THE FIGHTSABER CHARTER

(Updated as of 26/03/2018)To download the FightSaber Charter, click here.

Mission Statement

FightSaber is a voluntary not-for-profit costumed performance group of Star Wars enthusiasts that promote multi-generational fandom and appreciation of Star Wars and to encourage costuming as canon and custom characters representing the Light and Dark Sides of the Star Wars Universe


ARTICLE I: MEMBERSHIP REQUIREMENTS


1. Membership Details

FightSaber is an equal opportunity organisation and will not discriminate against existing or prospective members on the basis of race, gender, sexual orientation, physical disability, religion or philosophy.

In order to gain full membership, one must be of legal age and own an approved Light or Dark Side, or any Force wielder costume from within Star Wars Universe and own a battle quality lightsaber.

2.  Official Membership requires a minimum age of 18 or 16 with parent/guardian permission

Official Membership, also referred to as Full Membership, is defined as legal adults or a person of the age of 16 with the written permission of a parent or legal guardian that is present at all events at all times.
Only full FightSaber members with an approved costume and battle quality lightsaber are allowed to perform in a FightSaber Live show.
Persons under the age of 18 attending events are required to have a parent or guardian present at all times.
No one under the age of 18 will be permitted to participate in any Live Action Show of any kind without a parent or guardian present at all times.
Special guest performances may be approved on a case-by-case basis by the FightSaber Grand Council and/or Grand Master.


3. Photo submissions are required in order to become a Full Member

Photos must be unaltered and of adequate quality to assess accuracy of the applicant’s costume.
Pictures must show the costume in its entirety, with full front, rear and side-views, and are to be void of non-canon accessories such as baseball bat and sunglasses, etc.
All submission photos must be submitted to the Grand Council via email.
Photos must also include the lightsaber as part of the costume.
Exceptions can be made on a case by case basis through the FightSaber Grand Council’s approval.
There can be no loosely-hanging objects from the costume.

ARTICLE II: PERFORMANCE AND SHOW REQUIREMENTS


1. Performance and Requirements


Lightsabers: The weapon of a FightSaber members. We use it to help charity and bring excitement to our fellow Star Wars fans. This is the cornerstone of the FightSaber and these are parameters we have set that should result in a safe and spectacular performance.

Sabers: Must be combat ready and performance ready.
Blades must be a clear or coloured 1” outside diameter by 1/8” wall thickness or more. They must be made of polycarbonate.
Other forms of plastics are prohibited.
LED lit saber only, EL wire or tape is prohibited.

Saber Hilts: Custom sabers are welcome and must be combat ready and safe to use by the performer with no metal blades or sharp edges.
Sound is a positive enhancement but not required.

Performance Area
The performance are must be safe and be clear of all obstacles.
16’ x 12’ is the smallest area that should be performed on.
Stage is not a requirement but is preferred and must be away from crowds during performances.Sound systems: Soundtrack is a requirement for all performances; boom box, professional PA systems are preferred.
Music can be edited or be of a simple Star Wars soundtrack.
Microphones are a welcome enhancement and must be either a headset or lapel in nature.
Handheld mics are prohibited.
Show Requirements
All shows are choreographed lightsaber shows.
No live combat shows are allowed.
Only FightSaber members are allowed to perform with each other. Special exceptions are allowed for actors to perform or appear with FightSaber.
All choreographed saber duels must be practiced with members on a regular basis.
No last minute choreography unless needed for an emergency.

All shows should be in the “Force Experience” format:
Jedi enter together and are attacked by the Sith/Dark Side characters.
The Jedi defeat the Sith/Dark Side characters.The main “Force Experience” can be used as a guide by all FightSaber temples; they may add or subtract any choreography/fights/story lines.

Children Version – NO killing of performers, NO slice of a leg, arm or a saber to the body with a yield from Sith.

Adult Shows – such conventions in nature can have death of members during performances. Saber duels with minors that are not members of FightSaber are prohibited.
Choreography and Choreographers
All lightsaber choreography should be shared with FightSaber members; no one member has exclusive rights to said choreography.
No member of FightSaber will perform or duplicate the Jedi Academy unless express authorisation of LFL.

ARTICLE III: COSTUMING STANDARDS



Costumed members of FightSaber represent the Star Wars movies, Expanded Universe, or that of our Members’ own custom creation, bearing in mind the necessity for each costume to be readily identifiable as a physical representation of the Star Wars Universe.
All photos of costumes submitted to be considered for Full/Official Membership are approved individually, on a case-by-case basis, not on a standard of uniformity.Representation of Star Wars itself is the primary focus of costume approval.

