Lightsaber/Legends



"This is the weapon of a Jedi Knight. Not as clumsy or as random as a blaster, but a more elegant weapon for a more civilized age."

- Obi-Wan Kenobi

The lightsaber, or less formally, the laser sword was more than the distinctive weapon of the Jedi for millennia, it was a segment of the order's history and its ultimate symbol. There could be no Jedi without a lightsaber and no lightsaber without a Jedi in the eyes of galactic denizens. Over the years, it came to be associated with gallantry and elegance otherwise lost in an age of blasters. Jedi traditionally constructed their own lightsaber as part of their training. To carry a lightsaber was an example of incredible skill and confidence, dexteritay and attunement to the Force. Since its plasma blade was essentially weightless, it was very difficult to handle safely. For the same reason, it was also a very quick weapon, and superhuman reaction times were necessary to capitalize fully on this advantage. Only a handful of non-Force-sensitives have been known to master it, and none of them has ever presented a challenge for a fully-trained Jedi save the lethally effective General Grievous.

History


Millennia in the past, the Jedi discovered that a super-heated plasmoid substance could be generated and held in place by a rod-shaped containment field. The field could be set so that the plasmoid-like substance could not escape, but other objects could pass into the ultra-hot core. This created a deadly blade of light that could slice its way through almost any substance. Such fields blocked one another, so the best defense against one blade was another blade. The field could be maintained almost indefinitely if linked to the generating device, because it functioned as a closed loop.

Thus the lightsaber was invented. The first lightsaber-like weapons were developed for siege purposes, using "frozen blaster" technology. The separate power pack they required was often worn on the back.

This smaller lightsaber gave the advantage to hand-to-hand troops whose adversaries (with high-density armor and even personal repulsor shields) were impervious to primitive slugthrowing weapons.

Further advances in the science of field technology allowed for a self-sustaining bubble of containment to be generated. A plasmoid could be generated and flung out at an opponent for quite some distance before it finally dissipated. This gave way to the invention of the blaster. From then on, lightsaber combat evolved to include forms that could counter blaster bolts as well as other blades.

After the Great Jedi Purge, lightsabers became rare relics. However, lightsabers remained prized by some collectors, and some black market sales occurred.

Lightsaber Colors
In the original film trilogy, lightsaber blades were blue and, later, green for the Jedi, while red-bladed lightsabers were associated with Dark Jedi Knights or Sith.

The various Expanded Universe (EU) sources and the prequel films opened up the spectrum of blade colors to include many variations of blue, green and red, as well as purple, orange, silver, turquoise, pink, bronze, yellow, viridian, and possibly white and gold, among others; the full variety and extent of focusing gems, and consequently, of colors, is unknown.

The Expanded Universe has no definitive information relating to the color of a lightsaber and its association with Jedi or Sith positions. The reason for the smaller variety of colors for lightsaber blades is revealed throughout several forms of media; the Empire destroyed the caves that housed the lightsaber crystals which Jedi used to focus energy and create their blade's unique color. Synthetic crystals were created to replace the natural crystals found in caverns, typically having either a blue or green color.

Obi-Wan Kenobi primarily wielded a blue-bladed lightsaber, while Mace Windu famously uses a purple-bladed lightsaber. One lightsaber in particular, created by the Jedi student Gantoris, was violet with patterns of rainbow light rippling across its white core.

The color of a lightsaber's blade depends on the crystals used to focus it. Blue-bladed lightsabers are loosely associated with Jedi Guardians; green-bladed lightsabers are loosely associated with Jedi Consulars; yellow-bladed lightsabers are loosely associated with Jedi Sentinels; and red-bladed lightsabers are more closely associated with the Sith and dark Jedi. Nearly every Jedi who has wielded a purple blade has been a powerful Jedi, and a catalyst for change. Therefore, they could be considered "Jedi Powers".

Each Jedi (or Sith) is free to choose whatever hue for their blade they wish or can acquire. Usually the lightsaber crystal will call out to its chosen master during the trials to become a Jedi when the padawan travels to llum.

Prior to the Battle of Ruusan, Jedi used lightsabers in every known hue. Afterwards, Jedi relied on more common Ilum crystals such as blue and green. Mace Windu braved the rock-encrusted natives of Hurikane to obtain the rare purple crystal. In the New Jedi Order Era, Jedi had a wide array of colors such as orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, and light blue.

