In a new book, Star Wars has reconnected a major Jedi ritual of Star Wars: The Clone WarsChanging how fans will see lightsabers forever. Lightsabers are one of the most iconic images of all Star WarsAnd over the years, stories have explained them more and more. The new novel Mace Windu: The Glass Abyss By Steven Barnes, however, has just offered a new piece of information that shakes up a previously held truth.
Early Star Wars Stories confirm that lightsabers are powered by crystals, from Adegan crystals to synthetic ones. It wasn’t until the prequel era, however, that stories began to explore exactly how the Jedi Order obtained their Kyber crystals during the time leading up to the Clone Wars. This was a sacred and special ritual known as the gathering.
Star Wars’ gathering ritual explained
The young climbing of kyber crystals
The gathering was a pivotal moment in the young Jedi’s life. In the clans they are grouped into, the initiates, or younglings, travel to the icy unknown regions planet Ilum to retrieve Kyber crystals. These special crystals are only found on a few planets and power Jedi lightsabers, determining their color. These crystals are not easy to find, however, and involve much more than searching.
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The mystical Force-imbued nature of the caves and temple on Illum presented each Jedi initiate with a challenge based on their own fears, with the goal of conquering their fears while gaining a tool to build their new weapon with Hoyang. The cubs would call out to them, and once they had faced their fears and bested the physical or mental challenge, they were able to claim it for themselves.. This was considered an absolutely essential step for a Jedi, climbing the Kyber crystal that called to them individually.
Star Wars reveals the adult Jedi return to Ilum
Kyber crystals are not for life
The assumption, still The Clone WarsHas always been that the gathering was a one-time journey that Jedi would go on when building their first lightsaber. This was independent of age, because Kal Kestis really goes into Illum himself Jedi: Fallen Order In order to claim a crystal to build his own lightsaber – during the Empire’s occupation of the world. According to Mace Windu: The Glass AbyssHowever, the idea that this was a one-time journey is not the case – and Kyber crystals are not for life.
Turning, the next thing he saw was a plexiglass display case. Here, Masse has stocked past lightsaber hilts, from his first half-weapon weapon he built as a child to several models he fashioned over the years, utilizing the cyber crystals of Illum that called to him. His personal designs have evolved, as has been tradition.
This establishes that the Gathering isn’t the only time a Jedi goes to Illum – it can actually happen many times when they need a new lightsaber. For probably no reason. Mace Windu has his own display case of all his purple lightsabers, each containing a new Kyber crystal that called to him on Ilum. He even has a smaller weapon that he created after Mace himself first went to the meeting!
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What is the grown-up version of ​​the gathering ritual?
Jedi claim another Kyber crystal
The idea that older Jedi might return to Illum to claim new Kyber crystals for more lightsabers raises more questions. Do they still go in groups, or are Jedi Knights and Masters trusted to go on their own when they want? If they went on their own, they would have to know its location – and the location of Illum was a closely guarded secret to the order. This means that if this was true, the Imperial Inquisitors, former Jedi, could have been the ones to reveal the location of Illum to the Empire, so they could turn it into Starkiller Base.
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Whatever method it takes, the idea that Jedi beyond Padawans could return to Illum to claim new crystals only makes sense. Countless Jedi throughout the prequels have different lightsabers between appearances, making this a solid explanation for the minor Star Wars inconsistencies. Most of all, though, it explains where Anakin’s new lightsaber came from! Young Skywalker’s lightsaber was destroyed on Geonosis, and it is only logical that he would need a new saber crystal for another saber – and it is now likely that he obtained the crystal from Illum itself, as first seen in The Clone Wars.