by Cang Snow

The best demonstration for what motivated me to make the Rise For Rose project is the kind of comments that instantly pop up anywhere I might decide to share it.

I can almost guarantee that if I did in fact make such a project for such an individual it would garner far less hate than Rise For Rose. Would people complain if someone made a lightsaber for Mark Hamill— because in fact people have made lightsabers for Mark Hamill and no, nobody said a thing except “cool, it’s awesome you made a lightsaber for Mark Hamill.”

I suspect the hate does not come directly against Kelly Marie Tran herself, but from the message the project delivers. Bad people hate being called out— and that is exactly what the Rose Tico lightsaber does.

Despite the venom we get for Rise For Rose, there are fair questions as to WHY we’re building KMT a LIGHTSABER as opposed to some other kind of gift. Rose Tico, after all, is not force sensitive as far as we know. If anything, as someone once mentioned, why wouldn’t we make her a blaster or something? Here are my best six responses to answer WHY a Rose Tico lightsaber?

A. Lightsabers are the prestige Star Wars gift.

If you’re gonna give the best Star Wars gift you can imagine, what would it be? An action figure? A PC game? No. Today, the premiere Star Wars gift— the thing you’d travel all the way to Anaheim or Orlando for— is a lightsaber. At Galaxy’s Edge you can spend hundreds of dollars to build your own lightsaber. And if your tastes are more expensive, then the custom lightsaber market is thriving, and people are spending thousands of dollars for fully customized setups with lighting effects, sound, and other options. There is no other item like it in the Star Wars canon. Not a blaster. Not an action figure. A lightsaber.

A Lord of the Rings themed lightsaber made by Vader’s Vault.

A. Lightsabers are works of art.

Anyone with enough money can buy any gift. It’s another thing to make it. To hand craft it and design it for that person. In many ways, the effort is more valuable than the money spent. So when you really want to make a statement, this is what you might do.

What would it mean to simply buy Kelly Marie Tran an off the shelf lightsaber? Nothing. It would mean nothing. That’s a present. It’s not a statement. And here, the statement is just as important as the person it’s going to. That’s why it must be the Rose Tico lightsaber. It does not matter if Rose Tico is not a Jedi.

A. Lightsabers are important.

Setting the prequels aside— which denote a very different time in the republic— lightsabers belong to or are wielded by important and major players in the story. And having one— especially one of your own— is a statement. This is about validating Rose Tico and her actress, to say that “you are enough”.

A. Lightsabers represent a community.

I have been asked by a troll why I don’t just pay for a custom lightsaber and be done with it, rather than raise funds from the community. And the answer is that it is this very community that needs to make amends. And one person giving a gift, no matter how nice or expensive, is not a statement from that community.

Members of the Star Wars community have donated their time, money, and attention to this project, and that means far more than any one person can. The Rose Tico lightsaber was designed by one person with input from several others, and now is being built by another, with opinions and ideas from many more. Still others are waiting for their turn in the process, when they will contribute custom made blades, and carrying bags, and boxes. I’d rather get 500 one dollar donations than one $500 donation to this project, even if it took way longer. Because that speaks to the power of Star Wars fans to right a wrong, and to say they are louder and stronger than its worst elements.

A. Everybody likes lightsabers.

Leaving aside the politics or personal details of the character, and who she is or what she does or what kind of gift Rose Tico would actually want or use, in real life, everybody likes lightsabers, and they’re a great gift for any Star Wars fan. At the end of the day, the backlash affected a real person, and we want this gift to be something that Kelly can enjoy, whether that is through lightsaber spinning, fighting, or just putting it on a mantle.

A. Lightsabers are what we do.

As a lightsaber-inspired fencing organization, we are well primed to do what we’re doing. We know lightsabers, we know lightsaber builders, and we care a hecking lot about lightsabers! We do what we know, and we give the best of what we’ve got. And that’s how it is.

I don’t believe we need any reason at all to make someone a gift. But I hope these answers help people better understand the project and why we’re doing it. And should you have further questions, feel free to leave them in the comments!