The synthetic red crystals favored by the Sith can create a somewhat more powerful blade than blue or green crystals, but are not as pure due to their artificial nature and can thus be undesirable as the focus of a lightsaber. The Sith apparently had a large supply of red crystals; they also favored red as a symbol for blood.

The lightsaber colors show different states of study for Jedi. If a Jedi chooses blue it means that he focuses his studies more on combat than on mastering the force. A Jedi that chooses green concentrates on mastering the force without the use of his/her lightsaber. The color red means that an adept has fallen to the dark side and has studied the ways of the Sith. Purple is a rare lightsaber color, not only because the crystal is hard to obtain, but also because of its meaning; purple is a mixture of red and blue, so one who has a purple lightsaber has studied the various forms of lightsaber combat, but has also gone to the dark side to learn the art of Sith combat. Although it is not always the case.


 * Archaic Lightsaber &mdash; This is the earliest-known type of laser sword, developed as a siege weapon. It required a separate power pack to work, which was often worn on the back, and later, as technology simplified power packs, a belt-worn power source. The power sources and components were miniaturized in the construction in order to fit inside the hilt, creating the simple weapon used in the later era. The moves that could be performed with an archaic lightsaber were more limited than those that could be achieved with a modern laser sword because of the cord that connected the hilt to its power source.
 * Crystal Lightsaber &mdash; The general term used for any standard lightsaber with focusing crystals. The modern version of the lightsaber. It typically consists of a core crystal which determines color, and two extracrystal chambers which may enhance and personalize the saber to the Jedi that uses it. There have been instances of multi-colored blades, however this is not a result of the secondary crystals. It is unknown what exactly causes this color variation, butit is most liklely a result of the core crystal itself.
 * Curve-hilted Lightsaber &mdash; A standard design during the heyday of Form II lightsaber combat, curved hilts allowed more spinning action during blade-to-blade duels. It also was more complex and gave the maker&mdash;who, as is the case with Jedi and Sith, was also the wielder&mdash;more of a challenge in alligning its crystals. This lightsaber was known to be used by Count Dooku and two were wielded together by his apprentice, Komari Vosa, and later his Dark Side Adept Asajj Ventress.
 * Double-bladed lightsaber or Saber staff or Sith lightsaber &mdash; A rare, long-hilted lightsaber which could be activated on either or both sides, allowing two blades to be ignited simoultaneously. It could be one hilt or two normal lightsabers attached together. This was often even more dangerous to the wielder than to the opponent. It came to be known as Sith lightsaber because it was preferred by Sith and was possibly invented by Dark Lord of the Sith Exar Kun. Darth Maul was inspired by Kun and created his own saber staff which he used with amazing prowess. Asajj Ventress would connect her two curve-hilted lightsabers together to form a unique type of saber staff.
 * Dual-phase Lightsaber &mdash; Multiple crystals allowed the user to switch between two blade lengths in battle with the dual-phase saber. It was a quite common lightsaber type both in the Old Jedi Order and the New Jedi Order. Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader wielded such a lightsaber, as did, for example, Micah Giett, Luke Skywalker, Gantoris, and Corran Horn.
 * Electrum Lightsaber &mdash; Simply a lightsaber with a hilt forged from gold-like electrum. Mace Windu's and Sidious's lightsaber are examples of such kind.
 * Great Lightsaber or Lightclub &mdash; Special focusing crystals and power systems enabled this rare lightsaber to project a blade up to 3 meters in length.  Gorc, a mutated Gamorrean Dark Jedi, used such a weapon.
 * Short Lightsaber &mdash; The short lightsaber was a lightsaber with a shorter blade that can be used by some small warriors, such as Jedi Master Yoda, just like a standard lightsaber.
 * Lightdagger &mdash; The lightdagger was a lightsaber with a shorter blade and can be used as an assault knife. Luke Skywalker constructed his own lightdaggers after the Battle of Endor. Because this type of lightsaber had a very small blade, it could be easily used by non-Force-sensitives. Black Sun vigo Darnada's bodyguard, Sinya, carried two baton-style lightdaggers.
 * Lightwhip &mdash; The lightwhip was an exotic variation of the lightsaber that only specially trained Jedi could wield. It could either have a solid core of cortosis or other lightsaber-resistant minerals or it could be a blade of pure energy sheathed in deadly energy. Like the lightsaber, it emitted a coherent beam of energy that was long and flexible and wielded like a whip. It is believed this saber is the only one that functions just as well in water as on land, although it wasn't flexible underwater and appeared like a normal lightsaber when submerged. Known users of the lightwhip included Jedi Kit Fisto, Lumiya and Githany.

