What Do The Colors Of Lightsabers Really Mean?

There's More To It

By Culture SlatePublished 3 years ago • Updated 2 years ago • 3 min read

Not as clumsy or random as a blaster, an elegant weapon for a more civilized age. The lightsaber is a staple of the Star Wars franchise and the weapon of choice for the Jedi and Sith alike. It has two main components: the hilt and a plasma blade that emits from the hilt upon activating the weapon. At the heart of it all, the kyber crystal, a semi sentient crystal that Jedi would seek out as part of their initiation into the Order. Having a will of their own, the crystals would call out to their eventual owners and bond with them. At which point the crystal would take on the color of the user’s spirit. Each color was unique and represented the kind of Jedi its wielder would be.

Blue

Perhaps the most iconic among the potential colors is blue. In fact, the first lightsaber ever seen in Star Wars possessed a blue blade. Among these users were some of the most prominent in the franchise including Obi Wan Kenobi and even Anakin Skywalker. If a Jedi wielded a blue lightsaber, they were classified as Jedi Guardians. These warriors favored using their lightsaber in combat and used the force to supplement their swordplay. They also preferred a more proactive approach to threats and were often quick to face them immediately rather than seek out a diplomatic solution.

Green

Interestingly enough, the real-world reason for the addition of green blades to the franchise in Return of the Jedi was necessity. The many scenes filmed outdoors set against a blue sky made it almost impossible to see the traditionally blue blade. In-universe, however, a green blade symbolized a Jedi’s commitment to the living Force. Or rather, the philosophy that all life flowed through the force and was therefore sacred. These Jedi, known as Sentinels, favored peaceful solutions to conflicts and would often go out of their way to avoid open combat. If battle was unavoidable, they would rely more on their skill with force over their lightsaber.

Purple

It’s almost common knowledge at this point, but the real-world origins of this blade color are simple and humorous. Famously wielded by the second in command of the Jedi Council, Mace Windu, this blade was originally unique to him because of his actor. While discussing his character with George Lucas, Samuel L. Jackson asked if his blade could have a unique color. Once he had Lucas’s approval he went with purple. But in the context of the Star Wars universe, a purple blade was wielded by Jedi that dabbled in the dark side while still remaining on the light side. With that in mind, Mace perfected the fighting style Vaapad, which channeled both the user’s and their opponent’s dark energies to the benefit of the user. The form was especially dangerous, as those who wielded it ran the risk of falling to the dark side. Hence the rarity of the blade color.

Red

The blade color of the Sith. A crimson blade can only be manifested by a practitioner of the dark side of the Force. Kyber crystals were benign in nature and would only naturally take on colors associated with the Jedi. The only way to achieve the infamous red hue was through a gruesome process referred to as bleeding the crystal. In which a Sith would take a kyber crystal, usually from a Jedi that had defeated in combat if not their own, and bombard it with their dark side energies. Being living things, the kyber eventually succumbed to the onslaught and turned blood red as a result.

White

A relatively new addition to the canon, white blades were most notably wielded by Ashoka Tano after the formation of the empire. Though she's the only known Jedi in canon to possess a white blade the process to achieve them could be done by any Jedi. Like red blades, white blades were formed by influencing a kyber crystal with the user’s Force energies. The inverse of bleeding, this process is referred to as purifying, by which a Jedi took a corrupted red crystal and infused it with their light side essence, purging it of the dark forces within. The blade then took on its pure white coloration.

Written By Micah Mitchells

Source(s): Screen Rant

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