Double-bladed lightsaber/Legends

"I hear the twin blades are harder to master, but they can make enemies stampede over each other running for cover."

- Atton Rand

The double-bladed lightsaber, also known as the Sith lightsaber or saberstaff, was a specialized form of lightsaber. Utilizing the same technology as a standard lightsaber, the double-bladed Lightsaber was designed with two blades attached to each other. This made it twice as powerful with "more kills per swing" as some put it. The user could activate each blade independently of the other.

History


Exar Kun is often credited with creating the first double-bladed lightsaber However, according to the Tedryn Holocron, Kun assembled his lightsaber following instructiuons from a Sith Holocron possibly prepared by the Jedi Exiles. The design was likely influenced by the Zabrak quarterstaff, or zhaboka.

During the Jedi Civil War, the double-bladed lightsaber was a popular weapon for the Sith followers of Darth Revan and Darth Malak.

Even the Jedi Knights, and some Jedi Masters, used the weapon during those dark times, but the Jedi Council traditionally frowned on use of the blade, believing a traditional lightsaber was enough, and considering the double-bladed lightsaber little more than a weapon designed to kill more effectively, while the Jedi developed the lightsaber to defend. Whatever the case, it was more popular among Sith than among Jedi, to the point that it was also known as a Sith lightsaber.

During the waning days of the Galactic Republic, Jastus Farr was the only known Jedi to wield a double-bladed lightsaber. Darth Maul was the only known Sith Lord to wield a double-bladed lightsaber which he used to kill Qui-Gon Jinn in the Battle of Naboo.

Following the fall of the Galactic Empire and the formation of the New Jedi Order, some of the members began to use the lethal weapon once more.

Double-bladed lightsaber disadvantages


The double-bladed lightsaber was intended to look menacing, and its two blades did indeed give it a very deadly countenance. However, unskilled users were likely to cut themselves in half with a double-bladed lightsaber should they attempt to use it without properly training themselves. Most Jedi, Sith, Dark Jedi, and Sith Lords favored the single bladed lightsaber due to this reason. Another drawback was that the attack and parrying of the double-bladed lightsaber was limited by the fact that unlike a normal lightsaber, one could not simply readjust their posture as the saberstaff required them to hold it either horizonally or diagonally while fighting. One last disadvantage of the double-bladed lightsaber was size of the hilt itself. Modified to emit two blades, it was more than twice as long as the standard lightsaber, and is almost inevitability a target when dueling another lightsaber-wielding foe. Even skilled users have been subject to this weakness.

To most effectively wield a double-bladed lightsaber, the staff must be kept moving around the body, never holding still and presenting an easy target, nor a predictable strike. Many users believed that the blades must be under control at all times. That means manipulation of the length or intensity of each blade, either through telekenetic means or physical, both of which are extremely hard to focus on while in combat. Exar Kun is believed to have mastered such a technique.

Sith lightsaber crystals


A red Sith-synth crystal was an artificial version of the authentic lightsaber crystals used by the Jedi, such as the crystals in Darth Maul's double-bladed lightsaber, or the crystal in Count Dooku's lightsaber. They found particular use in the double-bladed lightsaber due to the weapon's status as the Sith lightsaber.

Non-canon appearances

 * Nameless
 * LEGO Star Wars: The Video Game
 * Star Wars: Battlefront II
 * Star Wars Battlefront: Renegade Squadron
 * Old Wounds
 * Star Wars Infinities: A New Hope
 * Star Wars: Demolition