More Jedi Thoughts (The Lightsaber)

Here's a random thought on the jedi. Remember when we were first introduced to the lightsaber? Obi-Wan describes it as "a more elegant weapon, for a more civilized age" (or something close to that). But in PM and AOTC, the Jedi are, for the most part, fighting battle droids. Where's the "honor" or cultivation in fighting machines with "a more elegant weapon"? If you're just fighting droids, isn't a blaster equally dignified?

If the Jedi spent time dueling other sentient creatures also armed with lightsabers, then the lightsaber would make sense. But that's not how Lucas presents the Jedi here. In fact, we are told in PM that the Sith are (were) believed to be extinct. So why do jedi use lightsabers? Because it's a cool special effect? Because Lucas had a thing for Kurosawa samurai movies? (Not that there's anything wrong with that.)

Now it's really time to get down to business and do some W-O-R-K.