X

Watch airport workers fight a Star Wars lightsaber battle

Commentary: At a rainy airport, the people who usually wave to help direct planes into their gates wave their illuminated wands in a fight to the death.

Chris Matyszczyk

Technically Incorrect offers a slightly twisted take on the tech that's taken over our lives.


airwars

Who is the bad guy?

RM Videos/YouTube screenshot by Chris Matyszczyk/CNET

Star Wars has imposed itself on culture as few movies ever have.

Children, for example, love to get toy lightsabers and wave them around as if they've been given magic powers.

So, it seems, do some airport workers.

A video posted to YouTube a couple of days ago shows the men who wave planes into their gate -- technically named a marshaler and two wing walkers (for big planes, at least) -- waving their orange batons in mock battle.

It's unclear where the footage was taken. What's clearer is that there's a JetBlue plane in the background and the weather is awful.

This doesn't prevent our intrepid warriors from whirling and thrusting with some professionalism and even playing dead. 

When a wing walker becomes a Skywalker, you can only hope for a good performance. And this really isn't bad at all.

It's as if they've watched the movies over and over again and considered Kylo Ren's twirling techniques, as well as those of the older school.

Moreover, it's good to see people at least trying to have a little fun at work. Good, that is, as long as they weren't actually supposed to be waving a plane in.

There is, though, a small frustration in watching this.

We can't be sure who the bad guy is who's come to this wet tarmac to save us all.

I wonder what the incoming pilots made of it.