Vibroblade/Legends

"The hum of the vibroblade gives it away. That's the only reason I still have my face."

- Captain Nym, after a bounty hunter attack on Lok.

Vibroblades were a type of bladed melee weapon that used ultrasonic vibrations to increase cutting effectiveness. Swords, pikes, knives, and axes all consisted of the same basic design: the weapon's hilt or handle usually contained a compact ultrasonic generator, causing the blade to vibrate at an incredible speed, making even the slightest glancing blow become a gaping wound. Its cortosis weave allowed it to parry the blows of lightsabers, energy swords, or a random blaster bolt.

The cortosis weave became less common when the probability of fighting a lightsaber-wielding opponent decreased. By the time of the Galactic Civil War, knowledge of cortosis weave, as well as the mineral itself, was extremely rare.

Vibro-bladed weaponry was more common on isolated, less civilized worlds such as Tatooine. Jabba Desilijic Tiure's personal Gamorrean guards were known to use vibro-axes, and his skiff crew also used pikes with vibro-bladed cutting edges. During his infiltration into Jabba's palace, Lando Calrissian used a SoroSuub BD-1 Cutter vibro-ax as his primary weapon. Vibroblades were popular among criminals, resulting in them being banned on many worlds.

Clone Commandos had retractable Knuckle plate vibro blades.

Vibroweapon


In the galaxy, melee weapons ran the gamut from simple clubs and axes like the Gamorrean guards for Jabba the Hutt wielded, to the legendary and exotic Jedi lightsaber. In between in effectiveness and exoticness lay vibroblades.

Vibroweapons were a family of weapons that utilized high-speed sonic vibrations to turn a regular object into a deadly weapon; most commonly found on swords, vibrogenerators could also be found on axes, pikes, knives, etc. Almost anything with a blade had the potential to be turned into a vibroweapon.

Method of operation
Vibrogenerators, most often found in the hilt or handle of the weapon, sent out high-frequency sonic pulses that could cause anything attached to the generator to be sent into an extremely quick vibration. When said object contacted something, notably organic tissue, the vibrations rippled across the material, destroying a much larger portion (in addition to the simple fact of the blow cutting more) and damaging the target more devastatingly then the original weapon. This caused even the slightest glancing blow potentially become a gaping wound.

Contraband status
As per the vibroweapon's devastating efficiency in crime, and its subsequent usage by many criminals, vibroweapons were outlawed in almost all of the civilized systems, but they retained their presence in crime through the lesser-governed worlds.

Vibroblade
Vibroblades were usually ordinary swords or similar weapons that were fitted with a vibrogenerator, usually in the hilt. Vibroblades are most often single bladed, and could so be dual-wielded. A vibroblade could be anywhere from 6 to 25 centimeters long. Some vibroblades had a cortosis weave.


 * The Jagged vibroblade was a variation of the standard vibroblade. Jan Dodonna once handed one of these weapons to a new Rebel Alliance recruit.

Vibrosword


A variant of the standard vibroblade, vibroswords were larger than vibroblades and had more cutting and slashing power. Vibroswords had the same basic design as the vibroblade, with the noticeable difference being the length.

Vibroswords were two-handed weapons and were not intended to be dual-wielded, although many skilled Jar'Kai practitioners could wield two of these weapons. Vibroswords were easily customizable, and many of them incorporated advanced power cells, lightsaber-resistant cortosis weaves, or customized grips to make them more effective in combat. Vibroswords were more lethal than the prototype vibroblade as they vibrated quicker. Mandalorian trainees commonly practiced with vibroswords for their combat training during and after the Mandalorian Wars. During the Jedi Civil War, the Echani and the Baragwin made particularly deadly vibroswords. Vibroswords may have been used by Republic and Sith forces alike as they were so versatile and adaptable.

Vibroshiv
A vibroshiv was a 5 centimeter knife, that was similar to a switchblade, but with a mounted vibrogenerator. Vibroshivs were commonly used in a Jar'Kai stance as an offhand weapon; however, they could be more deadly by combining elements of the Jar'Kai stance (duel wielding) and Trakata (waiting for the opportune moment to spring open the weapon on an unsuspecting opponent).

Vibrostave
Vibrostaves were one of the deadliest types of vibroweapon; this melee weapon featured a long staff, with a rounded hilt roughly three feet long that contained a vibrogenerator. The hilt also contained one 2.5 foot long blade, sharpened to a razor's edge, that could be activated instantly. The blades' cortosis weaves allowed it to parry the blows of lightsabers, energy swords, or blaster bolts.

The efficiency and combat-effectiveness of vibrostaves came from their double-bladed approach; with skill, the wielder could create a whirlwind of motion where he utilized the spinning stave to seriously injure and eviscerate opponents. Also, with great skill, two vibrostaves could be wielded, one in each hand; this effectively gave four blades to attack with, but left him more open to attack.

Double-bladed vibrostaves were the predominant weapon of choice for Royal Guard trainees. Taking an idea from his deceased apprentice, Darth Maul, the Emperor had double-bladed vibrostaves crafted to equip his newly formed corps of Imperial Guards. Palpatine employed one of the greatest melee weapons designers in the galaxy, Kolvo Weapons Manufacturing, to produce a limited number of these weapons. Once the order was completed, the manufacturing facilities were the subject of an assault by TIE Bombers, effectively destroying all blueprints and machinery capable of producing these unique weapons. A Royal Guardsman trained in the martial art of the Echani could wield these durable, lightweight weapons almost like a third limb in combat (an excellent example being Kir Kanos); although when they were officially guarding something, they used their usual Force pike.

Vibrowhip
Vibrowhips were whips, as the name suggested. The Black Sun Vigo Lord Xist was the only known master of the vibrowhip fighting method, although there is some debate as to whether or not it was actually a lightwhip, due to its resistance to a lightsaber blade and its blue glow.

Appearances

 * Shadows and Light
 * Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
 * Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords
 * Darth Bane: Path of Destruction
 * Jedi Apprentice series
 * Cloak of Deception
 * Darth Maul: Shadow Hunter
 * Star Wars Episode I Journal: Darth Maul
 * Star Wars: Republic Commando
 * Republic Commando: Hard Contact
 * Star Wars Republic: The Battle of Jabiim
 * Jedi Trial
 * Droid Trouble
 * Fair Prey
 * Star Wars Galaxies: An Empire Divided
 * Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi
 * A Credit for Your Thoughts
 * X-wing: Rogue Squadron
 * I, Jedi
 * Children of the Jedi
 * Dark Tide II: Ruin
 * Star by Star
 * Betrayal