A short time ago, in a galaxy not so far away, three perfect elements joined to create an epic event, bad weather, boredom, and love for Star Wars. Michael Nolting, Ben Barcewski, Jennah Warren, and Rachell Gartrel are known as the UNC Lightsaber guys.
The Lightsaber Guys unite outside Turner Hall and Gunter Green and battle each other for sheer entertainment.
“It was snowing outside, and I had a Lightsaber and Ben, my roommate, did not,” Nolting said. “So, he ordered one online, and we started just going at it and my friends started to join in.”
The popularity of these battles extended far and wide on campus as people started to watch and invest themselves in the adventures, regardless of the weather or location.
“We did not expect to grow as much as we have, we literally just were doing this for fun, but it’s been really fun to have people show up,” Barcewski said.
The rise of popularity of Lightsaber Guys has skyrocketed to the point that their Instagram account has reached 615 followers, and their lore fan page has gained 118 followers.
The Lightsaber Guys have also created lore to accompany their battles. Obi-Wan Jakobi, Kylo Ben, Darth Naul and Mace Jendu. These names are after the famous Star Wars characters Obi-Wan Kenobi, Kylo Ren, Darth Maul and Mace Windu.
They created these storylines on the basis that they were amassing a crowd and came up with stories to keep these battles interesting.
“We kind of accumulated a crowd, and we thought it would be fine to create these storylines to make it more fun for people,” Barcewski said.
Their love for Star Wars was the primary driving force to start these battles. Star Wars is far more than just movies for a lot of people, especially The Lightsaber Guys.
“I have been watching Star Wars since I was a kid, as has everyone else here,” Nolting said.
These battles have also created a stir with UNC police as they have been given several warnings based on noise complaints.
“We actually got a noise complaint because we were being too loud, apparently, so we had to kind of be quieter, but it has not stopped us from doing it,” Nolting said.
They have also allowed other people to join in on fights to improve the battles and make it more fun.
“People have actually come out and joined us and it has been very fun to see it happen,” Nolting said
UNC needs some entertainment and some joy, and these guys provided just that. If you are interested in keeping up with these otherworldly adventures, follow them on their Instagram pages @lightsaberguysofunc and @unco.lightsaberguyslore.
