The lightsaber might be the coolest thing in Star Wars. The instant Luke Skywalker first lit up his father's weapon for a more civilized age, the lightsaber has captivated fans around the world. As the saga has expanded into different mediums and different eras, the lightsaber has evolved as well. What was once an elegant weapon has become at times savage and even complicated.
The best lightsabers reflect something about their wielders. Each Jedi or Sith invests something of themselves in their weapon, and that often translates into a unique design or form.
10 Rey (Dark Side Vision)
The Dark Side Rey fans see in The Rise of Skywalker may have only been a vision, but she remains a haunting and compelling figure. So does her unique lightsaber. Dark Side Rey brandished a double-bladed weapon similar to Darth Maul's (more on him later), though hers folded up. The switchblade aspect of this saber actually recalled the design of the Jedi General Pong Krell, from one of the very best runs of episodes from the Clone Wars animated series.
9 Kylo Ren
Kylo Ren got some harsh feedback when his unique lightsaber debuted in the iconic first trailer for The Force Awakens. Some fans objected to the logic of his lightsaber projecting the guard blades, saying it was impractical and unsafe. It might have been both, but it was also awesome. Kylo's overcharged blade crackled with intensity, while at the same time recalling the broad swords of the knights of Medieval times. This type of saber is shown to be common in the High Republic era.
8 Qui-Gon Jinn
Qui-Gon Jinn wasted little time in unleashing his lightsaber in The Phantom Menace. The venerable Jedi Master, one of the absolute best parts of the first prequel, wielded a green blade with a unique hilt unlike any that been seen before in the saga. His grip consisted of a black, almost grooved rubber piece of material encased in a silver sheath. Like most Jedi lightsabers of the era, it featured a red activation button and a notch on the backside for easy attachment to his belt.
7 Darksaber
The darksaber is one of the most enigmatic and well-traveled weapons in the entire Star Wars saga. Many causal fans likely first encountered it in the hands of Moff Gideon at the end of the fantastic first season of The Mandalorian, but it had made several appearances before in animated series.
The darksaber first appeared in Clone Wars, in the hands of Pre Vizla, leader of Death Watch. He detailed its long history in the ancient wars between the Mandalorians and Jedi, which was also teased in the trailer for the second season of The Mandalorian.
6 Count Dooku
In the prequels, lightsaber designs began to become more unique. Perhaps none was more so than the blade of Count Dooku. Dooku fought with a very rare curved hilt lightsaber, reflecting his more ostentatious background as royalty on the planet Serenno. Dooku's weapon takes some cues from the curved swords in history, such as scimitars. Dooku's elegance and taste did not help him in his final battle against Anakin Skywalker, though.
5 Ahsoka Tano (Rebels)
Ahsoka Tano has had a few different lightsabers over the years. All of them are pretty cool, but the best might be her white blades from her time in Star Wars Rebels. Ahsoka's white lightsabers also featured curved hilts, which is perhaps an intriguing nod to Count Dooku, who also walked away from the Jedi Order. She was much less evil, though. Ahsoka brought these twin blades to bear against numerous opponents, including Darth Vader, in one of the most epic duels of the franchise.
4 Anakin Skywalker / Luke Skywalker / Rey Skywalker
The classic lightsaber of the saga is the only one to feature in all three trilogies. Though its presence in the sequels is never explained (it was kind of destroyed in The Empire Strikes Back) it nonetheless creates a bridge between Anakin, Luke, and Rey Skywalker. The original blue lightsaber featured a square activator switch and a black ribbed handle (Darth Vader's red lightsaber is essentially the same, except for a black emitter shroud and other small cosmetic changes). The lightsaber prop was originally built out of Graflex flashgun tubes, a big metal part of early cameras.
3 Obi-Wan Kenobi (The Phantom Menace)
Obi-Wan Kenobi has two amazing lightsabers in the Star Wars saga, but his prequel era weapon is the best. The design of his first weapon is easily one of the most unique of the prequels and entire franchise, full of fantastic design elements like the knobbed pommel, singular to his saber.
It features the same black slatted look inside a metal sheath as Qui-Gon's, though with much more embellishment. Obi-Wan defeats Darth Maul with this saber or at least halfway does, at the end of another epic duel. It would be far from their last meeting, however.
2 Darth Maul
Speaking of Darth Maul, he established the prequels as being a very different era indeed with his double-bladed lightsaber. This very impressive and difficult to wield weapon created havoc for the Jedi in The Phantom Menace. Maul whirled it around like a helicopter blade, and easily held off Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan until he got the one-on-one matches he wanted. Obi-Wan ultimately overcame Maul's advantage by striking at its one weak spot - the long, exposed hilt.
1 Luke Skywalker (Return of the Jedi)
The best lightsaber in the saga belongs to its greatest Jedi. Luke Skywalker lost his father's weapon - seemingly - but constructed a new one. The second saber is based on the design of Obi-Wan Kenobi, which lends it an immediate quality of nobility. It also features a green blade, which at the time was an entirely new innovation. Green lightsabers would go on to become generally synonymous with Jedi masters, though wisdom would not always follow those who carried one, as Luke discovered to his regret in the training of Kylo Ren.
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September 29, 2020 at 05:30AM