Training
Apprentices of lightsaber combat used "training lightsabers." Training lightsabers were shorter, and had greatly diminished power. While these lightsabers were non-lethal, contact with the blade was very painful and could bruise the skin or even cause bleeding.

Younglings started their first lightsaber practice lessons with Form I of lightsaber combat, called Shii-Cho. This style covered fundamental moves and techniques every Jedi required. To fend off blaster shots of training droids, a trainee had to harmonize the Force, their will and the saber and utilize Shii-Cho.

Once a Youngling became a Jedi Padawan, he or she could start learning new methods of combat, based on what the Jedi Master preferred and taught.

For more info, go to Lightsaber combat.

Cutting power
Lightsaber blades do not radiate heat unless they come into contact with something. Then the intensely hot blade can cut through almost any substance. A few exceptions do exist however:
 * Cortosis ore: A unique substance able to shut down a lightsaber upon contact.
 * Phrik alloy: Used in electrostaffs, Palpatine's lightsaber and Dark Trooper armour.
 * An unnamed metal superconductor used for ship armor hundreds of years before the Galactic Empire.
 * Mandalorian iron: A metal used by the Mandalorian warriors.
 * Yuuzhan Vong bio-engineered weaponry and armor, such as the amphistaff.
 * Certain types of energy shields.

Methods of use
See also: lightsaber combat

The lightsaber was a very versatile weapon, owing to its unique lightness and omnidirectional cutting ability. It could be wielded one-handed with ease: this made it easier for an opponent to deflect, but in later periods, only rarely would Jedi face an adversary with a weapon capable of deflecting a lightsaber. Using Jedi prescience, a lightsaber wielder could anticipate a blaster bolt's path and deflect it with his or her lightsaber.

Several styles or "forms" of lightsaber combat were developed over the years; some involved dual-wielded lightsabers, and sometimes even double-bladed lightsabers.

Forms:
 * Form I: Shii-Cho
 * Form II: Makashi
 * Form III: Soresu
 * Form IV: Ataru
 * Form V: Shien / Djem So
 * Form VI: Niman
 * Form VII: Juyo/Vaapad
 * Form VIII: Sokan
 * Form IX: Shien
 * Form X: Niman / Jar'Kai

Construction details
"The crystal is the heart of the blade. The heart is the crystal of the Jedi. The Jedi is the crystal of the Force. The Force is the blade of the heart. All are intertwined: The crystal, The blade, The Jedi. You are one."

- Luminara Unduli, during a lightsaber construction ceremony


 * &mdash; [[Image:Gnome-speakernotes.png|30px|(audio)]][[Media:SaberCeremony.ogg|Hear Luminara's Speech]]

The lightsaber was made up of a short polished metallic cylindrical tube (30 centimeters) that emitted a beam of a plasma-like substance, or plasmoid.



All lightsabers contain some common basic components:
 * A handgrip
 * An activation stud plate
 * A safety switch
 * An emitter matrix
 * A lens assembly (focusing crystal)
 * A blade-length adjuster (only on Dual-Length Lightsabers)
 * A power cell
 * A power conduit
 * A recharge socket
 * A belt ring (optional)

The focusing crystal was the central component of the lightsaber. The crystals were wired to the diatium power cell, which acted like an energy source for the lightsaber. Suitable crystals are found naturally on a few planets, such as Ruusan (prior to 1,000 BBY) and Ilum. Crystals could also be synthesized. A particular method of synthesis used by the Sith (who had no easy access to natural crystals) produced the distinctive red blade of Dark Jedi weapons. Luke Skywalker, the founder of the New Jedi Order, used a different type of synthetic crystal, which produced a green blade.

The color of a lightsaber's blade was dependent upon the crystals used to focus it. The crystals used by the Jedi Order up to the New Sith Wars came from a wide variety of planets and thus had a wide variety in colors. But the wars ravaged or the Sith hid all these planets except one: Ilum. For the last millennium of the Order's history were found on Ilum, and produced mainly green and blue lightsaber blades. Since many natural crystal sources were controlled by the Jedi when the Sith first started using lightsabers, the Sith forged synthetic crystals that generated a bright red color. This became a tradition, since they continued generating the crystal even after it was they that contolled the crystal sources and hid them from the Jedi.