1. Accuracy makes for a more enriching experience for both our members and their admirers. To that end, quality is a requirement.
It is the duty of the Council and Local Masters to supply the best resources at their disposal in order to help members reach and maintain these standards

2. All costumes are subject to the Grand Council’s approval with final judgement residing with the FightSaber Grand Master, Vice Grand Master, or Membership Master.

3. Some general exceptions to screen accuracy are permitted.

Where screen accuracy is not possible, alternatives may be approved by the council on a case-by-case basis. All alternatives are subject to the Grand Council’s approval.
The basic requirement for custom characters is the “10 foot” rule.
Each costume must look presentable and recognisable from ten feet away, readily identifiable as a believable character from the Star Wars Universe.
The costume must be of professional quality, and made to appear as pertaining to Star Wars.
Costumes of movie characters (such as Darth Vader, Obi-Wan Kenobi, etc.) must appear genuine, with high attention to detail and accuracy with the recreation of the costume.
While there may be set standards of what is required on the costume of a specific character, it shall be understood that approval for Official Membership within FightSaber to costumes recreating a movie character or Expanded Universe (books, comics, video games, etc.) character is based upon the accuracy and detail of the costume submitted for Official Membership.
Costume must be functional and not cause hindrance to the performer or show itself during the course of choreographed performance.
All props such as lightsabers, blasters, etc. must be battle/stunt-ready.

4. Costumes & Makeup
Need to be 100% up to standards
Only theatrical makeup will be allowed, i.e.: Reel Creations, Mehron, BenEye etc.
Performance ready costumes
NO loose items on stage or on Performers’s costumes.

ARTICLE IV: CODE OF CONDUCT



Our members are expected to maintain professionalism and respect toward others, in and out of costume, while representing FightSaber.
FightSaber recognises that its costumes represent characters from the Star Wars universe and as such, costume-wearers carry the responsibility of portraying these characters professionally and tastefully while in public.
For these reason, all members are prohibited from acting in a manner disrespectful towards the image they are portraying, towards fellow club members, or towards the public at large while in or out of costume at an event expressly organised as a FightSaber event.
Foul language, obscene gestures, and use of alcohol are prohibited while in costume in view of the public (children especially) as they jeopardise the club’s image.
Any convention or gathering where adult content is prevalent can be considered a private venue and a non-FightSaber event and behavioural standards may be relaxed.
This applies to members in or out of costume at FightSaber events or otherwise.
In short, crude behaviour is discouraged; threatening behaviour is prohibited completely.
Members who engage in such conduct may be subject to disciplinary action, including but not limited to temporary suspension and/or expulsion from FightSaber.

1. There is a zero-tolerance policy in FightSaber when reports of illegal activity or complaints of inappropriate activity by any of our members, in or out of costume, is received by the Council.

A) Any complaints of criminal activity or inappropriate behaviour received by the FightSaber Grand Council about any member of FightSaber will be reviewed by the Council and dealt with as per Article VII of this Charter.

2. Official Members in costume, and any member of FightSaber wearing FightSaber merchandise (refer to Article IX), are representing FightSaber as an organisation.
It is therefore the responsibility of the Member representing FightSaber to remain respectful, courteous, and professional toward other people at all times.

A) Any slandering or negative statements about other members of FightSaber, Lucasfilm (including celebrities, Lucasfilm staff, etc.) are strictly prohibited.
Professional criticism with regards to costuming or choreography is permitted, provided no personal attacks are made.
B) It is understood that all costumers within this organisation represent all sides of the Star Wars universe.
All outward gestures, conversation, and mannerisms toward other people, be they other costumers or the public at large, shall be professional and courteous while representing FightSaber.
There can be no exceptions to this rule.

3. At no time is any member permitted to allow any person outside of FightSaber to handle any lightsaber in a manner depicting lightsaber combat, however, members at their own discretion may allow anyone in the general public to handle their lightsaber for photo opportunities.
The reason for this rule is to avoid any litigation that could occur as a result of any injury incurred by a child or any non-FightSaber member, and to protect Lucasfilm property / assets.
This code is not meant to restrict freedom, but to give fair warning what behaviours may require action to correct. When out of costume, members are still required to observe reasonable behavioural standards towards fellow club members, as these actions affect one another. Your private life is your own.

ARTICLE V: FIGHTSABER LEADERSHIP



A) The FightSaber Grand Council

The FightSaber Grand Council consists of five (5) positions. In the event that one person occupies two positions on the Council (i.e. VGM and PR are same person), resulting in a split vote or there is a tie, the vote of the Grand Master (GM) will be the deciding vote.

