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Sith lightsaber

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"A red saber is no different than any other except… it has been made to bleed."
―Darth Sidious[src]

Sith lightsabers, also known as Sith sabers, were lightsabers wielded by members of the Sith. They were constructed through methods similar to those used by other Force-sensitives, but the underlying philosophy was different. Unlike the Jedi who followed the light side of the Force, the Sith could not establish a mutual bond with kyber crystals. This was due to the hate, fear and other emotions associated with the dark side that clouded their concentration.

Description[edit | edit source]

Construction[edit | edit source]

Blue Glass Arrow.svg Main article: Bleeding

In the construction of a Sith lightsaber, individuals partook in a process known as bleeding. By ways of the Force, they would pour negative emotions such as rage, hate, fear and pain into kyber crystals. The process would result in the crystals gaining a distinctive crimson or red hue. Any kyber crystal could be bled for use in a Sith lightsaber, though some Sith believed that the proper method to gain a crystal involved capturing one from a Jedi lightsaber.[1]

Design[edit | edit source]

Darth Vader's first red lightsaber

The materials, length and shape in which Sith lightsaber hilts were composed of varied. Darth Sidious' lightsabers had nearly indestructible phrik with a flat aurodium blade emitter and were finished with electrum as he had discerning tastes.[4] The two hilts each had a length of 19 centimeters. Darth Vader's lightsaber was made out of alloy metal and carbon composite with a hilt length of 28 centimeters.[1]

Sith lightsabers could be of various designs. They could be a standard-hilt like Darth Sidious' lightsabers,[6] dual-phased like Darth Vader's lightsaber,[4] double-bladed like Darth Maul's lightsaber,[7] have a curved-hilt like Darth Tyranus' lightsaber[8] or be cross-guarded like Darth Atrius' lightsabers[9] and Kylo Ren's lightsaber.[3]

History[edit | edit source]

Age of the Republic[edit | edit source]

Darth Sidious concealed a Sith lightsaber within the robes he wore as Supreme Chancellor Sheev Palpatine.

The lightsabers of the Sith became a rare collector's item after the Sith's supposed disappearance from the galaxy for a millennium.[9] The Jedi Order sought to collect the remaining Sith lightsabers such as Darth Krall's blade, as well as other Sith artifacts that were ultimately stored in the Bogan Collection, located in the Jedi Grand Temple on Coruscant.[2]

Darth Sidious possessed a large Sith-imbued kyber crystal in his personal Sith artifact collection, from which the Sith Lord would use shards of it for creating Sith lightsabers.[10]

The Imperial Era[edit | edit source]

"Where is your lightsaber, Lord Vader? Use its power! Defend yourself!"
"Lost in the fight with… Obi-Wan. He… took it."
"That blade belonged to another. A Jedi. You are a Sith."
―Darth Sidious and Darth Vader[src]

Sith cultists sought to claim Darth Vader's lightsaber after the Sith Lord's demise.

The Galactic Empire hired out the smuggler Sana Starros to recover the lightsabers of the ancient Sith Lord Darth Atrius, but both of the weapons were destroyed by Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker.[9] After the fall of the Sith at the Battle of Endor, Vader's lightsaber became an object of worship for the Acolytes of the Beyond, and, on Taris, the cult obtained what they believed was the weapon, so they could destroy it and return it to Vader in death.[11]

Legacy[edit | edit source]

Kylo Ren's Sith lightsaber featured crossguard blades.

Kylo Ren's crossguard lightsaber was a Sith weapon, although Ren himself was not a Sith. He used his lightsaber to kill his father, Han Solo, and engaged the scavenger Rey in a lightsaber duel. He continued to wield it after his accession as Supreme Leader of the First Order. However, Ren was ultimately swayed back to the light side of the Force. He cast his Sith lightsaber into the ocean of Kef Bir, rejecting the dark side and reclaiming his identity as Ben Solo.[3]

Behind the scenes[edit | edit source]

Sith lightsabers were first introduced into the new Star Wars canon through the Lightsaber article in the Encyclopedia of StarWars.com.[12] Sith lightsabers also existed in the Star Wars Legends continuity.[13]

Appearances[edit | edit source]

Non-canon appearances[edit | edit source]

Sources[edit | edit source]

Notes and references[edit | edit source]

  1. ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 Star Wars Lightsabers: A Guide to Weapons of the Force
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Dooku: Jedi Lost
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 StarWars-DatabankII.png Kylo Ren in the Databank (backup link)
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 Ultimate Star Wars
  5. ↑ Ultimate Star Wars states that kyber crystals form the heart of a lightsaber.
  6. ↑ Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith
  7. ↑ Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace
  8. ↑ Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Star Wars Annual 4
  10. ↑ Star Wars: Complete Locations
  11. ↑ Aftermath
  12. ↑ StarWars.com Encyclopedia Lightsaber in the Encyclopedia (content now obsolete; backup link)
  13. ↑ Jedi vs. Sith: The Essential Guide to the Force
Lightsabers
Combat:
Duel · Form Zero · Jar'Kai · Whirlwind of Destiny
Forms:
I (Shii-Cho) · II (Makashi) · III (Soresu) · IV (Ataru) · V (Shien/Djem So) · VI (Niman) · VII (Juyo/Vaapad)
Techniques
Cho mai · Cho sun · Dulon · High block · High strike · Low block · Low strike · Middle strike · Mou kei · Ready position · Sai cha · Sai tok · Shiim · Sun djem · Velocities
Variations:
Broadsaber · Cane lightsaber · Contained energy axe · Crossguard lightsaber · Curved-hilt lightsaber · Darksaber · Double-bladed lightsaber (Double-bladed spinning lightsaber · Hinged double-bladed lightsaber · Split saber) · Dual-phase lightsaber · Great lightsaber · Guard shoto · Lightfoil · Lightwhip · Lightsaber-blaster hybrid · Lightsaber pike · Lightsaber rifle · Proto-saber · Shoto lightsaber · Sickle-bladed lightsaber · Sith lightsaber · Training lightsaber
Lightsaber-resistant materials:
Armorweave · Beskar · Cortosis · Phrik · Zillo Beast
Technology:
Blade emitter · Diatium power cell · Emitter matrix · Kyber crystal · Lightsaber hilt · Pommel cap · Stabilizing ring
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