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MISSOULA – Halloween costumes serve as a snapshot every October into what media, characters or trends are popular enough to capture the cultural zeitgeist. Only a few are iconic enough to outlive fad status and persist for decades. 

One breaker of that mold, consistently ranking among the most popular costumes for nearly 50 years, is Star Wars. Donning Darth Vader helmets, Princess Leia space buns, head-to-toe Chewbacca suits, and – most often – wielding lightsabers, Star Wars characters are seen out and about every Halloween. 

But at the ÀÏ»¢»ú¹¥ÂÔ, the clash of buzzing lightsabers can be heard around campus year-round since was founded in September 2023. 

“As long as I've been in college, I’ve had battle-ready sabers just kind of for recreation – for fun,” said club founder Chris Valian, a music composition student from Miles City. “I was told more and more, ‘This should be a club. You could make a club out of this.’ And I tried it as a joke. And then it wasn’t a joke, and like 30 people showed up to the first gathering.”

Valian used to bring sabers to campus events, practicing battle moves and inviting anyone intrigued enough to duel. Often, people were really interested. After the end of a home football game, about 60 people gathered to watch him practice flourishes on the ÀÏ»¢»ú¹¥ÂÔ Oval. A few even joined the club.

Since the first meeting last year, a core of devoted regulars has gathered from all corners of campus for club meetings once, sometimes twice, a week to hang out, catch up and duel their friends. Turnout is higher this semester compared to a year ago. 

Being a Star Wars fan isn’t necessary to join the group. The draw of re-enacting the drama of the sci-fi world gets a lot of people in the door, but only about half the regulars are fans. But all are drawn to the creativity of the swordplay and the opportunity to become part of a community of likeminded people who appreciate the nerdier side of having fun. 

“It’s all nerds. It’s all people who are totally prepared to look silly, who will laugh with you if you goof up,” Valian said. “It’s more about having fun with it and enjoying yourself than doing something well.”

A wide spectrum of neurodiversity is represented among club members, too, providing a lighthearted, inclusive and energetic space for students to connect. 

“Pretty much all of us have some form (of neurodiversity),” Valian said. “It’s a lot of very nice people, very goofy people.”

The spirit of the Lightsaber Dueling Club is “fun over form,” Valian said. Meetings have a silly, playful energy with some serious choreography mixed in. Many members enjoy the nostalgic aspect of playing out duels like they did as kids, but with battle-grade sabers fit for serious swordplay.

“It's $100 to $200 dollar glow sticks. Who doesn't love that?” Valian said with a laugh. “There's a lot of people who say, ‘yeah, I had that Disney one as a kid, or a Walmart one, but you couldn’t really fight with those and they sucked.’ But holding something like this, that makes the hum, that glows and flashes when you hit it, it feels insane to hold that for the first time.”

The sabers range from light, one-handed weapons weighing less than a pound to heavier two-handers that are up to 3 pounds. Club rules direct members to never hit with their full strength, and to refrain from striking the head, neck or groin. 

Valian provides most of the lightsabers himself, but others were purchased by the Associated Students of ÀÏ»¢»ú¹¥ÂÔ, and some students bring their own. Several can change into 16 different colors depending on the wielder’s preference, or may be programmed to make different sounds ranging from classic humming and clashing heard in Star Wars to the slicing and clashing sound of an actual metal sword. 

Club attendees often settle on their favorite color and sound. Valian prefers the style of Star Wars character Count Dooku. 

Although club members needn’t know anything about Star Wars, the sci-fi world does inform the footwork, flourishes and various forms of dueling. Valian draws from the seven different battle forms within the Star Wars universe to choreograph duels, often pitting two different styles against each other. He also takes inspiration from real-world fighting forms like fencing and kendo, and hopes to eventually hold collaborative meetings with the . 

Valian tries to schedule meetings around campus, using different spaces to constrain or expand the styles of fighting possible in each place. The Schreiber Gym has tall ceilings allowing for large, sweeping gestures and dark, reflective floors that really make the sabers shine in the dark, while the ALI Auditorium has various colored light settings that make for a moody, dramatic setting.

Anyone interested in the club but intimidated by learning choreographed duels – and quite possibly looking utterly ridiculous while fumbling through it – should know they’re among good company, Valian said. 

“A lot of people feel that way, including me sometimes. And there's no shame in that. It's like that when starting any skill because you're completely lost,” he said. “What I do in this club is I harbor an environment where you can learn. You can try new things openly. Because it's laser swords from a movie that‘s been out for 50 years, so it’s going to look stupid.” 

“Some people would say it looks stupid even when you know what you’re doing,” Valian added, chuckling.  

Anyone in the campus community is invited to attend Lightsaber Dueling Club meetings. Members have made some unexpected connections in the past year, including football players who joined a couple times – although they tend to hit a bit hard, Valian said. 

Another time, one student brought their grandmother. Valian handed her a green lightsaber, much to her enthusiastic delight. 

“She was vicious!” he said “That was the first time I had to really defend myself.”

Valian never expected the club to take off like it did or bring joy to so many different kinds of people across campus, including those who have already graduated from ÀÏ»¢»ú¹¥ÂÔ but continue to attend meetings. And while tabling at this year’s Bear Fair, several freshmen he’d never met before already knew his name and were eager to join.

While it’s another time-demanding obligation on top of the three other clubs he’s involved with, as well as working a job and finishing school, Valian said he only ever looks forward to preparing for club meetings. 

Before he graduates, Valian has ambitions to grow the Lightsaber Dueling Club and explore further opportunities, like working with students studying film or theater. He also hopes to watch the club thrive well after he receives his degree. 

“I would really like to get it to a place where I'm comfortable handing it off to someone,” Valian said. “I have to make sure it keeps going. The legacy doesn’t die with me.”

Check GrizHub or the for meeting schedules. 

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Contact: Dave Kuntz, ÀÏ»¢»ú¹¥ÂÔ director of strategic communications, 406-243-5659, dave.kuntz@umontana.edu.