This is the weapon of a Jedi Knight. Not as clumsy or random as a blaster; an elegant weapon for a more civilized age.
—Obi-Wan Kenobi
Designed as much for elegance in combat as for ceremony, the lightsaber, also referred to as the "laser sword" by those who were unfamiliar with it, was a distinctive weapon, the very image of which was inextricably bound with the mythos of the Jedi Order. The lightsaber also became synonymous with the Jedi Order's values to uphold peace and justice throughout the Galaxy. This perception endured, despite the many conflicts with lightsaber-wielding dark Jedi and Sith.
The weapon consisted of a blade of pure plasma emitted from the hilt and suspended in a containment field. The field contained the immense heat of the plasma, protecting the wielder, and allowed the blade to keep its shape. The hilt was almost always self-fabricated by the wielder to match his or her specific needs, preferences and style. The hilt was also often built similarly to his or her master's lightsaber as a mark of respect. Due to the weightlessness of plasma, lightsabers required a great deal of dexterity and self-discipline to wield, and it was extremely difficult—and dangerous—for the untrained to attempt using. However, in the hands of an expert, the lightsaber was a weapon to be greatly respected and feared.
History[]
Origin[]
With the formation of the Order of Jedi Knights on Tython after the Force Wars in 25,777 BBY, ceremonial weapons became an integral part of the order. Force-forged swords, glaives, quarterstaffs, and other melee weapons became signature weapons of their order.
After the First Great Schism began in 24,500 BBY, the Jedi Order's experiments with plasma-based technology yielded success when they developed a method to generate focused beams of plasma that arced circumferentially back to their source, creating the first portable high-energy blades. These preliminary lightsabers were highly unstable and inefficiently guzzled power from a belt-mounted power supply; they could only be used for a brief duration before overheating. As a consequence of these flaws, the first lightsabers were little more than ceremonial objects, seldom worn, and much less utilized.
Early refinements[]
The extreme lack of stability that plagued the weapons' early designs were gradually corrected through the years, and the cumbersome and rarely used siege-weapons gave way to elegant and much more commonly used lightsabers. However, while these archaic lightsabers were far more stable than their ungainly predecessors, they still suffered from energy consumption issues, requiring the belt-worn power pack of previous generations. The power-cable tended to restrict the wielders movements in battle and prevented the usage of Force-powered and long-range telekinetic saber combat. However, despite the shortcomings, the highly stable blades granted them a superior advantage in hand-to-hand combat against heavily-armoured foes, and saw a great deal of use towards the end of the Hundred-Year Darkness.
Later developments and usage[]
The modern lightsaber was designed shortly following the Hundred-Year Darkness, after the Jedi turned to Adegan crystals. Adegan crystals were rare Force-attuned crystals which resonated with limitless energy. Incorporating these crystals into internal components, the restricting power cable and inefficient external power pack of the old designs were done away with.
Adoption by the Sith[]
In the centuries between the Great Hyperspace and Sith Wars, the Jedi-turned-Sith Freedon Nadd continued to use the bronze-bladed lightsaber shoto he had constructed during his Jedi apprenticeship, passing the knowledge of lightsaber construction down to his Naddist descendants and followers while continuing the tradition of wielding alchemically-forged blades as followed by the Sith Lords of the original Sith Empire. Likewise, many of the Jedi converts who flocked to Exar Kun's Sith Brotherhood around the time of the Great Sith War continued using their Jedi lightsabers. Of course, other innovations entered their ranks, with Kun modifying his lightsaber into a double-bladed saberstaff, the first weapon of its kind. While Exar Kun's insurrection ultimately failed, he did introduce the saberstaff to the Jedi, and it began to see relatively widespread use during the period leading up to the Jedi Civil War.
Jedi Civil War[]
The Jedi Civil War was a conflict started by former Jedi Revan and Malak in the aftermath of the Mandalorian Wars. During their conflict against the Mandalorians, Revan and Malak were turned to the dark side and invaded the Republic, at the head of their own Jedi Empire. Revan waged war against the Republic for several years, attracting numerous rogue Jedi to his cause. When he founded his own branch of dark Jedi, Revan modified his violet-bladed lightsaber into a saberstaff, following the example of Exar Kun before him. Many of his followers followed suit, and saberstaffs became recognized as the mark of a darksider. The usage of the double-bladed weapons continued among the surviving darksiders after the fall of Revan's Empire.
