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
"Time to make this more interesting&hellip;do you like the modifications I made to my lightsaber, Master?"

- Exar Kun to Vodo Siosk-Baas, about his new two-blade lightsaber



Exar Kun is often credited with creating the first double-bladed lightsaber. However, according to the Tedryn Holocron, Kun assembled his lightsaber following instructions from a Sith Holocron possibly prepared by the 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.

In 990 BBY, ten years after the Seventh Battle of Ruusan, the Jedi Knight Sarro Xaj used a blue double-bladed lightsaber in combat against Darth Zannah on Tython. During the duel, Zannah was easily overpowered by Xaj in one-on-one combat, however, when Master Worror lost his concentration and his battle meditation was broken, Xaj became distracted, allowing Zannah to stab him through his chest, after using her Sith sorcery to create an illusion of his worst nightmares before him, further distracting him.

During the waning days of the Galactic Republic, Jastus Farr was the only known Jedi to wield a double-bladed lightsaber. Darth Maul was a Sith Lord who wielded 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, such as Jedi Knight Jaden Korr.



In 137 ABY, one practitioner of this lightsaber was the Twi'lek Jedi Knight Shado Vao. It was similar to Exar Kun's lightsaber in that he could activate both ends simultaneously or he could activate one, thus having it function like a regular lightsaber. Many Sith in Darth Krayt's order also used double-bladed lightsabers, such as the Sith Lord Darth Azard. His was unique since he had a curved hilt, much like Asajj Ventress' lightsaber.

Double-bladed lightsaber disadvantages
"In combat, your mind tries to keep track of each blade separately, effectively doubling the number of possibilities. But the two blades are connected: by knowing the location of one, you are automatically aware of the location of the other. In actual practice, the double-bladed lightsaber is more limited than the traditional lightsaber. It can do more damage, but it is less precise. It requires longer, sweeping movements that don't transition well into a quick stab or thrust. Because the weapon is difficult to master, however, few among the Jedi-or even the Sith-understand it. They don't know how to attack or defend effectively against it. That gives those of us who use it an advantage over most of our opponents."

- Blademaster Kas'im



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, or least still tried to use the idea by using two single-hilt sabers. 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 horizontally 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 inevitably 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 telekinetic 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.

Behind the Scenes
In Ratchet And Clank: Up Your Arsenal/Locked and Loaded, there is a cheat code that replaces the melee weapon with a double-bladed lightsaber, called 'Dual Laser Saber'.

Non-canon appearances

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