The Grand Council Members are as follows:
(GM) – Grand Master
(VGM) – Vice Grand Master
(PR) – Public Relations
(MM) – Membership Master
(CM) – Conduct Master

Non-Council Administrative positions:
(CS) – Club Secretary/Historian [DOES NOT HAVE VOTING POWER]

Other Local Masters are as follows, and have no voting power:
(LM) – Local Master
(VLM) – Vice Local Master
(LSM) – Local Stage Master

Grand Council Members

(GM) – Grand Master
In charge of overall operations of FightSaber.
Leading member of the FightSaber Grand Council.
Can grant Official Membership to persons submitting costumes, overseas recruiting, applications and special inductions.
Oversees the maintenance of the main website.
Organises all business relationships between FightSaber and Council-approved vendors.
Will ensure that all vendors used for Official Member merchandises are first approved by the Council, and will then place orders on behalf of FightSaber Official Members with the approved vendor for said merchandise.
Official Member merchandise cannot be for resale outside of FightSaber (general public); refer to the Merchandise section of this Charter.

(VGM) – Vice Grand Master
Immediately responsible to the Grand Master for assisting with the overall operation of the group.
Can grant Official Membership approval, assisting with recruiting, applications and special inductions.
Helps oversee the maintenance of the main website.
Organises all business relationships between FightSaber and Council-approved vendors.
Will ensure that all vendors used for Official Member merchandises are first approved by the Council, and will then place orders on behalf of FightSaber Official Members with the approved vendor for said merchandise.
Official Member merchandise cannot be for resale outside of FightSaber (general public); refer to the Merchandise section of this Charter.

(PR) – Public Relations
Club liaison to media and other organisations, tasked with representing FightSaber to Lucasfilm and other entities as its official ambassador.

(MM) – Membership Master
Welcomes all new forum members and new Official Members to the club as well as making sure that costuming standards are upheld.

(CM) – Conduct Master
Monitors the FightSaber forums, events and meetings’ ensures that posts on forums are within topic and members are with behavioural guidelines

(CS) – Club Secretary
Club Secretary/Historian for all club activities including taking notes at FightSaber events and/or practices.
Also record keeper of all monetary funds for charitable means.

FightSaber Galactic Senate
The FightSaber Galactic Senate will be comprised of all the Local Masters from the separate temples.
Each Local Master will have access to the Senate forum to discuss, vote, and suggest policies to the Grand Council.
The decisions, results and suggestions are then passed on to the Grand Council, which will then either ratify or veto a final decision.

Local Masters
The Local Temple Masters consists of three (3) positions.
In the event that one person occupies two positons on the Local Temple Masters, resulting in a split vote or that there is a tie, then the vote of the Local Master (LM) will be the deciding vote.

Local Temples
(LM) – Local Master
In charge of Local operations of the Local FightSaber Temple, oversees all weekly meeting/practices.

(VLM) – Vice Local Master
Assisting the LM with Local operations of the Local FightSaber Temple and assisting with all weekly meeting/practices.

(LSM) – Local Stage Master
Oversees and orchestrates the mounting of a FightSaber production and ensure the quality and completeness of theatre production and to lead the members of the creative team into realising their artistic vision for it.

Only Official Members of FightSaber are eligible to hold positions of office in FightSaber.

A) The FightSaber Temples.
As FightSaber is a growing worldwide organisation, different areas throughout the world are grouped into sections called “Temples”.
As the FightSaber membership continues to grow globally, more Temples will be created to cover smaller land-areas.
FightSaber Temple Leadership

1. A similar command structure to, the FightSaber Council shall exist within each Temple, but only when enough members exist within a Temple are to for such a necessity exists.
In Temples that have a small number of members, overall governance is allocated to the FightSaber Grand Council.

At a minimum, all Temples shall have a Local Master, who will serve as the LM and VLM of that Temple and will report to the FightSaber Grand Council.
All matters of governance within a Temple will be overseen by the Local Master (to be modelled after the FIghtSaber Grand Council), unless the Temple membership is not large enough to govern itself accordingly. In such cases, Temple governance is undertaken by the FightSaber Grand Council.
The FightSaber Grand Council is the overall governing body of FightSaber, and administrates all Temples, including Temples that are self-governed.




ARTICLE VI: FRIENDS OF FIGHTSABER



A) Organisations considered Friends of FightSaber are the 501st Legion, Rebel Legion, Mandalorian Mercs, The Dark Empire, The Jedi Assembly, The Dented Helmet, Twin Suns, R2 Builders, Saber Guild, Saber Project, Galactic Academy and LMB (Leia’s Metal Bikini) members.





