- "The red crystals were corrupted by the dark side when those who wielded them bent them to their will. They call it making the crystal bleed."
- ―Ahsoka Tano
Bleeding was the process that a Dark Side Adept used by way of the Force to bend a kyber crystal to their will. Any kyber crystal could be bled, including their own for instance, if they were a former light side practitioner and kept their lightsaber. However, some Sith believed that the proper method was to take a kyber crystal from a Jedi's lightsaber and bleed it.[3]
This process was accomplished by the individual pouring rage, hate, and pain into the crystal via the Force until the crystal turned crimson, resulting in the bloodshine lightsabers associated almost exclusively with dark side adepts. Since the crystals were inherently aligned with the light side of the Force, they attempted to resist the forced corruption; when Darth Vader first attempted to bleed the green crystal within Jedi Master Kirak Infil'a's lightsaber, he experienced intense light side Force visions which nearly drove him insane.[2] However, when he paid a visit to Galen Erso's Office after this event, he found a stash of kyber crystals left behind by Galen Walton Erso, and bled them without issue.[4]
Using the light side of the Force, it was possible to "heal" the effects of bleeding on a kyber crystal. This process changed the crystal's color.[5] Ahsoka Tano performed this on the Sixth Brother's lightsaber during an encounter with him, turning the Inquisitor's crystals white.[1]
Behind the scenes
Edit
In the Star Wars Legends novel Riptide, Jaden Korr changed a red crystal into a yellow one, the process was called cleansing.
AppearancesEdit
- Darth Vader: Dark Lord of the Sith 1: The Chosen One, Part I (Mentioned only)
- Darth Vader: Dark Lord of the Sith 2: The Chosen One, Part II (Indirectly mentioned only; in the opening crawl)
- Darth Vader: Dark Lord of the Sith 3: The Chosen One, Part III (Indirectly mentioned only; in the opening crawl)
- Darth Vader: Dark Lord of the Sith 5: The Chosen One, Part V (First appearance)
- Darth Vader Annual 2: Technological Terror
- Ahsoka (First mentioned)
SourcesEdit
- Star Wars Super Graphic: A Visual Guide to a Galaxy Far, Far Away
- Star Wars Lightsabers: A Guide to Weapons of the Force (First identified as Bleeding)
