A long-forgotten type of Sith lightsaber would have been the perfect weapon for Obi Wan Kenobi – but there’s a good reason he never uses it. Most Jedi choose a lightsaber form that compensates for their weakness; Mace Windu’s Vaapad was designed to channel his inner anger and rage, while Yoda chose the agile Ataru to compensate for his small stature. Obi-Wan Kenobi is an exception, however; he chose Form III, Soresu, simply because its defensive nature suited his character.
Matt Stover’s novelization of Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith was written in close collaboration with George Lucas and features some scenes and notes that were not included in the final cut. In one of them, the Jedi tell Obi-Wan that they consider him Soresu’s true master. He perfected Soresu into an art formand this was the reason why the Jedi were confident that he was the right person to face General Grievous. And yet, despite all the Jedi praising Obi-Wan for his skill, there is one way he could have been even better – with a unique lightsaber.
Darth Zannah’s unique lightsaber was designed to increase Soresu’s effectiveness
Darth Zannah was a Sith Lord who lived almost a thousand years before the Skywalker saga. Apprentice to Darth Bane, she was the first Sith to operate under the Rule of Two that her master had established, and proved her power and skill when she defeated Bane in combat – probably one of the most powerful Sith Lords of all time. Zannah was mentioned in canon, but her story was developed much more in the ancient Star Wars Expanded Universe.
Zannah was a Force powerhouse in her own right, but she stood out among the Sith for choosing the Soresu lightsaber form – a defensive form that is very unusual for a Sith. Zannah redesigned her lightsaber to maximize Soresu’s effectivenessand she chose a double-bladed lightsaber – similar to the one used by Darth Maul in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace. Zannah’s blades were slightly shorter than standard, 0.75 m long instead of a full meter. His lightsaber became known as the Heart of Bane, named after the legendary crystal that powered it.
Zannah’s signature lightsaber actually was perfectly suited to defensive Soresu, which focuses on countering attacks. She did not need the longer blades normally associated with aggressive practitioners; the two shorter blades were perfect for maximizing your own protection area. Using the Heart of Bane, she was able to defeat Bane himself. It’s easy to see why this fantastic double-bladed lightsaber was the perfect tool for a Force user who had mastered Soresu.
Why Obi-Wan would never use a lightsaber like Darth Zannah’s
Double-bladed lightsabers had already gone out of fashion by the time the Star Wars prequel trilogy. This is why Obi-Wan Kenobi and Qui-Gon Jinn were so surprised to see one of them The phantom menacewhich is why they struggled to adapt their own forms to match an unknown weapon. There were a few Jedi who used variations of these iconic weapons, but they were few and far between.
In any case, the simple truth is that Obi-Wan probably wouldn’t have chosen to modify his lightsaber even if he realized it would benefit his form.. Obi-Wan never saw himself as Soresu’s master; he was naturally too humble to have such an idea, and was surprised when he learned how highly he was regarded. Other Jedi deliberately chose lightsaber types to accentuate their forms, but Obi-Wan would consider any weaknesses in their form to be his own, explaining why he became a master of Soresu as he sought to overcome his limitations.
The very idea of Obi Wan Kenobi using a double blade the lightsaber is even more fun. This was the same weapon that felled his beloved master, Qui-Gon Jinn, and he never thought of emulating Darth Maul by copying it. Instead, Obi-Wan focused on learning to defend himself and others from double-bladed lightsabers, and proved his success in his final duel with Maul – when he simply ignored the blades and used his lightsaber to cut through the middle of Maul’s fist, severing the weapon and killing his master with a single blow.