This era saw a surge in the usage of personal energy shields by armed forces, rendering blasters partly obsolete. As blaster usage experienced partial decline due to the shields, melee weapons such as swords became more common. In order to make the weapons more durable, almost all blades of the era were created using phrik alloy, allowing them to stand up against lightsabers.
Jedi Purge and reformation[]
With the Great Jedi Purge, lightsabers became rare. Many of the sites where Jedi traditionally collected Adegan crystals came under the control of the Empire, severely hindering remaining Jedi from constructing new weapons. Furthermore, Jedi were forced to refrain from drawing their lightsabers during this era, as openly displaying their traditional weapon would only draw attention. Ultimately, the only individuals known to prominently wield lightsabers were Palpatine's own dark side servants, such as Darth Vader or the Imperial Inquisitors, to name a few. As the widespread scarcity of these weapons made them now almost impossible to find save in the hands of surviving Jedi, Jedi hunters would often collect the weapons as proof of kill, either turning them over to the Empire or keeping them as trophies.
Most of Palpatine's servants and disciples, such as his Hands or his Dark Side Elite, favored the simple standard lightsabers. However, other affiliates, such as the Emperor's Shadow Guard or certain members of the Royal Guard, favored more specialized weapons, such as lightstaffs. One of his Hands, Lumiya, wielded a lightwhip.
When Luke Skywalker set about constructing his lightsaber, he based the design on schematics supplied by Obi-Wan Kenobi that he found in a journal and used an Adegan crystal the old Jedi had kept in his possession for his weapon. The resulting crystal possessed a green colouration, due to Skywalker's meditations upon it during its shaping. When Skywalker's New Jedi Order arose, many of the original crystal sites would be reclaimed, but early apprentices would primarily rely on diatium power cells to energize their weapons.
Mechanics and specifications[]
Mechanics[]
The typical lightsaber hilt consisted of a metal cylinder between twenty-four and thirty centimetres in length. However, the size of individuals hilts varied drastically, as the weapon was tailored to the creator's specific needs and preferences. The hilt had a pommel cap at the bottom which sometimes held a backup power cell. The lightsaber mechanisms were contained within the hilt. High levels of energy generated by an Adegan crystal was unleashed through a series of focusing lenses and energizers that converted the energy into plasma and lent the blade its properties and allowed for the adjustment of blade length and power output. A power insulator was installed on the hilt to protect the wielder from any energy discharges. Activating the lightsaber usually required a button of some sort. A blade power adjustment knob was sometimes installed to allow the wielder to vary the power of the blade.
Once focused by the lenses, the plasma was sent through a series of field energizers and modulation circuitry within the emitter matrix that further focused it, making it into a coherent beam that was projected from the blade emitter. The blade typically extended about a metre before being arced by the blade containment field back to a negatively charged fissure ringing the emitter, where it was channeled back to the power cell by a superconductor, completing the circuit. This containment field also caused the blades to make contact with other lightsabers blades without passing through like other forms of energy. This trait is seen when lightsaber wielders can block and parry other lightsaber blades.
Cutting power[]
A lightsaber blade was a nigh-massless form that radiated little heat and expended little energy, other than that emitted as visible light, until it came into contact with something solid. The power of the plasma blade was so great that it could cut through almost anything, although the speed through which it cut depended on the density of the subject. One important note about lightsaber wounds is that they rarely bled profusely, even when a limb had been severed. This is because the energy blade cauterized the wound as it passed, and thus even a severe wound did not tend to bleed heavily.
When cutting through dense material, the immense electromagnetic field generated by the arc caused resistance rather than letting solid matter enter and interrupt the arc. This gave the blade a feeling of being solid when immersed in dense material. Rarely, some solid materials could actually pass through the electromagnetic field and short out the arc. Other electromagnetic energy fields and coherent energy were also repelled by lightsabers' arcs. These include most force fields, blaster bolts, and other lightsaber blades.
