Citizens Make Own Galaxy Far, Far Away

One unemployed theater techie is giving Industrial Light & Magic a run for its money, bringing lightsaber skills to a Manhattan dance studio and “high personal ethics” to everyday geeks. New York Jedi braintrust Master Flynn teaches swordplay, along with meditation and yoga techniques, to men bearing replicas of the 20th century’s other iconic weapon, Wired reports.

The customized electronic lightsabers, which retail for as much as $700, appear at the customary pre-session Starbucks run arranged like samurai swords across their owners' backs. After the Master Flynn disciples scare off their laptopping neighbors, one muses on the self-improvement potential of emulating Star Wars characters: “There is no way that's not going to influence who you really are." (More Star Wars stories.)