A new Star Wars The book confirms why lightsabers really are the perfect weapons for the Jedi, 47 years after the first lightsaber appeared on screen in A New Hope. Lightsabers were developed in Star Wars movies and TV shows in a variety of ways. Not only have lightsaber colors and meanings expanded considerably over the years, but Disney Star Wars The coolest lightsaber designs have proven just how creative these weapons can be. A brand new Star Wars book has just added to this story, providing even more information about the weapon’s original meaning.
The new Star Wars book, Star Wars: The High Republic: The Lightsaber Collectionwritten by Daniel Wallace, confirms that a description of lightsabers from Star Wars: The High Republic: Light of the Jediwritten by Charles Soule, is definitive. In Light of the Jediexplains:
“Lightsabers were designed to end conflicts. They were designed to injure no more than necessary, and in the horrible circumstance where death was the only possible outcome, they would kill quickly. No harm would be done by a lightsaber.” light of whatever its bearer chose.”
Although this was indicated in Light of the Jediin that book, it was presented as the vision of a Jedi. With The lightsaber collection being a High Republic lightsaber manual and this quote being used to answer the question “What is a lightsaber?” the explanation became much more– is now canonical fact.
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What This Lightsaber Explanation Means for Star Wars
This description of a lightsaber has important implications for Star Wars. On the one hand, this means that lightsaber designs are very intentional and fundamental to how the weapon works. Because lightsabers have heated blades, they can cauterize a wound without bloodshed. As Light of the Jedi explains further, there is also no collateral damage with a lightsaber. The same cannot be said for something like a blaster or other weapons that have a much greater potential to accidentally harm innocent bystanders.
Jedi lightsaber forms also prioritized defensive moves, such as blocking blaster bolts. Of course, over time these abilities became more aggressive, like spinning blaster beams back at the attacker. In part, this is due to the nature of how the Jedi have changed over time. In the era of the Clone Wars, Jedi were soldiers. At this point, lightsabers became weapons of war.
Our Take on Star Wars Lightsaber Explained
The notion that “No more damage would be done by a lightsaber than that chosen by its user” is interesting and potentially problematic. Yes, evidently, lightsabers were weapons that protected the user and limited harm to others, but clearly, they had the potential to be so much more. This not only became evident during the Clone Wars, but also, the Jedi ended up giving the Sith an incredible weapon.
In the hands of the Sith, lightsabers became brutal. Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader’s march on the Jedi Temple during Order 66 made this abundantly clear. However, many Jedi have returned to the original intent behind lightsabers. Luke Skywalker is a wonderful example of this, as he consistently used his lightsaber to block and defend rather than attack. That Star Wars The book reinforces that this is the proper Jedi way when it comes to lightsabers, which has interesting implications for the future.