Kylo Ren's lightsaber

Kylo Ren's lightsaber was a lightsaber constructed and utilized by Kylo Ren approximately thirty years after the Battle of Endor. The lightsaber was crudely assembled based on an ancient design dating back thousands of years to the Great Scourge of Malachor, and thus featured seldom-seen crossguard blades. A single cracked Kaiburr crystal, barely able to contain the weapon's power, necessitated the lateral vents which produced these crossguard quillons and gave the weapon's red plasma blades an unstable, serrated appearance. Kylo wielded this weapon while working alongside the Knights of Ren and the First Order.

He used it to kill Lor San Tekka and Han Solo, and to duel Finn and Rey during the Battle of Starkiller Base. He injured Finn, but Ren was incapacitated and his lightsaber was destroyed by Rey.

Behind the scenes
Kylo Ren's lightsaber was introduced in the first teaser trailer for Star Wars: Episode VII The Force Awakens. The 88-second trailer, released on November 28, 2014, showed Ren walking through a snowy forest and igniting the lightsaber. The introduction of the lightsaber was well-publicized in the media, including on The Colbert Report and @Midnight on Comedy Central. The lightsaber was also the subject of a number of pieces of fan art released in the days after the trailer premiered.

It appeared twice in the second trailer that debuted at Celebration Anaheim 2015. The trailer showed Ren swinging the lightsaber, and later holding it in his left hand while he holds out his right, as if he was ordering an attack.

The concept of a crossguard lightsaber was first introduced in Star Wars Legends, previously known as the Expanded Universe. The lightsaber, which had two beams rather than three, made its first appearance in the 2004 comic Star Wars: Republic 61: Dead Ends. The point of the smaller blades has been disputed, including acting as a cross guard to stop slashes at the lightsaber's power source or simply to act as an output for excess energy.

Appearances

 * Star Wars: Episode VII The Force Awakens