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The double-bladed lightsaber, also called a saberstaff or lightstaff, was a lightsaber variant that featured a blade emitted from both ends. Several variants on the type existed, including the hinged double-bladed lightsaber, the split saber, the lightsaber pike, and the double-bladed spinning lightsaber. According to the mythical Qel-Droma Epics, double-bladed ligthsabers dated back to a Sith Lord named Exar Kun.
Contents
Description[edit | edit source]
Asajj Ventress' dual curved-hilt lightsabers joined together to form a double-bladed saber.
The double-bladed lightsaber was, simply, a lightsaber with blade emitters on both ends. Such a weapon could be wielded like a typical single-bladed lightsaber if only one blade was ignited.[1] This lightsaber style had several variants: Hinged double-bladed lightsabers effectively consisted of two single-bladed lightsabers joined with a hinge at the ends. Notable wielders of this saber style included Pong Krell[5] and the Jedi Temple Guard.[8] Temple Guards also used lightsaber pikes, which had a much longer handle and shorter blades compared to typical double-bladed lightsabers.[9]
Split sabers had handles that detached, allowing their owners to fight with either one double-bladed weapon or two single-bladed weapons as they pleased.[10][11]
The Imperial Inquisitorius used distinctive double-bladed spinning lightsabers, which had relatively short handles and a ring around which the active blades could spin, allowing their wielders to even fly in certain locations.[12] However, the ring was also a weakness, as cutting it would instantly destroy the weapon. This weakness was used against the Grand Inquisitor on two occasions, the second leading to his death.[13][14]
History[edit | edit source]
Savage Opress wielded a double-bladed lightsaber.
The existence of double-bladed lightsabers dated back to the mythical Sith Lord Exar Kun of the Qel-Droma Epics.[15]
The Dathomirian Zabrak Sith Lord Darth Maul wielded a red double-bladed lightsaber he created himself.[1][16] Maul's lightsaber was damaged when he was defeated by Obi-Wan Kenobi during the Battle of Naboo.[1] Savage Opress, Maul's brother, also wielded a red double-bladed lightsaber he received from Count Dooku during his brief stint as the Sith Lord's apprentice.[17] When Opress recovered Maul from the junk planet Lotho Minor, Maul only had one half of his old lightsaber. He wielded it as a single-bladed lightsaber for a time,[18] but by the time of the Siege of Mandalore, he had rebuilt it into a double-bladed weapon. However, he lost the saber for good when he was captured by Ahsoka Tano during the Siege.[19]
Count Dooku's personal assassin and apprentice Asajj Ventress had a pair of curved-hilt lightsabers that could be joined together at the hilt into a single weapon by a locking mechanism, becoming a double-bladed lightsaber. However, she rarely wielded her sabers in that fashion.[20] This was a configuration known as a split saber, one that was also fielded by Jedi such as Cal Kestis.[21]
During the Clone Wars, Besalisk Jedi Master Pong Krell wielded dual hinged double-bladed lightsabers, one blue and one green-bladed, which could fold at the middle.[5] Jedi Master Jaro Tapal also utilized a saberstaff in battle.[21] The Jedi Temple Guard wielded a similar weapon, the yellow double-bladed lightsaber pike.[9]
Pong Krell wielding dual hinged double-bladed lightsabers.
The Imperial Inquisitors, dark side adepts tasked at identifying and hunting down Jedi following Order 66, fought using their unique version of the weapon. Their red double-bladed spinning lightsabers could also be used as regular single-bladed lightsabers.[6]
During the Imperial Era, Maul used another double-bladed lightsaber, which could be disguised as a cane and bore strong visual similarities to the lightsabers wielded by members of the Inquisitorius.[12] Maul wielded this lightsaber until his death on Tatooine at the hands of his old enemy Kenobi a few years before the Battle of Yavin.[22]
While searching for the wayfinder on Kef Bir in 35 ABY, Rey fought a vision of herself as a Sith. In the vision, her dark side counterpart wielded a hinged double-bladed lightsaber with red blades.[23]
Behind the scenes[edit | edit source]
The hinged double-bladed lightsaber of Rey's vision
The double-bladed lightsaber first appeared in the Star Wars canon in the 1999 film Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace.[1] It was originally conceived by writer Tom Veitch and artist Christian Gossett for the Star Wars Legends comic book series Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi.[24] Gossett has said he thought of lightsabers as the personal "honor weapons" of the Jedi, and would be more customized to suit personal preference rather than standardized for all.[25]
During the development of Star Wars: Episode VII The Force Awakens, screenwriter Michael Arndt became really interested in the motif of "fire and ice" and wanted to have one character wielding a double-bladed lightsaber, with one side red and the other blue.[26]
Appearances[edit | edit source]
Non-canon appearances[edit | edit source]
- Disney Infinity 3.0
- Angry Birds Star Wars II
- William Shakespeare's The Phantom of Menace: Star Wars Part the First
- "All I Want For Life Day"
LEGO Star Wars: Droid Tales – "Exit from Endor" (Appears in flashback(s))- LEGO Star Wars: The Force Awakens
- LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga
- The LEGO Star Wars Holiday Special
Sources[edit | edit source]
Notes and references[edit | edit source]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace
- ↑
Star Wars: The Phantom Menace Story Gallery on StarWars.com (backup link)
- ↑ Collapse of the Republic
- ↑ Star Wars Lightsabers: A Guide to Weapons of the Force
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Star Wars: The Clone Wars – "Darkness on Umbara"
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Star Wars Rebels: The Visual Guide
- ↑ Star Wars Rebels – "Rise of the Old Masters"
- ↑ Star Wars Rebels – "Shroud of Darkness"
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Star Wars: The Clone Wars – "The Wrong Jedi"
- ↑ Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order
- ↑ Star Wars: The Clone Wars film
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Star Wars Rebels – "Twilight of the Apprentice"
- ↑ Darth Vader: Dark Lord of the Sith 6
- ↑ Star Wars Rebels – "Fire Across the Galaxy"
- ↑ Gadgets and Gear
- ↑ Darth Maul's Lightsaber in the Databank (backup link)
- ↑ Star Wars: The Clone Wars – "Witches of the Mist"
- ↑ Star Wars: The Clone Wars – "Revenge"
- ↑ Star Wars: The Clone Wars – "The Phantom Apprentice"
- ↑ Star Wars: The Clone Wars film
- ↑ 21.0 21.1 Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order
- ↑ Star Wars Rebels – "Twin Suns"
- ↑ Star Wars: Episode IX The Rise of Skywalker
- ↑ Tales of the Jedi: The Sith War 3: The Trial of Ulic Qel-Droma
- ↑ Interview with Christian Gossett, conducted by Greyman
- ↑ The Art of Star Wars: The Force Awakens
