Rahm Kota's lightsaber

Kota's lightsaber was a heavy-duty model, with a solid hilt and an emitter shroud. The hilt was covered with an interwoven fabric wrapping that acted as the grip of the lightsaber. Kota's lightsaber evidently saw frequent use, as by 2 BBY, the metal casing was heavily scratched and pitted. The blade originally featured a green crystal, and was perfectly serviceable. Uniquely, Kota kept his lightsaber in a custom sheath on his back, rather than hanging from his belt as was the norm among Jedi.

When Galen Marek took possession of the lightsaber, he found it to be perfectly adequate to his needs, but remained uncomfortable with the bold green blade. He was largely troubled by the issue of ownership, as he felt that it still belonged to Kota. He solved this by removing Kota's green crystal and replacing it with his father's blue crystal, and concluded that this customization made the weapon his. He noted that with this new crystal, the lightsaber handled more easily and possessed superior optical properties.

Rahm Kota wielded this weapon frequently during his personal guerrilla war against the Galactic Empire. When Darth Vader dispatched Galen Marek to hunt down Kota, he ordered Marek to bring back Kota's lightsaber as proof of kill. In the ensuing duel aboard the TIE Fighter Construction Facility above Nar Shaddaa, Marek won when he forced Kota's own blade into the Jedi's eyes, blinding him. Kota dropped his lightsaber before falling through a shattered viewport into Nar Shaddaa's upper atmosphere. Marek claimed the weapon before escaping himself.

Returning to Darth Vader, Marek presented the weapon to his master. While Vader was pleased with his student's success, he felt that Marek was still unfocused and easily distracted, drawing the lightsaber on him to prove his point. The saber remained in Vader's possession until he dispatched Marek on a new mission. As Marek's own Sith lightsaber had been lost in the vacuum when he was spaced, Vader provided him with Kota's lightsaber.

While Marek wielded the weapon effectively in combat, he had difficulty using it in his meditations, his favorite exercise being to stare into his lightsaber blade to focus his fury. He overcame this when he replaced Kota's green crystal with his father's blue crystal, retrieved on Kashyyyk. He found that the weapon performed better with this new crystal, though he noted that the aqua hue made him think more of oceans and rain than the blood and fire fostered by his original, red lightsaber. The blue blade saw first use during his second mission to Raxus Prime.

When Galen Marek was ultimately betrayed by Darth Vader, he rejected the Sith and fought back. Assaulting the Death Star in a bid to rescue the captured leaders of the Rebel Alliance, Marek wielded the lightsaber against various divisions of the Imperial Military. Ultimately, the weapon saw use against Darth Vader, and Marek proved himself the superior duelist, bashing off the Sith Lord's helmet. Galen Marek even attacked Galactic Emperor Palpatine, using the lightsaber to absorb his Force lightning attacks while countering with telekinesis to save his Jedi mentor and the other leaders of the Rebel Alliance from the anger of Palpatine and stormtrooper reinforcements.

Galen Marek ultimately perished in the engagement, the lightsaber found with his corpse. Darth Vader destroyed the weapon, crushing it beneath his prosthetic heel.

General Kota's loss of the weapon did not prove debilitating for him, as he quickly gained a replacement. While hiding out on Bespin, he carried a blue lightsaber, wielding it during his escape. He took up a new green blade, possibly the same lightsaber with new crystals, during the Corellian Treaty, unsuccessfully wielding it against Darth Vader. This weapon was cosmetically identical to his original lightsaber, and it, or a similar replacement, likely saw continued use during the Galactic Civil War.

General Kota wielded his weapon during his tenure in the Tarko-se Arena, slaying numerous beasts and Gladiators with it. He also used it during the Battle near the Itani Nebula and the Assault on Kamino. At the conclusion of the latter, General Kota held a captured Darth Vader at bladepoint with the lightsaber while the Sith Lord was detained.

The loss of Galen Marek's lightsaber, and his subsequent use of Kota's lightsaber, is a plot element exclusive to the novelization of Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, with the various game versions and the graphic novel adaptation depicting Marek continuing to use his original lightsaber, albeit with a blue blade. However, in the inconsistencies between the various game versions of the story on numerous plot points, the novelization is generally accepted as the final word, so the replacement of Marek's lightsaber with Kota's is considered part of the official storyline.

The fabric wrapping around the handle of Kota's lightsaber makes it resemble the grip of a traditional Japanese sword, such as a katana. This is presumably to bring it in line with Kota's general design theme of a ronin, or wandering samurai.

• Star Wars: The Force Unleashed: Ultimate Sith Edition

• The Essential Reader's Companion