What was George Lucas's original concept for the lightsaber?

The answer

In George Lucas's earliest Star Wars drafts from the early 1970s, lightsabers - originally called 'lazerswords' - were mundane plasma weapons carried by soldiers on both sides of the galactic conflict. Early concept art by Ralph McQuarrie depicted Rebel and Imperial troops alike wielding lightsabers alongside conventional laser guns. The weapons had no mystical connection to the Force and were simply futuristic melee arms. Lucas was inspired by the sword-fighting serials he loved as a child, wanting to bring bladed combat into a science fiction setting. The decision to restrict lightsabers exclusively to Force users came later in the creative process, when Lucas realized that limiting their use would elevate the Jedi's mystique and make every lightsaber duel feel momentous rather than routine.