Lightsaber-resistant materials[]
Aside from the blade of another lightsaber, there were rare materials that could withstand a lightsaber blade, but with varying degrees of success:
- Phrik, was a metallic compound that could withstand a lightsaber blade. Phrik was most notably used in the construction of the electrostaffs wielded by the Separatist MagnaGuards during the Second Clone War. Other notable uses of Phrik included elements of Darth Vader's armour and dark trooper armour.
- Cortosis, although a rare and expensive mineral, was a popular defense against lightsabers. Cortosis ore had the ability to momentarily "short out" a lightsaber blade, rendering it inoperable for a brief period of time before the wielder could reactivate it. There were multiple methods of forging cortosis armour and weapons, each with varying effects.
- Mandalorian iron—known as beskar in the Mandalorian language—was an exceptionally durable metal alloy of Mandalorian creation. Mandalorian iron could be forged into several configurations to take advantage of its exceptional lightsaber-resistant qualities. Commonly used in the creation of Mandalorian armour or weapons, the metal was also used to reinforce the door and walls of Freedon Nadd's tomb.
- Force weapons/armour, weapons and armour forged or imbued with the power of the Force, could be used to intercept a lightsaber's blade without taking damage.
Other counteracting materials existed in the Galaxy. Some animals, such as lava dragons and orbalisks possessed natural armour that reflected the blades. Superconductive materials (e.g. ultrachrome, quantum-crystalline armour) deflected lightsaber strikes. The skin of the tikulini worms of Jazbina was able to withstand a lightsaber strike. The zillo beasts native to Malastare also had plate-like armor resistant to lightsaber blows.
Variations and specializations[]
Hilt variations[]
Standard lightsaber
- The standard lightsaber consisted of a straight hilt approximately 20 to 30 centimetres long. As it is the standard make, it has no defining features other than details on individual hilts, as each weapon is often self-fabricated by the wielder and customized to suit their specifications.
Archaic lightsaber
- In their early years, lightsabers came equipped with belt-mounted packs which utilized diatium power cells; these packs were connected to the hilt by a cord. Archaic lightsabers were eventually rendered obsolete by miniaturized components utilizing Adegan crystals, which never ran out of power.
Diatium lightsaber
- Diatium lightsabers were modern lightsabers which utilized diatium power cells instead of Adegan crystals. Diatium lightsabers were generally as strong as standard lightsabers, but their blades were less vibrant and varied in colour, required periodic recharging to avoid running out of power, and were incapable of blocking Force-based energies such as Force lightning.
- Diatium lightsaber wielders include Orman Tagge.
Saberstaff
- Also referred to as double-bladed lightsabers and Sith lightsabers, saberstaffs consisted of a single hilt that projected a blade from both ends, resulting in a deadly staff-like weapon. According to the Tedryn Holocron, while double-ended lightsabers existed prior to the Great Sith War, the first lightsaber capable of generating two blades at either end simultaneously was created by the Dark Lord of the Sith Exar Kun, who modified his existing standard Jedi lightsaber to sport twin sapphire blades.
- Saberstaff wielders include Exar Kun and Khameir Sarin.
Double-ended lightsaber
- Double-ended lightsabers, like saberstaffs, were lightsabers which sported blade emitters on either end of their hilts. Unlike saberstaffs, however, double-ended lightsabers could only generate one blade from one emitter at a time. Primarily wielded by fallen Jedi, they were used to unbalance their opponents while locked in fierce combat. Considered a precursor to the saberstaff, double-ended lightsabers were phased out with the latter's introduction during the Great Sith War.
- Double-ended lightsaber wielders include Warb Null and Malleus.
Curved-hilt lightsaber
- Curved-hilt lightsabers were of a design which featured a hilt with a built-in curve. This was usually done to allow the hilt to fit better into the palm, facilitating the use of one-handed fighting styles, or to provide variable blade angle to confuse opponents.
Long-handle lightsaber
- Built to cater to specific fighting styles, long-handle lightsabers featured a lengthened handle that provided the duelist with more surface area to place his hands, and providing more leverage for attacks. The length of long-handled lightsabers varied considerably.
Lightstaff
- Resembling pole-arms in many respects, lightstaffs—also known as lightsaber pikes—featured extremely long handles, up to two meters long, with a somewhat shorter and thicker lightsaber blade. The handle was machined from lightsaber-resistant metals to prevent it from being cut in two, as the purpose of the weapon was to provide increased range in close combat.
