Star Wars is, at its core, a space fantasy story, a series of joyful, thrilling, and hopeful adventures. What good is a fantasy saga without a magical sword? They play important roles in these stories: Aragorn’s Andril and Frodo’s Sting in Lord of the Rings, Jon Snow’s Longclaw in Game of Thrones, and King Arthur’s Excalibur in King Arthur’s Excalibur. Lightsabers aid our heroes—and villains—on their journeys of war and self-discovery in Star Wars. They’re mythic weapons, unique to their creators, with histories that go back to the most ancient parts of a galaxy far, far away.
Anakin Skywalker’s blue legacy sabre is the most famous and recognisable lightsaber in Star Wars. It was first seen by audiences in A New Hope, when Obi-wan Kenobi gave it to Anakin’s son, Luke Skywalker. That sabre has appeared in every lightsaber trilogy so far, with Anakin wielding it in the prequels, Luke losing it during a confrontation with Vader in The Empire Strikes Back, and it reappearing in The Force Awakens, calling out to Rey in Maz Kanata’s castle.
Luke’s replacement lightsaber, the green-bladed sword seen in Return of the Jedi, is also popular, despite the fact that it only appears in that film. (It does, however, make a brief appearance in The Last Jedi.) Another notable example is Darth Vader’s red sabre. The same is true of Mace Windu’s distinctive purple-bladed sword and Darth Maul’s double-bladed Sith sabre. Count Dooku’s sabre is notable for its bent hilt, and Ahsoka’s two white sabres are notable for representing a Force user who is neither Sith nor Jedi.
Kylo Ren’s sabre is probably the most unique and contentious in Star Wars canon. Its appearance in The Force Awakens teaser trailers sparked debate among fans, who questioned the practicality of its crossguard style. According to canon, this sabre is an ancient design that dates back to the Scourge of Malachor, a long-ago battle between Jedi and Sith. The blade, unlike most sabres, is uneven and sizzles due to cracked kyber crystal.
We see in a flashback in The Last Jedi that Ben Solo had a blue sabre; it’s likely that when he changed his name to Kylo Ren and joined the Dark Side, he “bled” the crystal from that sabre, cracking it. This erratic sabre has come to symbolise Kylo Ren as a character: unpredictable, broken, and caught between light and dark.
Lightsabers In Star Wars
