Back in April, when Disney and Coca-Cola unveiled the bottle design for beverages that would be sold at the new Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge parks in Anaheim and Orlando, it looked like they’d thought of everything. The orb shape was reminiscent of the franchise’s thermal detonators, the font used for the distinctive logo was displayed in Aurebesh, the films’ written language, and the labels were even given a scuffed, rusted look.
There’s just one thing they didn’t consider: How park guests were going to get them home. Per the Transportation Security Administration’s policy, nothing resembling a real weapon is allowed in carry-on or checked luggage, and this week, the agency confirmed on Twitter that the rule applies to these bottles.
Though the public responses were predictably outraged, with more than one user noting that the bottles look more like Christmas ornaments than actual explosives, the TSA is standing firm. “This item is still considered a replica and is not allowed in carry-on or checked bags,” the agency tweeted. “If our officers discover a replica item during screening and believes it's real, the item will be treated as such until advised otherwise by law enforcement.”
Last year, the man who formerly ran the TSA’s pun-tastic Instagram account explained the reasoning behind the rule. “People are sometimes confused because, in their minds, they're thinking it's not a real grenade,” said the late Bob Burns, in an interview with Lonely Planet’s sister publication, Budget Travel. “But what they don't realize is when are X-ray operators see that come across the screen, they see the shape of a grenade—they don't know what's inside. To them, it's a real grenade, and at that point they have to call law enforcement, and they have to call the bomb-appraisal officers, and everything stops. And sometimes it can close down a lane, sometimes it can close down a checkpoint, sometimes it can lead to an evacuation.”
Though some users reported that they were able to bring the bottles through security without any trouble, your best bet is shipping them to yourself if you’re desperate to bring them home. But you don’t need to leave entirely empty-handed: Lightsabers are cleared to fly. “Sadly, the technology doesn't currently exist to create a real lightsaber,” the TSA says on its site. “However, you can pack a toy lightsaber in your carry-on or checked bag. May the force be with you.”
UPDATE: After this story was published, the TSA reversed their ban on the bottles and instructed their agents to treat the souvenirs as "oversized liquid".