- Lightstaff wielders include Qrrrl Toq and Rey Skywalker.
Sabercane
- The sabercane was a simple variation on the standard; a lightsaber concealed as the head of a cane. In combat, the handle would be detached from the body of the cane and wielded normally.
- Sabercane wielders include Tera Sinube.
Blade variations[]
Training lightsaber
- Training lightsabers were essentially regular lightsabers, only engineered with a permanent low-power setting rather than the adjustable setting featured on standard weapons. As their name indicates, training lightsabers were used for instructional purposes, teaching initiates how to wield a lightsaber. Due to their permanent low-power setting, training lightsabers were extremely limited in the type of damage they could cause, the most severe injuries being burns and serious bruises. In fact, the weapon was so weak that an individual could physically grab the blade and suffer no injury besides the burns and bruises.
Dual-phase lightsaber
- While most lightsabers featured a built-in length adjust, dual-phase lightsabers allowed for rapid transitions between two sets of preset lengths. The dual-phase lightsaber was originally conceived early in history, being used for the purpose of lightsaber dueling. The most common usage at the time would be to switch between a standard length and one of increased length as a surprise tactic during lightsaber duels. In more contemporary times, however, it is more common to have the secondary length be shorter for precision cutting.
- Dual-phase lightsaber wielders include Darth Vader, Gantoris, and Corran Horn.
Lightsaber shoto
- Essentially, a shoto was a short lightsaber. Featuring a shortened blade length and diminutive handle, it was basically a miniaturized lightsaber. Shotos were usually used as the secondary weapon in dual-blade combat. Shotos were also used as primary weapons by some duelists, most who did so being of diminuative size, making a full sized lightsaber impractical, though this is not always the case.
- Lightsaber shoto wielders include Vandar Tokare and Picaroon C. Boodle.
Lightclub
- Essentially the opposite of the shoto, lightclubs were massively oversized lightsabers that projected overlong blades. They were almost universally wielded by individuals of overlarge stature to accommodate their size.
- Lightclub wielders include Gorc.
Lightwhip
- Lightwhips were exotic variations on the typical lightsaber that saw only rare usage. Like a lightsaber, it emitted a coherent beam of energy, but instead of a straight meter-long blade, it was several meters in length and flexible. Lightwhips were produced by emitters extended from the hilt. The energy field was then created around the solid emitters. Wielded in a whip-like manner, they were used to attack opponents at a range and provide an element of unpredictability in combat. However, they were significantly weaker than standard lightsabers, and their blades were ineffective defensively.
- Lightwhip wielders include Githany Dogen and Lumiya.
Lightfoil
- Lightfoils were small and elegant plasma swords based upon diatium lightsabers. They were popular among certain nobles of the Tapani sector, especially those that called themselves "saber rakes." Lightfoils were generally weaker than standard lightsabers.
Usage and application[]
Combat[]
Lightsaber combat was the preferred fighting method used by lightsaber wielders, many of the forms and styles being adapted from ancient sword-fighting techniques to compensate for the weightless effect inherent in lightsabers and take advantage of the Force-sensitivity common in most wielders. Lightsaber combat was difficult to master.
Rituals[]
- Knighting ceremony
Lightsabers were an integral part of the knighting ceremonies of many Jedi orders. During the ceremonies of the Coruscanti Order, an apprentice would have his or her apprenticeship braid ritualistically severed by the presiding Jedi master. This event would often be witnessed by a number of fellow Jedi, who would stand in a circle around the apprentice with their lightsabers ignited.
- Concordance of Fealty
The Concordance of Fealty was a Jedi tradition of entrusting one's lightsaber to a fellow Jedi. This exchange represented a serious, even sacred bond—the establishment of a reciprocal, master-less learning relationship.
Appearances[]
- Divergent Prequel Trilogy: Episode I – The New Dawn
- Divergent Prequel Trilogy: Episode II – Knight of the Empire
- Divergent Prequel Trilogy: Episode III – A Lost Hope
- "Jedi Dark, Jedi Bright"
- The Star Wars Trilogy: Divergent Edition – Return of the Jedi