The Craziest Lightsaber Designs In All Of ‘Star Wars’
Let's face it, the lightsaber is one of the most iconic weapons ever created. From the signature power-up sound, the dazzling and fearsome blade colors, to the epic duels fought with them, it's no wonder many hail the lightsaber as the pinnacle of sci-fi/fantasy weaponry.
But as befitting a sci-fi space epic like Star Wars, some lightsaber wielders have forsaken the 'traditional' models for some rather stylish and, at times, outright insane designs. From double-blades to cross-blades to no blades at all, here's a list of the craziest lightsaber designs in all of Star Wars.
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Double-Bladed Lightsaber
The double-bladed lightsaber answers the galaxy-old question of what's better than a single lightsaber blade? Answer: two lightsaber blades!
When this little beauty powered up on the big screen in The Phantom Menace, Star Wars fans the world over knew that the galaxy would never be the same. In canon, the double-bladed lightsaber is associated with Darth Maul, the Zabrak apprentice of Darth Sidious, who famously wielded the weapon against Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi.
But in Legends material, we learn that the design was created by Exar Kun, fallen Jedi and one-time Dark Lord of the Sith, in the year 3997 BBY (almost 4000 years before the events of the Star Wars films). This instance of the weapon debuted in Tales of the Jedi: The Sith Wars #3 in 1995, four years before The Phantom Menace.
In addition to the unmistakable aesthetic of two blades, the double-bladed lightsaber design also provided faster attack speeds, while the added length provided more opportunity for deflecting and defense. It also provided a psychological edge, as the sight of two blades could demoralize an opponent and visually distract them and mess with their line of sight.
Aesthetic, fear-inducing, and deadly, thrills, chills, and kills!
Lightsaber-Blaster Hybrid (Ezra Bridger and Kanan Jarrus)
You know the old saying "never bring a knife or a sword to a gunfight"? Clearly, some folks in the Star Wars universe took that personally and created the next weapon on this list - the lightsaber-blaster hybrid.
During the Galactic Empire, when even carrying a lightsaber was a capital offense, some 'active' Jedi had to take precautions to defend themselves without their choice weapons. The result? A lightsaber-blaster hybrid - a weapon that combined the long-range effectiveness of a blaster ('effectiveness' is used loosely) and the elegant hack-em-up power of a lightsaber - all in a way that would no doubt horrify and confuse Obi-Wan Kenobi.
Fans of Star Wars anon would no doubt recognize the Lightsaber-Blaster hybrid as the weapons of Jedi apprentice Ezra Bridger and his master, Kanan Jarrus, who had given the weapon no shortage of action in Star Wars: Rebels. Using their hybrid lightsabers, the two were able to help kickstart the Rebel Alliance on the path that would eventually end with the Empire's defeat.
Big things come in small packages, right?
Curved Lightsaber (Darth Bane and Count Dooku)
Obi-Wan Kenobi once called the lightsaber an "elegant weapon, for a more civilized age," but it's the next entry on this list that truly embodies that elegance.
The curved-hilt lightsaber is a simple yet effective alteration that improves significantly upon standard lightsabers. The design allows more fluid and precise strikes, better control, more directions and angles of attack, and much greater flexibility in close quarters combat. If lightsabers could be compared to real-world swords, then the curved hilt lightsaber would undoubtedly be a rapier - a gentlemanly but delicate weapon that's deadly in the right hands.
In Star Wars canon, the curved hilt lightsaber is synonymous with the Sith Lord, Count Dooku AKA Darth Tyranus, who utilized the curved hilt saber with the Form II lightsaber style - a form that favored precise and controlled strikes. It's no surprise that Dooku was regarded as one of the most formidable duelists in the galaxy, next to the Jedi Grand Master Yoda himself.
Who says you can't be strict and stylish?
Inquisitorius Lightsaber (Inquisitors)
While this technically counts as a double-bladed lightsaber, the Inquisitorius lightsaber deserves its own spot on this list just for the lore behind it and the sheer hilarity of the design. Debuting in the animated Star Wars: Rebels series, the Inquisitorius lightsabers were wielded exclusively by the Imperial Inquisitors, assassins tasked by Darth Vader to hunt down the Jedi that survived Order 66.
In addition to the benefits of a 'standard' double-bladed lightsaber, the Inquisitorius design sports a rotary function within the hilt, allowing the blade to spin in a rapid, propeller-like fashion. This function allowed the saber to stun and frighten enemies and allow the wielder to be carried away by the lightsaber like a helicopter.
Inquisitorius lightsabers - for flying and killing in style.
Crossguard Saber (Kylo Ren)
Sometimes it's the subtle differences that make a lightsaber stand out. A case in point is the crossguard lightsaber, a lightsaber variant with two smaller blades around the hilt and the primary blade.
While more of an aesthetic choice than anything, the crossguard lightsaber nonetheless saw extensive use in Star Wars canon, mainly during the days leading up to the Jedi-Sith War. This was when dueling styles like Form II were more widely used, and lightsaber-on-lightsaber duels were more commonplace.
But most people best know the crossguard lightsaber as the iconic canon weapon of Kylo Ren AKA Ben Solo, leader of the Knights of Ren in the sequel trilogy. Although Ren might have utilized a 'broken' version of the crossguard saber, he was nonetheless a ferocious combatant to behold.
Is it just me, or do the bad guys always get the cooler weapons in this franchise?
Lightwhip (Lady Githany and Lumiya)
Without a doubt, the weirdest weapon on this list, the Lightsaber Whip (AKA 'Lightwhip'), straddles the lines between ridiculous, ingenious, and terrifying.
While seldom seen in canon, the Lightwhip saw several uses in Legends. One such user was Githany, a contemporary Sith Lord of Darth Bane, but the Lightwhip's most infamous user was undoubtedly the Sith Lady Lumiya, who used a nine-roped Lightwhip to battle Luke Skywalker in Marvel Star Wars #65-66. Her proficiency with the weapon saw Luke suffer his first major defeat since his duel with Darth Vader in The Empire Strikes Back.
As one can guess, the Lightwhip's uniquity came from the fact that the 'blade' was fluid and several meters in length, as opposed to standard lightsabers, with a fixed blade barely a few feet long. Furthermore, being a rare weapon, methods of countering and defending against a Lightwhip were virtually unheard of, putting the wielder at a physical and psychological advantage.
Yes, the Lightwhip is garish and dangerous. But if it works, it works, right...?
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