What Are Those Lightsaber-Looking Weapons In Zack Snyder's Rebel Moon?

Zack Snyder has finally unveiled his "decades in the making" sci-fi epic "Rebel Moon," the galaxy-spanning drama heavily inspired by "Star Wars." The two-part epic follows Sofia Boutella as Kora, a former soldier for the Imperium who now seeks redemption by rallying warriors on the eponymous moon colony as she faces her destiny and achieves greatness — and kicks a lot of Imperial ass along the way.

The film is full of stunning imagery and hints at intricate world-building and an expansive mythology, something like a more serious "Jupiter Ascending" — which is always a good thing. And the "Star Wars" influence is clear, not just in the fascist-looking Empire, but also in what looks to be two flaming swords that look suspiciously like lightsabers.

Speaking with Vanity Fair earlier this year, Zack Snyder discussed the flaming laser words wielded by South Korean actor Doona Bae, who plays Nemesis. "These swords are powered by the gauntlets that she holds," Snyder said. "The gauntlets are these ancient [artifacts] from her home world, and part of the rite of passage of being a warrior in her world is you have to cut your arm off, and then you put these kind of robot arms on. That allows you to wield these molten-metal blades."

According to Snyder, the character of Nemesis has long been fighting against the Imperium, which extracts all of her planet's resources and leaves nothing behind for the locals. "Nemesis is able to navigate the alleys and nooks and crannies, and she's been sort of protecting the exploited workers of that world."

The "Rebel Moon" trailer showcases a cool mix of medieval aesthetics with sci-fi imagery, which help ground the more fantastical images (like four-armed giants, a very cool spider-lady played by Jena Malone, and the griffin-like flying creatures) in something more real and of this planet. Then there's the clear real-world parallels to actual history, like the bad guys basically looking like Nazis. In a way, the story of a former fascist soldier turned rebel leader feels less like "Star Wars" and more like the hugely popular miniature wargame "Warhammer 40,000."

"Rebel Moon," with its ambitious scope and stunning imagery, brings to mind the kind of epic sci-fi movies we seldom see in the era of IP-driven blockbusters — movies like "Jupiter Ascending" or even "Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets" (which was based on a popular comic, but nevertheless produced independently). Those films also focused on building an expansive world and presenting striking visuals, but we have our fingers crossed that this one is more successful than its predecessors. 

Luckily, "Rebel Moon" has something over other similar sci-fi epics: A greenlit sequel. Indeed, in what continues to be the year of the two-part movie, "Rebel Moon" is being released in two parts, one on December 22, 2023, the next part on April 19, 2024. And that's not all, because Snyder made not just two movies, but four, with each part getting an extended R-rated version.