The Best in Fictional Weaponry: Saba

*Originally published on 3/5/12



After Tommy Oliver loses his green ranger powers, Zordon and Alpha make a new ranger suit and coin for him so that he can continue to join in the fight against the forces of evil. While the white ranger powers were more potent, being created from the Light of Goodness meaning that the forces of evil couldn't take it away as they had done previously with the green ranger power, one of the more notable additions was a new weapon, the saber known as Saba.

Much like its predecessor, the dragon dagger, Saba is what allows the white ranger to call forth his zord, the white tigerzord. It is also used to help pilot the zord once the giant robot is summoned.

The sword itself is light, allowing for rapid movement. It isn't quite as big as some of the other bladed weapons seen on Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, but it is bigger than the dragon dagger. From the look of it, it appears too small to qualify it as a short sword, but if one were to place a label on it, that seems like it would be the best fit.

As with many fictional sword weapons, this one comes equipped with a ranged attack that complements its use in close combat. The attack, in this instance, is a pair of white energy beams that fire from the eyes of the tiger's head that is placed on the bottom of the hilt.

Despite the beams being rather thin, they are apparently quite powerful as they are able to send all six power rangers flying when Goldar manages to get his hands on the weapon.

The coolest thing about Saba though, is that he can talk. Oh yeah, a talking sword. Unlike the sword from Who Framed Roger Rabbit?, this sword is useful in a fight. It is also unlike the Green Lantern ring, which was more like interacting with a computer voice interface, in that the sword itself is sentient. It has a personality and even an accent.

Sadly, this aspect of the weapon is soon downplayed and Saba never really spoke up all that much during the series after his early appearances.

It's a shame that this weapon was never used to its full potential during the series. There are so many things that could have been learned or fleshed out about the weapon, but alas, it went unfulfilled.

Sure, it's cheesy looking and the prop used in the show is clearly a toy, but it is still a cool weapon in its own right.