ARTICLE VII: DISCIPLINARY ACTION



FightSaber is a volunteer-based costuming performance organisation created for the joy and celebration of Star Wars.

This charter has been created in order to ensure a safe, just, and enjoyable experience for its members and to preserve the best interests of the Star Wars franchise, its fandom, and the general public, against complications internal or external.

Should any violation of our Code of Conduct occur, corrective courses of action will be taken, as outlined below.

A) Classification of Charter Violations and Corrective Measures

When a complaint is received by the Council about a FightSaber member, of if a Council member observes a FightSaber member in violation of this Charter, the complaint or violation will be classified as one or two categories, and dealt with as indicated.

The disciplinary action process for any violation of this Charter shall not exceed a period of ten days from the date the accused Member is informed of any allegations or complaints against them.

Should that time elapse, any complaints or allegations will be automatically dismissed.

All violations, minor or major, will be treated confidentially while the disciplinary process is in motion.

No details of any complaint or violation will be shared outside of the Council.

The outcome of the process will not be announced, unless there is an absolute need for the public to be informed.

1. Infraction – a minor offence, consisting of false statements, insulting another FightSaber member, etc.

An infraction is any violation that does not do damage to other people or to the image of FightSaber directly, although it may have the possibility to do so if left uncorrected. Repeat complaints or violations of this Charter may be deemed as a more serious offence, and upgraded to the Malfeasance category.

A) An Infraction Violation shall be addressed by the Grand Master (GM) and Vice Grand Master (VGM). If both are in agreement, the disciplinary action for the violation will be carried out without further deliberation. If both are split, then a third Council member will be required to make a deciding vote.

B) The disciplinary measure for any Infraction Violation of this Charter will range from a minimum of thirty days suspension of Official Membership, to a maximum of six months, depending on the decision of Council members addressing the matter.

2. Malfeasance – a major offence, consisting of a crime, or serious complaint or charge that directly causes damage to another FightSaber member, and/or the image of FightSaber itself.
Any inappropriate or unprofessional behaviour toward another person while representing FightSaber at an event or convention can be considered a Malfeasance Violation of this Charter.

A) A Malfeasance Violation will be addressed as follows: One member of the Council will be assigned to investigate the complaint, and verify that a situation in fact occurred to warrant the complaint. It will be the duty of the Public Relations / Charity Director (PR) in this situation to advise all parties involved of the confidentiality of the matter, and that said matter is being corrected pursuant to this Charter.

B) In instances of one or more severe complaints resulting in a Malfeasance, or multiple Infractions resulting in a Malfeasance, the Malfeasance(s) will be first being investigated, as aforementioned. During the investigatory period, the accused Member will be informed of the complaint(s) against them, and will have the opportunity to submit a written rebuttal to refute any allegations against them, should they wish to do so. The time allotted for a written rebuttal to be submitted shall not exceed 72 hours.

C) Once the rebuttal is received, if one is submitted, a Tribunal of five Saber Guild members shall be formed, consisting of five Council members. The Tribunal will also be moderated by an additional Council Member; the Tribunal Moderator will have no influence on any decisions made by the Tribunal, but will ensure that an unbiased decision is reached by the Tribunal.

D) The Tribunal will deliberate the complaints against FightSaber Member accused of Malfeasance against the written rebuttal submitted, should there be one. Deliberation must also take into account the severity of any accusations, the validity of such accusations, and ramifications (if any) to FightSaber, should the Malfeasance accusation(s) be dropped.

E) It will be the duty of either the Conduct Director (CD) or the Tribunal Moderator to inform FightSaber Member accused of Malfeasance of the Tribunal’s final judgment. The decision reached by the Tribunal is final, and cannot be undone. The right shall exist for FightSaber member accused of Malfeasance to request another Tribunal hearing six months after the date of final judgment is rendered, however, a second Tribunal hearing is not guaranteed.

F) Disciplinary measures for Malfeasance Violations of this Charter shall range from a minimum six months suspension of Membership and Forum posting privileges, to a permanent ban from FightSaber. The Disciplinary Action goes into immediate effect when the accused Member is informed of the Tribunal’s final decision, via email, instant message, telephone, or any combination thereof.

G) Zero Tolerance Policy. As stated in Article IV of this Charter, FightSaber maintains a policy of zero tolerance against reports of criminal activity, or complaints of inappropriate conduct of our members toward other people. Such reports or complaints received about any FightSaber member while representing FightSaber will be treated as Malfeasance Violations of this Charter.

