Stephen Colbert defends the new ‘Star Wars’ lightsaber

In case you were wondering, Stephen Colbert has been a “Star Wars” fan longer than everyone else, thanks to a special preview screening of “A New Hope” he got to attend when he was in the eighth grade.

Now that a new trailer for “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” is stirring a bit of fan controversy online, Colbert used his standing as a longtime-even-longer-than-you fan on Monday to put to rest one of the testier points of contention generated by the trailer, which debuted the Friday after Thanksgiving.

No, it’s not the presence of a black Stormtrooper or the lack of familiar faces in the trailer that’s creating the most concern, but the existence of a new kind of lightsaber with a hilt.

The lightsaber, wielded in the 88-second trailer by an unknown Sith lord, features two tiny offshoots presumably designed to protect the user’s hand from enemy blades.

But according to a certain vocal faction of the fanbase, the so-called menage a sabre is a crime on par with Greedo shooting first or the entirety of “The Phantom Menace.”

As Colbert quoted one Twitter user: “Hilt on light saber stupid and impractical childhood ruined everything ruined!!!”

But Colbert wasn’t going to let a bunch of scruffy nerf herders on Twitter take him down. He thought it was a perfect design, and he had detailed analysis to back up his opinion.

So how did Colbert do with his defense? See for yourself here.

Twitter: @patrickkevinday