ORLANDO, Fla. - The lightsaber from "Star Wars" is probably the most recognizable film prop in the history of cinema and the most coveted piece of merchandise among kids and adult sci-fi fans alike.

The dream of a real lightsaber has always sounded like a physics joke, not an engineering brief. Yet a retractable plasma blade that can slice through steel has forced a small Canadian workshop to ...

When lightsabers first appeared on screen, they were nothing more than special effects and movie props. Fans could only imagine what it would be like to hold one in real life. Fast forward to today, ...