[quote=@WilsonTurner]
I'm sorry I had a grammar nazi moment.

I just find "mecha" to be completely inferior to "mechs," because "mechs" suggest a design that includes science and physics, while "mecha" suggests completely aesthetic designs that work perfect.

And because if we had the technology to create lightsabers, we could make so much better ranged weapons.
[/quote]

First of all, I welcome our newcomer as a newcomer and rusty person myself.

I always assumed that mecha existed in fictional universes with either fundamentally altered physics or background magic that made the humanoid form more effective than it would otherwise be.  This might also explain the largely ineffective use of armor piercing high caliber rounds against relatively thin armor plating.  Thus, for me, each had their respectable place.  They just never seemed to belong next to each other.

As for lightsabers... There are so many things that strike me as being wrong with that technology and its application in universe that I would probably have swollen hands if I tried to type them all out.  Given their unlimited power system, as they never require power packs or charging, they could simply have been employed on a larger scale and made the forward half of a cruiser or larger ship mostly invulnerable and capable of penetrating any deflection shield or armor.  Also, they do only have viable use in an environment without solid projectile weapons.  Blaster bolts move far slower than bullets and have cooling issues that slow their rate of fire as well.  Basically, only in a universe that is exclusively dependent on such technologies for combat can a lightsaber be a complete weapon system on its own.  This is assuming jedi prescience, of course, without which the blade's defensive function is almost completely nullified.

[Edited to remove symptoms of persnickityness and grumpiocity]