That lightsaber would be absolute **** in a fight. All you would really have with it is a slightly larger reach. The second they got past it you would be stabbed faster than you can say "scruffy looking nerf herder". Most weapons would not transition well into a lightsaber form.

Worked for them.

It doesn't change the fact that it is an incredibly bad dueling weapon. In a one on one fight between a guy with a spear and a guy with a sword, who do you think would win? If the spear managed to hit him before he got close enough he could win, but that's an incredibly big if and if they got by then they would be ****** because there would be nothing they could do for defense. It's likely those guys were only good with them for the reasons than plot points and they wanted characters that had outrageously unique weapons. Often, when trying to milk money from a franchise(especially Star Wars), writers will create outrageous characters to try to bring in the "wow that's cool!". Look at Darth Maul. The biggest thing about him was his lightsaber. IT was so different than anything we saw. Granted a double bladed saber can be good for combat, but that doesn't mean a spear like weapon would.

Spears are not good for dueling.

I said it has better range, but as a martial artist you must know it's weakness is that if you can get within range you're ****** . This isn't a debate about skill. This is the debate of how effective a weapon is in a duel. In the hands of an expert any weapon can be useful, but if it's against someone who is equally effective with a sword then it comes down to if they get close enough. If they get past the blade, you are pretty much ****** . When they swing at you when they pass your blade range, how will you block? With the handle? That will get lobbed off and you'll get slashed. If you had a double bladed saber then you could at least have a blade closer to you to swat away his/her blade.

That's not my point at all. My point is that if the combatant gets past then you have no defense.

I know that's its strength. That's really all it has if it's a lightsaber. It's still possible to get by it and if they do, you're ****** . That's my point. I'm not talking about skill or someones hypothetical ability to get by it or not. I'm saying it's a very impractical weapon for saber dueling.

If they are dead equal in skill with each weapon it would come down to if the swordsman can get by the blade or not. Why do you automatically assume that it's an unstoppable weapon that no one can pass? That is the weapon's biggest flaw. Get by the blade and you win. There simply is no defense past the blade. If you tried to block with the handle then the saber would just cut right through it and go into you. There is no defense capabilities when they get close.

A spear lightsaber is just a really long handle that can be broken with a small blade. One swipe good swipe at the handle and you now have a dagger. Another big weakness of a lightsaber spear is you can very easily chop the top of the handle off. It's harder to pull it away from a blade trying to cut the dangerous part off. Pull it too far away and you've just opened yourself for them to get close enough to where the weapon is useless.

That weapon does not transition well into a lightsaber. Very impractical.

You're making it sound like it's superior to a sword in every way. Its strength is in its reach, but it's the weapon's biggest flaw as well. It is very much possible to get around it. It would be much easier to beat a lightsaber version than a real one. That pole handle is very vulnerable. You keep ignoring my point. It's not a debate on how hard it would be to get past it or how easy. It's that if you do then there is no defense whatsoever. It's not even an impossible feat either. It can obviously be done. If two force sensitive fights got into a serious duel then likely whomever had the spear would lose. You can't keep the enemy at bay forever. All they have to do is stay out of range of the blade and wait for an opening. They could chop at the base of the blade and cut the whole blade off.

We're not talking about medieval weapons. We're talking about how they would transition to a lightsaber. Spear type weapons like the glaive and halberds had the advantage of greater reach and the option of putting more weight and power into your strikes without putting yourself in a vulnerable spot. The thing is that would not affect a lightsaber. Those things weight practically nothing. A little extra weight into it really won't change much so you're just left with a greater reach. Spears are also very different than lightsaber spears. Spears are not good for slashing. You can slash with them, but they aren't very effective that way. They are mainly meant for stabbing. A lightsaber spear can slash and stab with the same effectiveness. Not all weapons will work the same if they in a lightsaber form. Lightsabers don't matter what way you use them. As long as the blade touches something, it will do equal damage. It's common sense, man. I'm not trying to sound like a dick. It's just pretty easy to find the flaws in every weapon by looking at them or how they are used.

If you show me a weapon, I can probably tell you how it's best used and what its weakness is.

You keep ignoring my whole point. This is not a debate on the ease of getting around the blade. Stop bringing that up. This was a debate about how the weapon has absolutely no defense once you get by the blade.

Do you not realize a lightsaber could very easily chop that blade off? If you try to keep the hilt out of range of the lightsaber you are leaving yourself very open.

"why the hell would I give my opponent an opening!?"
Nobody intentionally gives an opening. It just happens.

