Hasbro's Black Series range of premium Star Wars collectibles is about to get bigger, with the addition of the Yoda Force FX Elite Lightsaber.
Hasbro announced the Star Wars: The Black Series Yoda Force FX Elite Lightsaber via the Hasbro Pulse website. Like the manufacturer's other Force FX Elite Lightsaber products, the Yoda Force FX Elite Lightsaber is equipped with LED lights and sound effects designed to ensure "the most realistic" Star Wars experience possible. According to Hasbro, the high-end collectible is modeled on Yoda's lightsaber as it appeared in Disney+ series The Book of Boba Fett, and comes packaged with a removable kyber crystal accessory and stand. The Star Wars: The Black Series Yoda Force FX Elite Lightsaber carries a recommended retail price of $249.99 and will ship in January 2024.
Yoda is one of several iconic Star Wars characters to have their laser sword added to Hasbro's Black Series line in recent months. In May 2022, Hasbro unveiled Star Wars: The Black Series Obi-Wan Kenobi Force FX Elite Lightsaber, which was timed to coincide with the release of the Disney+ miniseries Obi-Wan Kenobi. Six months later, the manufacturer followed up this product with Star Wars: The Black Series Luke Skywalker Force FX Elite Lightsaber, based on Luke Skywalker's green-bladed lightsaber as seen in Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, The Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett and various other media.
Lightsabers Remain Star Wars' Most Iconic Weapon
Hasbro's ongoing commitment to the Force FX Elite range's expansion reflects the enduring popularity of lightsabers themselves, which remain as central to Star Wars canon today as they were in 1977. The franchise has introduced a number of variations on the core lightsaber design over the past 46 years, including different blade and hilt types. A recent example of this appeared in the trailer for upcoming Disney+ show Ahsoka, in which villains Baylan Skoll and Shin Hati are shown wielding orange lightsabers. Showrunner Dave Filoni has since confirmed that the color of Baylan and Shin's sabers is a clue that "they might not straight up be what you think they are."
Lightsaber combat is also at the heart of Star Wars: Jedi Survivor, the new action-adventure game developed by Respawn Entertainment. Design director Jeff Majors touched on Jedi Survivor's approach to swordplay in a recent interview, noting the impact of players' individual preferences on the game's lightsaber mechanics. "We don't force you into any stance. It's more about player expression," Majors explained. "What's cool about that is you can play the game with one stance and then play it again with a completely different stance, and it feels different, new, and fresh again."
Star Wars: The Black Series Yoda Force FX Elite Lightsaber is available for pre-order now.
Source: Hasbro