'Star Wars' Unveils Official Design of Leia Organa's Lightsaber

During the SDCC at-home panel co-hosted by Kristin Baver of Starwars.com and Lucasfilm Publishing's senior editor Robert Simpson, Lucasfilm Publishing unveiled several new book titles that continue the expansion of the Star Wars universe. The first book announced was The Lightsaber Collection. Several sites, including starwars.com, have since published images from the book.

The Lightsaber Collection Book

This book takes a closer look at lightsaber lore. It contains highly-detailed illustrations of this iconic weapon. Fans will gain more knowledge about the evolution of their beloved kyber crystal powered weapon of choice.

The Lightsaber Collection will give us a wide-ranging look at the evolution of the elegant weapon. Boasting gorgeous, highly-detailed illustrations of some of the most iconic and influential lightsabers throughout Star Wars, as well as new portraits of each lightsaber wielder, the newly announced book promises to be a coveted collection like no other.

There are confirmed entries for well-known Jedi Masters, such as Yoda and Mace Windu. There are detailed entries for Ben Solo, Ezra Bridger, and many other famous bearers of the blade. Lucasfilm Publishing also includes other unusual blades, such as the mysterious Darksaber.

Both sides of the Force are explored in the book. There are entries for lightsabers held by the Sith, including Asaaj Ventress' dual-curved lightsaber hilts, appearing in the book. There is also an entry for the lightsaber Rey inherited from Anakin Skywalker via Luke.

As promised, the book goes into great detail about each blade presented. The most exciting surprise from this book is the details of Leia's lightsaber. Fans were treated to a surprise in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker when they saw Leia being trained by Luke with her very own blade.

From the movies, audience members know this weapon would eventually be used against Emperor Palpatine in his final confrontation with Ben Solo and Rey. The book gives readers more details about Leia's time with her blade, sharing details of her Jedi training. New artwork of Leia wielding her lightsaber accompanies the entry.

"After the collapse of the Empire, Leia Organa briefly undergoes training to harness her Force powers on the jungle moon of Ajan Kloss. Her brother, Luke Skywalker, acts as an instructor, and Luke seeks to pass down the same lessons he learned from Obi-Wan Kenobi and Yoda. But Leia senses only tragedy at the end of her path, specifically the unshakable conviction that her training will lead to the death of her son.

Leia quits the program and leaves her lightsaber with her brother, who keeps it with him during his years of exile on Ahch-To. As a Force spirit, Luke guides Rey to Leia's hidden saber, which Reys uses to defeat Palpatine on Exegol. Rey later buries the weapon on Tatooine to honor Leia's memory.

Leia's lightsaber is a work of art, defined by elegant symmetry and silver and gold hues that evoke Leia's regal upbringing on Alderaan. Curved metal grips are spaced around the midsection surrounding a crystal heart that projects a blue blade. The narrow neck and ringed emitter of the saber bear similarities to those on Luke's green-bladed lightsaber."

Most of the information in this description is already well known to fans of Star Wars. Her training on Ajan Kloss and exit from the Order were already covered in The Rise of Skywalker. What is new is the imagery of the lightsaber itself. The description of the lightsaber reveals that its emitter is similar to the one Luke uses in Star Wars: Return of the Jedi.

While the Star Wars franchise may be mainly known for its production of fantastic movies and series, die-hard fans know to look for stories that expand the universe in other mediums such as novels and comic books. Lucasfilm has always found ways to use tie-in novels and comic books to enrich the overarching story that takes place in our favorite galaxy far, far away. The Lightsaber Collection book hits stores this fall. Pre-order your copy today!

Written by Leana Ahmed

Syndicated from Culture Slate