A double-bladed lightsaber or lightstaff (sometimes known as a Sith lightsaber) was essentially two lightsabers in a single oversized hilt. It was a very difficult weapon to handle, even more so than a traditional lightsaber. Notable users of double-bladed lightsabers were the Dark Lords of the Sith Exar Kun and Darth Maul. Kun's lightsaber was both double-bladed and dual-phase. This made his personal style of lightsaber combat very complex, as he would vary the strength and length of either blade independently; sometimes letting the opponent's blade pass right through his, sometimes blocking.

During the Great Sith War epoch, many lightsabers are manufactured using kunda stones, a natural geologic formation from the planet Kadril which boast numerous practical applications in medicine and communications. They can also be combined with normal lightsaber lenses to produce a broader, yet still-focused, beam than is usual.

Perhaps the most unusual lightsaber design belonged to Roblio Darté. His lightsaber was constructed like a regular lightsaber except for one thing. Aside from the main blade of the weapon, there was a smaller, second blade jutting out at an angle from the hilt.

The typical design of the hilt was a straight tube. Count Dooku however, preferred a curved hilt, which would fit his Form II lightsaber fighting style.

The knowledge of lightsaber construction largely disappeared during the extermination of the Jedi, but Luke Skywalker found the records and the materials he needed to construct his first lightsaber in Obi-Wan Kenobi's hut on Tatooine. Lightsaber construction included the use of the Force to bind the components of a lightsaber together at a molecular or lower level, which enabled the closed loop design to operate with near-perfect efficiency.

Sometimes certain events necessitated a change in a Jedi's preferred weapon. A Jedi would modify the lightsaber or construct a new one to suit the demands of the situation at hand, such as with Mace Windu and his lightsaber after the Battle of Naboo.

Concordance of Fealty



 * "Master Eeth Koth, I have something to return to you. It is a product of your own hands which you once entrusted to mine. In returning this lightsaber, I return your trust."
 * &mdash; Master Mace Windu

The Jedi tradition of entrusting one's lightsaber to a fellow member of the order was called the Concordance of Fealty. This exchange represented a serious, even sacred bond. The exchange represented the establishment of a reciprocal, Master-less learning relationship.

Users
Although the lightsaber was used primarily by the Jedi and Sith force users, two non-force users were known to have used a lightsaber:

Thall Joben once used a green lightsaber, as he explained to his droid C-3PO that he once did some work for someone who owned a speeder, but they left the speeder with him and never reclaimed it; the lightsaber was one of the things left in the speeder by the person. It is unknown if this customer of Thall's was actually a Jedi or were simply someone who killed a Jedi or a Sith and took the lightsaber from them. Most likely, it was the latter, as most Jedi and Sith do not simply forget their lightsabers.

Han Solo used Luke Skywalker's (formerly Anakin Skywalker's) lightsaber after he rescued Luke from a snowstorm on Hoth. Solo used the lightsaber to slice open the body of a dead Tauntaun, whose insides he then used to keep Luke warm while he constructed a proper shelter for the both of them.

Behind the scenes

 * The Anakin/Luke lightsaber was made by a Graflex camera flasher in the Original Trilogy.


 * In the Original Star Wars Trilogy, the blades were easily broken during battle.


 * The first lightsaber choreography was created by Peter Diamond.


 * During the Prequel Trilogy, Nick Gillard was the swordmaster and instructed Liam Neeson, Ewan McGregor and Hayden Christensen through their battle scenes.


 * Due to his age and lack of mobility, Christopher Lee was replaced by stunt double Kyle Rowling during Count Dooku's more complex fight scenes. Lee was able to perform some of the moves, particuarly the close-up shots.


 * In AotC, Samuel L. Jackson made a special request for his character, Mace Windu, to carry a purple lightsaber.


 * In The Phantom Menace and Attack Of The Clones, lightsaber blades were not easily broken, but were easily bent during fighting. However, the lightsabers used in Revenge of the Sith were less suistainable to such damage.


 * During the initial editing of ROTJ, Luke's lightsaber was coloured blue in a trailer. However against the desert blue sky environment, the decision was made to change it to green for a better visual effect, hence the birth of the green light saber.

Lightsaber or Lightsabre?
The word "saber" is usually spelled "sabre" in the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth countries, though "saber" is more common in the United States. As most Star Wars materials, including the film novelizations and the published screenplays, are first published in the United States, the spelling "lightsaber" is used in the original printings of most canonical sources. Thus, this wiki uses "lightsaber" for consistency.

Appearances

 * Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace
 * Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones
 * Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
 * Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope
 * Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back
 * Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi
 * Almost all of Expanded Universe stories