Anakin Skywalker's second lightsaber

"Your father wanted you to have this when you were old enough, but your uncle wouldn't allow it. He feared you might follow old Obi-Wan on some damn fool idealistic crusade like your father did." "What is it?" "Your father's lightsaber. 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 and Luke Skywalker

Anakin Skywalker's lightsaber was the weapon constructed and carried by Anakin Skywalker up until his defeat on Mustafar. It was later carried by his son Luke Skywalker, daughter-in-law Mara Jade Skywalker, and his grandson Ben Skywalker.

Specifications


Anakin Skywalker's lightsaber was specifically designed to facilitate Skywalker's practice of Form V lightsaber combat. As per Form V weapon specifications, the lightsaber had a solid casing (either as a whole or in multiple sections for maximum protection against power surge deterioration) and a heavily shrouded blade emitter. The beveled emitter was designed to designate separate facets of the blade for either offensive or defensive purposes. The lightsaber hilt included a ridged hand grip, as Djem So required its users to maintain a solid grip on the hilt.

In addition to it's Form V specialization, the lightsaber functioned with a blue lightsaber crystal that Skywalker likely procured from Ilum. It was also either designed or later modified to allow it to operate underwater.

Carried by Anakin Skywalker (before 19 BBY)


Skywalker's first lightsaber, which he built at age 13 in the crystal caves of Ilum, was destroyed in the droid foundries of Geonosis. As he was running through the factory with Padme Amidala, C-3PO, and R2-D2, his arm was caught in a machine that pinned his arm down. As this was happening, a large razor-sharp blade came down and severed his lightsaber. Anakin was oblivious until he tried to turn it on, when it sputtered and died in his hands. Skywalker's next weapon was a practically identical saber that the Jedi wielded during the initial months of the Clone Wars.

It appears that shortly after attaining knighthood, Skywalker abandoned his second weapon and set about building this new lightsaber. He carried the weapon during the Battle of Rendili, but it didn't taste first blood until he engaged in a lightsaber duel shortly after the battle with Asajj Ventress. After the duel, in which Anakin was victorious, the weapon was wielded by Skywalker for the rest of the Clone Wars, up to and including his final battle with Darth Tyranus aboard the Invisible Hand.

Later, following the duel between Mace Windu and Darth Sidious, Skywalker used the weapon to remove Windu's right hand, ensuring the Jedi Master's death, and Skywalker's fall to the dark side of the Force as Darth Vader. As Vader, Skywalker carried the weapon in the march on the Jedi Temple, and in his battle with Obi-Wan Kenobi. After Vader's defeat, the weapon was taken by Kenobi to Tatooine.

Carried by Luke Skywalker (0 - 3 ABY)
Nineteen years later, after rescuing Anakin's son, Luke, from an attack by Tusken Raiders, Kenobi presented the younger Skywalker with his father's lightsaber and explained (from a certain point of view, at least) its previous owner's history. Luke Skywalker carried the weapon throughout his early training as a Jedi, including using it to duel with Vader on Mimban.

Shortly before the Battle of Hoth, Skywalker used the weapon to escape from a wampa, and it was used shortly thereafter by Han Solo to slice open a dead tauntaun to keep the severely injured young Jedi alive. During the battle itself, Skywalker used the weapon to cut open a hatch on the bottom of an Imperial walker prior to throwing in a grenade to destroy the enemy vehicle. He then carried and used it during his training under Yoda on Dagobah, including his duel with a vision of Darth Vader. Shortly afterwards, Skywalker used the weapon to duel the real Vader once again on Bespin. He ultimately lost it into the depths of the city, along with his right hand. Ironically, Anakin Skywalker had dueled with an opponent who was using his old lightsaber.

The Emperor's trophy (3 - 9 ABY)


The lightsaber, still clutched by Skywalker's hand, had become lodged in one of Cloud City's lower air shafts and eventually was recovered by a maintenance drone. The drone deposited the hand and the lightsaber in Smelting Core D. There, it was discovered by Groggin, the Smelting Core's supervisor.

Groggin had no use for the hand and decided to have it incinerated while he would keep the lightsaber, which he planned to melt down. However, the arrival of Darth Vader in the smelting facility prevented Groggin from taking such action. After a round of aggressive negotiations, Vader left the facility with the hand and the lightsaber in his possession. Though he had other plans for the hand and the lightsaber in mind, Vader was compelled by Emperor Palpatine to bring the two items to the Mount Tantiss storehouse on Wayland. There, Palpatine made Vader turn Skywalker's hand and lightsaber over to him.



