The unnamed TSA officials have either never seen Star Wars or have just taken it a tad too literally.
In what is probably the first time a light saber has caused real-life trouble, Peter Mayhew got his cane, modeled on the fictional weapon, confiscated by TSA agents in Denver. The 7ft 2in actor, who plays Chewbacca in the Star Wars franchise, has problems walking and uses the cane as a walking aid. He tried to take it onboard the plane, coming home from the Denver Comic-Con, according to the Daily Mail.
Unfortunately, the TSA agents in question seemed to be unfamiliar both with Mayhew and with the light saber as a fictional weapon. They decided that it could somehow be used to harm passengers on the plane. Since canes and walking aids are typically allowed on board, we can only assume that the TSA agents expected the light saber had some actual futuristic properties, which would make it dangerous. Mayhew himself took the whole incident with a grain of salt and later tweeted: "Giant man need giant cane... small cane snap like toothpick... besides.. my light saber cane is just cool… I would miss it…"
After arriving in Dallas, he used the social network again, this time to praise American Airlines for their quick response. He explained that the mixup was on the part of the TSA and had nothing to do with his airline of choice. Luckily, all has been resolved now. Presumably, the TSA agents have learned a valuable lesson – it’s not wise to upset a Wookie.
Fortunately, the situation got handled quickly.
Mayhew got away unscathed.
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