"making a spear into a lightsaber spear would bascially make it even better than before "
A lightsaber will make the wapon better for obvious reasons of being able to cut in any way and through most materials, but if you come across a lightsaber the spear is a horrible weapon. Land a blow on the handle and your spear is ****** .

Look at this picture for a clearer example. Yes you have greater reach with the spear, but your opponent doesn't need to try to hit you. All they have to do is hit the completely unguarded hilt. In the old days this wasn't a problem with the weapon because a sword wasn't likely to lob the blade clean off, but with lightsabers simply touching the hilt will with the saber will render the spear a useless stick. All lightsabers share that problem, but with a spear lightsaber you are shoving the hilt in your opponent's direction for an easy hit.

Real spear like weapons(not lightsaber) didn't have the threat of the blade being lobbed off. Unless you got a good hard swing at the pole, you were not likely to cleave it off. The pole could be used as part of the weapon. If the enemy managed to get by for a swing you could at least attempt to swing the other side of the pole to try to block, but that doesn't work when it's a lightsaber. The lightsaber will cut clean through it like wet paper.

Yes, the spear will give you good reach, but the hilt is very vulnerable. With a sword saber you can at least move the hilt out of the way and still defend with the blade. With a double bladed lightsaber you can swing the hilt out of the way and counter with a swing of the other side as you swing it back. With the spear, if you pull it out of the way you are also pulling your only offensive tool away and leaving yourself open for them to get close. When they get close you have no defense. That is why a lightsaber spear is very ineffective. The very vulnerable hilt and the the fact you are defenseless if they get by the blade.

In a lightsaber duel, you have to only use the blades. The handle is not part usefull. You can't use a lightsaber spear the same way you would use a regular spear. A regular spear shaft is at least somewhat usable to block a blade swipe. A lightsaber spear's shaft cannot stop a blade so your only offensive and defensive abilities is the smaller blade. Even if you are very skilled with the weapon, you can only rely on the blade part. The shaft cannot be used to block at all. If you try to block with the shaft, then you lose your lightsaber. All they have to do is land a single blow on any part of the upper shaft past your hands and your entire weapon is ****** .

Yes the sword can't reach you while you keep your distance, but all they would have to do is hit the very vulnerable shaft. Do you see the flaws in the weapon now?

I know there are lightsaber resistant materials. Don't assume I don't. You obviously don't know a lot about it if you think every lightsaber is made of the stuff. It's a very rare material. There is Mandalorian Steel, but that doesn't do a whole lot.

Cortosis is the most effective lightsaber resistant material yes, but it is also an incredibly rare material. Not something people casually make a saber out of.

Your counter argument is basically "well it'll be made out of strong material". The thing is that is then creating a biased fight. You're essentially just trying to stack the odds in your favor. I mean, if you get to throw in an extra variable then I'll toss in one too. The swordsman will have Cortosis armor and another lightsaber. This is a hypothetical fight between two average people. The average lightsaber isn't made out of lightsaber resistant materials. Look at Darth Maul's. That thing was cut in half. Anakins first lightsaber was also cut by a basic industrial blade. Most lightsabers are not heavily reinforced. It would be fairly pointless. It would be far easier and cheaper to just replace your lightsaber. Most lightsaber users don't come across someone who can effectively cut a lightsaber handle so they don't see the point in reinforcing them.

No one said anything about dueling, and I think you might be thinking about this too hard. A saberstaff makes more sense for Rey, anyway.

Except saber dueling is a huge part of every movie(although IV had somewhat less importance). If you encounter another force user then out come the lightsabers. How does a saber staff make more sense than a double bladed saber for Rey? She had a double sided staff and is used to fighting with it. I don't see how a single bladed staff would be better than a double sided one(when she used a double bladed for years).

....Double-bladed lightsaber. Also known as a saberstaff.

starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Double-bladed_lightsaber

The way you were wording your comments made it sound like you were referring to the spear like saber in the original comment. The debate was about the impracticality of the spear like saber and you gave an example where it worked then said your comment about the staff making more sense. A misunderstanding, but I thought you were talking about the spear saber staff(I think it's called a lightsaber pike?).

You're "debating" practicality in a fictional universe where lightsabers exist, ships can travel at the speed of light, certain people have magic powers, and a unit of measurement of distance is used for a measurement of time.

I don't think practicality matters much, to be honest.

Practicality is important. All that stuff you listed is science fiction and doesn't really factor around impracticality. If anything it is closer to impossible/unfeasible. Impracticality is more like a a rocket launcher with a bayonet. Sure it can be useful, but it really isn't very useful. A spear like saber really wouldn't be good for much and essentially is limiting the effectiveness of a lightsaber thus making it impractical.