Six years later, the mad Jedi clone Joruus C'baoth ordered that a clone of Skywalker be produced from the limb, and armed with Anakin's old weapon. When Skywalker arrived, leading a New Republic strike team to destroy the cloning tanks of Wayland, he was forced to fight the clone, which was being controlled by C'baoth. It was ultimately killed by Mara Jade, who then used Anakin Skywalker's old saber to kill C'baoth himself. Upon the team's return to Coruscant, Skywalker presented her with the weapon as a gift.

Carried by Mara Jade (9 - 40 ABY)
Mara Jade owned the weapon until her death at the hands of her alienated nephew Jacen Solo, though she would often use another violet lightsaber. Most notably, she used the blue blade on Nirauan during the Caamas Document Crisis, on Chiss Ascendancy/Jedi/Empire of the Hand-joint mission to recover the Outbound Flight , during the Yuuzhan Vong War and also during the Second Corellian Insurrection.

Dream of the saber (c. 40 ABY)
Jacen Solo dreamed of a vision, that his mother, Leia Organa Solo used this lightsaber against him because he was thinking of sacrificing them by shooting down the Millennium Falcon when his mother and father were onboard.

The lost lightsaber (c. 40 ABY)
During the time around the Second Corellian Crisis, the lightsaber seemed to have been taken from the possession of Skywalker survivors and ended up in the hands of a Dark Jedi.

Anakin Skywalker's grandson, Ben Skywalker managed to track down the lightsaber, still in the possession of the Dark Jedi. The Dark Jedi was preparing to imbue the weapon with the power of the dark side, but Ben took it from him before he was able to do so. Though it is not known what happened in the ensuing battle, it can be assumed that Ben slew the Dark Jedi as well as the other dark-siders who were present and took his grandfather's weapon as his own.

After the death of his wife, Luke Skywalker retired the weapon, where it remained in the Jedi Temple.

Behind the scenes
The Anakin Skywalker's lightsaber was machined to a near Graflex camera side-attach flash from references of the Original Trilogy.

Mara Jade Skywalker is depicted with the lightsaber on the cover of Sacrifice.

Current Location
The Anakin Skywalker's lightsaber and Luke's Hand are currently on display as part of the "Out of this World: Extraordinary Costumes from Film and Television" in the Science Fiction Museum & Hall of Fame in Seattle WA.

The Luke Skywalker's lightsaber prop traveled to space with shuttle Discovery in October 2007.

The prop for Luke Skywalker's lightsaber was auctioned on December 11 of 2008 for $240 000.

Appearances

 * Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
 * Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope
 * Star Wars 12: Doomworld
 * Star Wars 17: Crucible
 * Star Wars 18: The Empire Strikes
 * Star Wars 21: Shadow of a Dark Lord
 * Star Wars 27: Return of the Hunter
 * Star Wars Annual 1: The Long Hunt
 * Star Wars 31: Return to Tatooine
 * Star Wars 33: Saber Clash
 * Star Wars 34: Thunder in the Stars
 * Vader's Quest
 * Star Wars 35: Dark Lord's Gambit
 * Star Wars 36: Red Queen Rising
 * Star Wars 37: In Mortal Combat
 * Star Wars 38: Riders in the Void
 * Star Wars: Empire: In the Shadows of Their Fathers
 * Star Wars: Empire: "General" Skywalker
 * Star Wars: Empire: The Wrong Side of the War
 * Star Wars Rebellion: My Brother, My Enemy
 * Star Wars Rebellion 6: The Ahakista Gambit, Part 1
 * Star Wars Rebellion: Small Victories
 * Star Wars Rebellion: Vector
 * Splinter of the Mind's Eye
 * Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back
 * Star Wars 45: Death Probe
 * The Emperor's Trophy
 * The Last Command
 * Specter of the Past
 * Vision of the Future
 * Survivor's Quest
 * Dark Tide I: Onslaught
 * Dark Tide II: Ruin
 * The Lost Lightsaber
 * Betrayal
 * Bloodlines
 * Tempest
 * Exile
 * Sacrifice
 * ''Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga