Editing Lightsaber (section)

==Depiction==
Lightsabers were present in the earliest drafts as mundane plasma weapons that were used alongside laser guns.<ref>{{citation|last=Lucas|first=George|title=The Star Wars, story synopsis|date=May 1973|url=http://maddogmovies.com/almost/scripts/starwarstreat_5-73.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160507210727/http://maddogmovies.com/almost/scripts/starwarstreat_5-73.pdf |archive-date=2016-05-07 |url-status=live|quote=An alarm sounds. The rebels are forced to fight their way out of the prison with "multiple lazer guns" and swords.|author-link=George Lucas}}</ref><ref>{{citation|last=Lucas|first=George|title=The Star Wars, rough draft|date=May 1974|url=https://maddogmovies.com/almost/scripts/starwars_rough5-74.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130418031358/http://maddogmovies.com/almost/scripts/starwars_rough5-74.pdf |archive-date=2013-04-18 |url-status=live|quote=Ten troopers break out of the ranks and take up the chase. Starkiller runs down a corridor and rounds a corner, reaching a dead end. The troops round the corner and confront the trapped Jedi.}}</ref> The introduction of [[the Force]] in a later revision made the Jedi and the Sith supernaturally skilled; initially, they were only portrayed as swordsmen.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://io9.gizmodo.com/13-things-you-probably-dont-know-about-lightsabers-1567641737|title=13 Things You Probably Don't Know About Lightsabers|last=Bricken|first=Rob|date=April 25, 2014|work=gizmodo.com|access-date=22 December 2016|archive-date=January 1, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160101190354/http://io9.gizmodo.com/13-things-you-probably-dont-know-about-lightsabers-1567641737|url-status=live}}</ref> The lightsaber became the Force-user's tool, described in ''[[Star Wars (film)|A New Hope]]'' by Obi-Wan Kenobi as "not as clumsy or random as a blaster. An elegant weapon, from a more civilized age".<ref>{{citation |last=Lucas |first=George |title=[[Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope]] |year=1977}}</ref> The source of a lightsaber's power is a '''kyber crystal'''.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cinemablend.com/news/1601340/what-are-kyber-crystals-and-why-are-they-important-to-star-wars |title=What Are Kyber Crystals, And Why Are They Important To ''Star Wars''? |publisher=CinemaBlend |first=Eric |last=Eisenberg |date=December 18, 2016 |access-date=December 26, 2016 |archive-date=December 27, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161227061827/http://www.cinemablend.com/news/1601340/what-are-kyber-crystals-and-why-are-they-important-to-star-wars |url-status=live }}</ref> These crystals are also the power source of the [[Death Star]]'s superlaser.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.starwars.com/databank/death-star-superlaser|title=Death Star Superlaser|publisher=StarWars.com|access-date=February 26, 2021|archive-date=March 2, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210302144814/https://www.starwars.com/databank/death-star-superlaser|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite episode|series=[[Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008 TV series)|Star Wars: The Clone Wars]]|title=[[A Death on Utapau]]}}</ref>

In films such as ''[[Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith|Revenge of the Sith]]'' and ''[[Star Wars: The Last Jedi|The Last Jedi]]'', melee weapons such as the [[electrostaff]] and plasma-lined blades deflect lightsabers.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Electrostaff|url=https://www.starwars.com/databank/electrostaff|access-date=2020-06-29|website=StarWars.com|language=en|archive-date=September 20, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200920032602/https://www.starwars.com/databank/electrostaff|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=Hidalgo|first=Pablo|title=Star Wars: The Last Jedi – The Visual Dictionary|publisher=DK Publishing|year=2017|isbn=9781465455512}}</ref>

===Types===
Lightsabers are depicted as hand-built as part of a Jedi's or Sith's training regimen. Each lightsaber is unique, though some may bear resemblance to others, especially if there is a connection between the builders. The hilt of most lightsabers are straight and predominantly cylindrical, though there are other lightsaber hilt types. The first film appearance of a dual-bladed lightsaber (first depicted in the comic series ''[[Tales of the Jedi (comics)|Tales of the Jedi]]'') was in ''[[Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace|The Phantom Menace]]'', wielded by [[Darth Maul]]; it consists of two regular lightsabers joined at their butt ends each producing a blade independently. [[Count Dooku]], beginning with the character's first appearance in ''[[Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones|Attack of the Clones]]'', is shown to have a lightsaber with a curved hilt. The video game ''[[The Force Unleashed|Star Wars: The Force Unleashed]]'' introduced two other variants: a lightsaber pike (a lightsaber with a shorter blade but a long handle, resembling a spear) and a [[Tonfa]]-style lightsaber with right-angle hilt. Additionally, in several spin-off series such as ''[[Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008 TV series)|The Clone Wars]]'' and ''[[Star Wars Rebels|Rebels]]'', special variants of the lightsaber have been depicted - such as the lightsaber-blaster wielded by [[Ezra Bridger]]. 

The [[Star Wars expanded universe|''Star Wars'' expanded universe]] adds several lightsaber types, including short<ref name="KOTOR1">{{cite video game|title=[[Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (video game)|Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic]] |developer=[[BioWare]] |publisher=[[LucasArts]] |date=November 19, 2003 |platform=PC }}</ref> and dual-phase (adjustable length) weapons.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Anderson |first=Kevin J. |author-link=Kevin J. Anderson |title=[[Dark Apprentice]] |publisher=[[Bantam Spectra]] |series=[[The Jedi Academy Trilogy]] |year=1994}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=Foster |first=Alan Dean |author-link=Alan Dean Foster |title=[[Splinter of the Mind's Eye]] |publisher=[[Ballantine Books]] |year=1979}}</ref> In ''Star Wars Rebels'', Ezra Bridger's original lightsaber is a hybrid that features a fully functional [[blaster (Star Wars)|blaster pistol]] built into the handle. [[Kylo Ren]], introduced in ''[[Star Wars: The Force Awakens|The Force Awakens]]'', uses a lightsaber that features two [[crossguard|crosshilt]] blades, giving it the appearance of a [[greatsword]]. His blade also has an unstable, fiery appearance, explained in canon reference books as stemming from a cracked kyber crystal.<ref>{{cite web |last=Pinchefsky |first=Carol |title=Kylo Ren's janky lightsaber, explained |url=https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/kylo-rens-janky-lightsaber-explained |website=SyFy Wire |access-date=October 18, 2019 |date=December 31, 2015 |archive-date=November 12, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201112003032/https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/kylo-rens-janky-lightsaber-explained |url-status=dead }}</ref> The Inquisitors of the [[Galactic Empire (Star Wars)|Galactic Empire]] are depicted as wielding a unique variation of a double-bladed saber, mounted on a rotating ring enabling the blades 360 degrees of rotation and short-term flight capability. More obscure lightsaber variations, such as the "lightwhip", an elongated flexible blade used in a matter akin to a [[whip]], the "lightclub", an enlarged standard lightsaber, and the "shoto", a dramatically smaller variation often paired with a standard sized saber have also made appearances.

===Colors===
Lightsabers in the first two released films, ''A New Hope'' and ''[[The Empire Strikes Back]]'', had blades that were either blue (for the Jedi) or red (for the Sith). [[Luke Skywalker]]'s new lightsaber in ''[[Return of the Jedi]]'' was colored blue during the initial editing of the film, and appears so in both an early movie trailer and the official theatrical posters; it was later changed to green in the film's final edit after initial viewings and screen tests by the filmmakers, who felt that it would better stand out against the blue sky of [[Tatooine]] in outdoor scenes, and this color change is also reflected in the film's re-release posters. [[Mace Windu]]'s purple-bladed lightsaber, as first seen in ''Attack of the Clones'', was requested by the actor [[Samuel L. Jackson]], who believed the color, which is his personal favorite, would make his character be easily recognized among other Jedi.{{Efn|[[Ki-Adi-Mundi]] and [[Saesee Tiin]] had previously been depicted in {{nowrap|spin-off}} works with purple lightsabers.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Harrison|first=Paul|date=August 22, 2015|title=Ki-Adi-Mundi - EI - Basic Research Droids Reviews|url=https://www.jeditemplearchives.com/content/modules.php?name=JReviews&rop=showcontent&id=2282|access-date=2020-06-06|website=JediTempleArchives.com|archive-date=June 6, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200606231404/https://www.jeditemplearchives.com/content/modules.php?name=JReviews&rop=showcontent&id=2282|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Saesee Tiin (Power Of The Jedi)|url=https://jedibusiness.com/figureDetails.aspx?id=761|access-date=2020-06-14|website=JediBusiness.com|archive-date=June 14, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200614071510/https://jedibusiness.com/figureDetails.aspx?id=761|url-status=dead}}</ref>}} Jackson is known to frequently request that the characters he plays use an item that is purple in color.<ref>Archived at [https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/ubyo5eZz_Jc Ghostarchive]{{cbignore}} and the [https://web.archive.org/web/20130630062201/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ubyo5eZz_Jc&gl=US&hl=en Wayback Machine]{{cbignore}}: {{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ubyo5eZz_Jc|title=Samuel L. Jackson's Purple Light Sabre - ''The Graham Norton Show'': Series 13 Episode 13|last=BBC|date=June 28, 2013|publisher=[[BBC One]]|via=[[YouTube]]|access-date=May 10, 2018}}{{cbignore}}</ref> [[Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008 TV series)|''The Clone Wars'']] showed the guardians of the Jedi Temple wielding yellow-bladed lightsabers, and, at the end of ''[[Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker|The Rise of Skywalker]]'', Rey is shown to have built a yellow-bladed lightsaber using part of her staff as the hilt.

As depicted in ''The Clone Wars'' and ''Rebels'', the builder of a lightsaber finds a kyber crystal and meditates with it until the crystal acquires a color. The color of this crystal becomes the blade's color when installed into a lightsaber hilt. In the book ''[[Ahsoka (novel)|Star Wars: Ahsoka]]'' and the comic series ''Darth Vader: Dark Lord of the Sith'', it is shown that dark side users remove the crystal from a defeated Jedi's lightsaber and concentrate Force energy on it to break its connection to the light side, a process known as "bleeding" to create a red crystal. The process can also be reversed, as shown in ''Ahsoka'', when the titular character does so to a pair of crystals taken from an Inquisitor. She uses them in the pair of white-bladed lightsabers she builds at the end of the novel.

Other colors have appeared in various [[Star Wars expanded to other media|expanded media]] projects, including many video games where the player can select their character's lightsaber color.

==== Darksaber ====
The Darksaber is a unique lightsaber that has a distinct black blade with a white halo, introduced in ''[[Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008 TV series)|Star Wars: The Clone Wars]]'' (2008) and subsequently appearing in ''[[Star Wars Rebels]]'', where it is described as an ancient lightsaber created by Tarre Vizla, the first [[Mandalorian]] to become a Jedi, and later serves as a symbol of Mandalorian authority in the hands of [[Bo-Katan Kryze]]. It subsequently appears briefly in the hands of [[Moff Gideon]] in the [[Chapter 8: Redemption|season one finale]] of ''[[The Mandalorian]]'', to whom Kryze had previously surrendered the weapon.<ref>{{cite web|title=Darksaber|url=https://www.starwars.com/databank/darksaber|website=StarWars.com|access-date=January 1, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=What is the Darksaber?|url=https://www.starwars.com/news/what-is-the-darksaber|date=February 11, 2020|last=Knox|first=Kelly|access-date=February 17, 2020|archive-date=February 21, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200221195525/https://www.starwars.com/news/what-is-the-darksaber|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = https://io9.gizmodo.com/everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-darksaber-the-bl-1840779738 | title = Everything You Need to Know About the Darksaber, the Black Blade That Freed Mandalore | first = James | last= Whitbrook | date = January 3, 2020 | access-date = January 3, 2020 | work = [[io9]] }}</ref> By the end of [[Chapter 16: The Rescue|the second season's finale]], it belongs to series protagonist [[The Mandalorian (character)|Din Djarin]], who has bested Gideon for it. In [[Chapter 18: The Mines of Mandalore|the second episode]] of the [[The Mandalorian (season 3)|third season]] of the show, the weapon (nominally) returns to Kryze's ownership, after she defeats a cyborg creature that captures Djarin (it remains in Din Djarin's possession, however), and she officially reclaims the blade in the season's [[Chapter 22: Guns for Hire|sixth episode]]. It is destroyed by Gideon in the [[Chapter 24: The Return|third season finale]].

===Choreography===
The technical lightsaber choreography for the original ''Star Wars'' trilogy was developed by [[Hollywood (film industry)|Hollywood]] sword-master [[Bob Anderson (fencer)|Bob Anderson]]. Anderson personally trained [[Mark Hamill]] (Luke Skywalker) and, in ''The Empire Strikes Back'' and ''Return of the Jedi'', performed all the stunts as [[Darth Vader]] during the lightsaber duels wearing Vader's costume. Anderson's role in the trilogy was highlighted in the film ''[[Reclaiming the Blade]]'' where he shared his experiences as a fencer developing the lightsaber techniques for the three original movies.

