Shoto lightsaber

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Shoto lightsabers were scaled lightsabers whose blades were considerably shorter than the normal. They were used by diminutive combatants like Yoda, whose stature made it impractical to wield a full-scale lightsaber, and also as off-hand weapons for those duelists who employed twin-bladed techniques,^[6] like Ahsoka Tano and the Tenth Brother.^[1]

HistoryEdit

Republic EraEdit

The long-lived Jedi Grand Master Yoda, on account of his diminutive size, built his lightsaber as a shoto.^[4]

At some point prior to the Mission to Mortis, the Jedi Padawan Ahsoka Tano adopted the practice of Jar'Kai, and constructed a shoto lightsaber to this end. This weapon was essentially an abridged version of her original lightsaber, and mimicked the saber's basic aesthetic, save for the shorter blade which possessed a greenish-yellow tinge.^[1] This shoto would go on to serve Tano throughout the Clone Wars, up until the moment when she severed ties with the Jedi Order and relinquished both her lightsabers into the care of her former master, Anakin Skywalker.^[7] Skywalker would ultimately return Tano's weapons to her when she agreed to help lead a 501st division in the Siege of Mandalore, although he substituted the crystals inside for blue ones; a change that he wryly remarked had improved them.^[8]

Age of the EmpireEdit

Tano would abandon her original pair of lightsabers after the execution of Order 66 in order to fake her death to the Galactic Empire. A year later, she constructed a second pair of lightsabers which also included a shoto during the uprising on Raada.^[9][2]

The Imperial Inquisitor known as the Tenth Brother, formerly the Jedi Master Prosset Dibs, wielded a pair of shotos, in contrast to the double-bladed spinning lightsabers used by the rest of the Inquisitors.^[3]

Behind the scenesEdit

A shoto lightsaber first appeared in Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones, with Yoda's lightsaber.^[10] The weapon's name was first given in the mobile game Star Wars Journeys: Beginnings.^[11]

AppearancesEdit

Non-canon appearancesEdit

• Disney Infinity 3.0
• William Shakespeare's The Clone Army Attacketh: Star Wars Part the Second
• William Shakespeare's Tragedy of the Sith's Revenge: Star Wars Part the Third
• LEGO Star Wars: Droid Tales – "Exit from Endor" (Appears in flashback(s))
• LEGO Star Wars: Droid Tales – "Crisis on Coruscant" (Appears in flashback(s))
• LEGO Star Wars: The Force Awakens

SourcesEdit

• Star Wars: The Visual Encyclopedia
• Star Wars: Forces of Destiny: Meet the Heroes
• Forces of Destiny: Tales of Hope & Courage
• Star Wars Encyclopedia of Starfighters and Other Vehicles (Picture only)
• Star Wars Lightsabers: A Guide to Weapons of the Force
• Star Wars: Women of the Galaxy
• Rise of the Separatists
• Gadgets and Gear
• Star Wars: The Secrets of the Jedi
•  Ahsoka's lightsabers in the Databank (backup link)
•  Yoda's Lightsaber in the Databank (backup link)

Notes and referencesEdit