H) Vote of No Confidence

This procedure is designed to maintain order within Council leadership. A “Vote of No Confidence” may be called against any Council Member by another Council Member, should it be determined that a member of the Council is not performing their duties adequately pursuant to this Charter. Only members of FightSaber Council may call a “Vote of No Confidence” against another Council member. A “Vote of No Confidence,” if declared by a Council member, must also be seconded by another member of the Council, before the procedure may take place.

1. Members of FightSaber Council may also apply this procedure to positions of office that are not part of FightSaber Council, such as the Local Master and Vice Local Master.

2. Vote of No Confidence procedure

When a Council member feels that another Official Member of FightSaber that holds a position of office within the organization is not performing their duties adequately enough to satisfy the requirements of that office, the council member may call a “Vote of No Confidence” in one of two ways:

At a regular Council meeting, the Vote of No Confidence is declared against a specific member; the reasons why must also be stated. The declaration must then be seconded by another member of the Council that agrees that the reasons for declaring the vote are valid.

The “Vote of No Confidence” may also be declared by a member of the Council in a separate thread in the private Council forum. In the same way, the reasons for the declaration must also be stated, and seconded by another agreeing member of the Council.

In either scenario, the Council must vote on the matter immediately, or set a specific date and time for the vote to take place, in order to investigate the validity of the accusations made, should it be deemed necessary. Once the vote is completed, the person whose position of office was vacated must be informed within a 72-hour period. That position of office will then be temporarily filled by an appointed Council member until an election to fill that vacancy can take place.

FightSaber Forum members and Official members alike must remember to be professional and respectful at all times toward others while representing FightSaber in costume, or while posting in our forums.



ARTICLE VIII: ELECTIONS AND VOTING



FightSaber recognizes a democratic practice in the selection of the leadership roles within its organization. The following is a description of the election and voting procedures to fill these offices. Elections for all positions are held once per year, on specific dates to be announced.

1. Elections and Voting Procedures for Offices.

A) Notice of upcoming elections will be posted on the forums and be sent out by a mass email at least one week or more prior to the election by the Council. However, notification of any elections to individual members of a Temple is ultimately the job of Local Master (LM). All club elections shall occur in January of each year.

B) The Council and members are nominated and elected by a simple majority vote of the entire membership. Candidates for any position must be nominated and seconded, and then accept the nomination to be included in the election. Voting is conducted in special “Poll” thread in the forums for the specific election taking place. Only FightSaber Official members are eligible to vote in Council elections.

C) Local leadership is elected in the same manner, but nominations and elections are limited to the Local membership. The Nominated Leader MUST live within the local Temple for which he/she will serve. Only members of a specific Temple may vote in elections being held for a position of office within a Temple, such as Local Master (LM) and Vice Local Master (VLM).

2. Nominations

A) All nominations must be seconded. A member may nominate themselves and that will require a second and third nomination. Standing officers must post their desire to seek another term or decline to seek another term (no response is considered a decline). No second is required for incumbent officers.

B) If no nominations are made for a particular office, then the officers holding these positions will remain in office.

C) If a standing Local Master (LM) does not seek another term and no nominations are made for that temple, Vice Local Master (VLM) must accept or decline being promoted to Local Master (LM). If the Vice Local master (VLM) declines (no response is considered a decline) then the Council is empowered assume governance over the Temple until new Temple leadership can be formed.

D) Grand Council membership requires a minimum of no less than one year of Local Temple leadership.

E) FightSaber Grand Council has the right to appoint an acting council member to temporarily fill a vacant seat on the council until the next scheduled election. The temporary acting council member shall have the right to run for the position they currently occupy at the next scheduled election as an incumbent, with no need for a nomination, should the temporary acting council member so desire.

3. Term Limits

Grand Council has no set term limits, unless retired or removed from post. Local Temple Masters positions are a one-year elected term.



ARTICLE IX: MERCHANDISING AND PROMOTION



FightSaber is a not-for-profit organisation, and does not seek to gain financially in any manner.

The sale of any club merchandise can and only to be sold to Official Members at cost with no mark up of any kind.

All products bearing the FightSaber logo are not to be sold under any circumstances to the Public.
The only products to bear this logo are Club Banners, Promotional flyers, Club Patches, Temporary Tattoos, Club Rings, Club Challenge Coins, Club T-Shirts, CLub Hats, Honorary Member/Friends of FightSaber Certificates, Club Trading Cards and the FightSaber Website.

ARTICLE X: CHARTER AMENDMENT PROCEDURE



This Charter was designed to be amended, as deemed necessary by the FightSaber Grand Council.

A majority vote of the five-member Council shall be required on all decisions pertaining to amendments of this Charter.