The lightsaber was of course the weapon of a Jedi or a Sith. By far the most common was
a simple hilt with one blade, but there were actually many different lightsaber variations.
Today we’ll be covering every variation, in the Canon first, and then we’ll dive
into Legends.
The double-bladed lightsaber was the most common variation of the lightsaber. Also called
a saberstaff, it emitted one blade from either end of the hilt. It was more frequently seen
used by dark side practitioners, but was not unheard of among the Jedi. They could also
use just one blade at a time if the wielder wished.
The double-bladed spinning lightsaber was a further variation. Its two blade emitters
were fitted to tracks on a circular hilt. They were made specifically for Imperial inquisitors.
Along the same lines as the double-bladed lightsaber, hilts could be built to interlock
with each other. For example, Asajj Ventress used to single lightsabers that could be joined
to create a double-bladed lightsaber.
The lightsaber pike is another similar double-bladed variation. They were carried by the Jedi Temple
Guard, and they emitted two shorter yellow blades.
The sabercane was a small variation on the standard lightsaber. It allowed the hilt to
be hidden in plain sight within a walking cane. When Tera Sinube wielded his lightsaber,
he also used the rest of his cane as a secondary bludgeoning weapon.
The crossguard lightsaber can be seen in Episode VII: The Force Awakens, as wielded by Kylo
Ren. The design was ancient, and the blade was so powerful that two vents had to be included
on the hilt for the extra energy to escape.
The Darksaber is somewhat of a mystery. Little is known about its origin, other than it was
ancient and kept safe by the Jedi Order until its theft by Mandalorians. It produced a flat,
black-colored blade that resembled the blade of a samurai. Its hilt and sound were also
distinct from the common lightsaber.
The final purely Canon variant is simply the training lightsaber. They were used by younglings
before undergoing the Gathering to build their own lightsabers. Their blades were far less
powerful, making them safe in the hands of a child.
Now let’s move onto Legends, where things get a little weirder.
Before actual lightsabers were constructed, as early as 36,000 years before the Battle
of Yavin, Force users of the Je’daii Order used the Force to enhance physical swords.
They still used crystals to channel the Force, and when the exhaustive process was complete,
the blade glowed with the Force, and was able to cut through most materials.
Forcesabers were developed by the Rakata using the dark side and laboratory-grown crystals.
The dark side energy made use of a forcesaber by a member of the Je’daii dangerous, but
the basic design served as a jumping off point for the development of modern lightsabers.
The first actual plasma-emitting lightsabers were called protosabers, and their hilts were
powered by large battery packs. This was of course clunky and restrictive for the wielder
with the added weight and a power cable in the way. And the power could still run out.
That catches us up as far as ancient variations go, so now we’re back to modern variations
of the standard lightsaber. First up is the dual-phase lightsaber. They had the ability
to adjust both the length and width of the blades. With the flick of a button, a lightsaber
could double in length.
Along those same lines, the lightclub was basically just a giant lightsaber. It had
a larger hilt and longer blade, and was perfect for larger species of Force-users.
The lightsaber shoto was the opposite of the lightclub. It was made for smaller species,
and was much shorter in length. Both lightclubs and shotos are somewhat canon, as lightsabers
do vary in size, but the names themselves have never appeared, and they are all just
referred to as lightsabers.
The lightsaber baton was an even smaller lightsaber which has only made one appearance in the
novel Knight Errant.
The lightsaber tonfa had a perpendicular-grip hilt and a small blade. It was exceptionally
good at blocking other lightsabers.
Lightfoils were cheap knockoffs of Jedi-constructed lightsabers. They did not require use of the
Force to construct. While their design was small and elegant, their actual power and
uses were limited.
Lightwhips produced long, flexible blades of plasma rather than the rigid blades of
the standard lightsaber. Rather than being constructed with one large crystal, they contained
multiple smaller crystals.
The lightsaber gauntlet does not make any appearance in any media at all, but was developed
as concept art for Episode III. It would attach to its wielder’s arm and emit one or more
blades. It’s not even Legends-canon but come on...lightsaber Wolverine claws!
There are some additional not-quite-Legends-canon variants out there like the Lego Star Wars
octo-bladed lightsaber. But they just continue off the deep end. So I’m going to bring
this video to a close. If you enjoyed learning about all the lightsaber variants, please
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comments and I’ll do an episode about it! As always, thanks for watching, and may the
Force be with you!