Sunday, December 22, 2019

Three New Lightsabers from The Rise of Skywalker

The Sequel Trilogy gives us only a few lightsaber duels and in all of these duels only two lightsabers are featured. This is in contrast to the prequel trilogy which stuffs sabers into almost every single action scene. And yet J.J. Abrams does find a way to sneak 3 new sabers into "The Rise of Skywalker" without giving us saber fatigue.



Dark Rey's Lightsaber


This saber became an instant favorite when it was featured in a Star Wars trailer last August. Though it was shown on screen for mere seconds and is only featured in a vision, its folding function and double bladed nature captured the imagination of fans.




Rey's Yellow Lightsaber



In the final shots of "The Rise of Skywalker" it is revealed that Rey has built a new saber. The lightsaber is unique in that it is yellow. This is perhaps a callback to the old Kenner action figures which depticted Luke with a yellow saber. A close examination of the saber reveals that it was build from pieces of her staff. The lightsaber uses a rotating gear-like activation matrix rather

than a standard button-and-switch.


Leia's Lightsaber



Leia's Lightsaber was built shortly after Return of the Jedi when Luke was training her in the ways of the Force. However, Leia gave up her Jedi life and decided to focus on politics instead. Luke kept Leia's weapon for her up until his death. It was recovered by Rey on Ahch'To and ultimately buried with the Skywalker Lightsaber near the Lars family homestead on the planet Tatooine.

Other Sabers that appeared in the Sequel Trilogy

Ben Solo's Lightsaber








This saber was constructed by Ben Solo during his apprenticeship as a Jedi Padawan. It featured a sliding activation switch and a Blue Kyber Crystal. The saber is visually similar to the cross-guard saber that Ben constructed after his fall to the dark side.



Kylo Ren's Lightsaber


This saber contains a cracked (imperfect) Kyber crystal. Vents on the side of the saber exhausted the extra heat which radiated from the broken crystal. These vents create the crossguard function of the blade.






Luke's Lightsaber

Luke found the parts for his green lightsaber in Ben Kenobi's hut on the planet Tatooine, leading some to suspect that the Kyber crystal is the same one used by Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn. The saber itself is very similar to Ben Kenobi's lightsaber (and is in fact the same prop).




The Skywalker Lightsaber



This lightsaber is featured throughout the entire saga and is used by Anakin Skywalker, Luke Skywalker, and eventually Rey. It was built by Anakin during the Clone Wars and kept by Obi-Wan Kenobi during his years of hermitage on Tatooine. It was eventually passed on to Luke Skywalker who lost it during a duel against Vader on Bespin. It was recovered by Maz Kanata who gave it to Rey. The saber was broken right before the Battle of Crait and was reforged by Rey sometime later. Eventually the saber was buried with Leia's Lightsaber near the Lars family homestead on the planet Tatooine.

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