with pain from the electrical current, Vader steps up, lifts the Emperor over his head, and throws him down the reactor shaft of the Second Death Star. It is truly a memorable ending to both the original trilogy and the original Star Wars saga. Of course, some people will point out that the sequel trilogy kind of negates the importance of that encounter since Palpatine seemingly survives. While there is an argument to be made there, it does not change how great that original scene is.
Regardless of what happen after, the final confrontation between Palpatine and Luke is pivotal. It gives birth to the Dark Side power of Force lightning. The recreation that Wayne has done with some action figures is an ingenious way to bring playing with toys to the next level. I am sure we all wish we had a Tesla coil at home to have real Force lightning at our disposal. It really shows how creative some fans can be, and it is one of the best parts of the Star Wars fandom. The added “Imperial March” song was the icing on the galactic cake. This video serves as an excellent example of the love and passion of a Star Wars fan. It also shows how Force lightning becomes a symbol of the Dark Side of the Force since Return of the Jedi, and how it is still inspiring fans many years later.
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Source(s): Screen Rant