The lightsaber duels in the ''Star Wars'' prequel trilogy were specifically choreographed by stunt-coordinator [[Nick Gillard]] to be miniature "stories". For these films, Gillard was the primary sword instructor for [[Liam Neeson]] ([[Qui-Gon Jinn]]), [[Ewan McGregor]] (Obi-Wan Kenobi), [[Ray Park]] (Darth Maul) and [[Hayden Christensen]] (Anakin Skywalker / Darth Vader) among other actors. His goal in choreographing the action for ''The Phantom Menace'' was to create stunts that flow from the story; "You can't just think, 'I'm a [[stunt coordinator]], I'm going to make a big stunt happen'," Gillard said. "It's all about making it tie in nicely with the film so that you don't notice the stunts."{{Citation needed|date=January 2010}}

In writing the prequel trilogy, George Lucas said he wanted the lightsaber combat to be "reminiscent of what had been done in the previous films but also something that was more energized. We'd seen old men, young boys, and characters who were half-droid, but we'd never seen a Jedi in his prime. I wanted to do that with a fight that was faster and more dynamic—and we were able to pull that off."<ref>{{Cite book| last1 = Bouzereau| first1 = Laurent| last2 = Duncan| first2 = Jody| title = Star Wars: The Making of Episode I: The Phantom Menace| place=New York| publisher = Ballantine Publ. Group| year = 1999| edition = Hardcover| isbn =0-345-43111-1}}, page 99</ref>

According to Gillard, various lightsaber combat styles, or forms, were devised for the prequels and intended to further [[Characterization|characterize]] their practitioners.

{{blockquote|I developed different styles for the characters, and gave each of them a flaw or a bonus. So with Obi-Wan Kenobi, for instance, he's got a very business-like style—when he was younger he could border on the flashy and might twirl his lightsaber a bit, because he was taught by Qui-Gon. Qui-Gon was brash, that rubbed off on Obi-Wan and Obi-Wan then taught Anakin, who was way too old to learn anyway... I think the style really worked well. The Jedi style of fighting is an amalgamation of all the great [[swordsmanship|swordfighting]] styles. Melding them together is the difficult part—to move from a [[Kendo]] style to, say, [[rapier]] requires a complete change in body and feet movement, and this must look effortless. The style moves seamlessly between the different disciplines, but remains technically correct throughout.<ref>{{cite web |title=Interview with stunt co-ordinator Nick Gillard (Mr. Optimism)- March 2004 |url=http://desiringhayden.net/pressarchive/2009/02/25/interview-with-stunt-co-ordinator-nick-gillard-mr-optimism-march-2004/ |website=Desiring Hayden.net |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120717044923/http://desiringhayden.net/pressarchive/2009/02/25/interview-with-stunt-co-ordinator-nick-gillard-mr-optimism-march-2004/ |archive-date=17 July 2012 |date=March 2004|access-date=2009-06-21}}</ref>}}

For ''The Phantom Menace'', Gillard set out certain styles and faults for the saber-wielding characters.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.theforce.net/videogames/story/Nick_Gillard_Talks_ROTS_Game_92147.asp |publisher=[[TheForce.Net]] |title=Nick Gillard Talks ROTS Game |date=May 8, 2005 |access-date=2008-11-28 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081207005209/http://www.theforce.net/videogames/story/Nick_Gillard_Talks_ROTS_Game_92147.asp |archive-date=December 7, 2008 }}</ref> He added that the Jedi's use of such "a short-range weapon" meant "they would have to be very good at it"; combining a variety of disciplines from various sword fighting styles to martial arts "with a touch of tennis and tree chopping", he created the style seen in the ''Episode I'' lightsaber battles.<ref>[https://www.starwars.com/episode-i/bts/me1/6.html Episode I Video: Prime of the Jedi] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080701224021/http://www.starwars.com/episode-i/bts/me1/6.html |date=2008-07-01 }} -(part of the "Making Episode I" series).</ref>

For ''The Force Awakens'', director [[J. J. Abrams]] decided to approach the choreography similarly to how it was done in the original trilogy. Abrams stated that the prequel trilogy choreography was "increasingly spectacular and stylized, almost like dance choreography", but that was not what they really wanted to go for in the new films.<ref Name="Star Wars News Net">{{cite web|url=http://www.starwarsnewsnet.com/2015/11/new-revelations-from-empires-new-issue-on-the-force-awakens.html|title=New Revelations From Empire's New Issue on The Force Awakens|first=Viral|last=Hide|work=starwarsnewsnet.com|date=November 27, 2015|access-date=22 December 2016|archive-date=February 20, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160220155423/http://www.starwarsnewsnet.com/2015/11/new-revelations-from-empires-new-issue-on-the-force-awakens.html|url-status=live}}</ref> He told ''[[Empire (film magazine)|Empire]]'' magazine, "When you look at ''[[Star Wars (film)|Star Wars]]'' and ''[[The Empire Strikes Back|Empire]]'', they are very different lightsaber battles, but for me they felt more powerful because they were not quite as slick. I was hoping to go for something much more primitive, aggressive and rougher, a throwback to the kind of heart-stopping lightsaber fights I remembered being so enthralled by as a kid."<ref name="Star Wars News Net"/>