The Solari crystal was one of the oldest and most powerful lightsaber crystals of the Jedi Order. It was a light orange gem that only a Jedi who was pure in spirit and an ardent follower of the light side of the Force could use. It could not be corrupted by the dark side and its owner had to always stay pure of heart for it to function.
Once the possession of Jedi Master Ood Bnar, he offered it to his very promising apprentice, Shaela Nuur, for he felt she would always stay true to the Light side. However, during the Cleansing of Korriban at the end of the Great Hunt, after her Jedi companion Duron Qel-Droma fell to a Terentatek in the Tomb of Naga Sadow, Nuur started feeling the pull of the Dark side of the Force, as she wished for nothing else but vengeance upon the beast that killed her friend and lover. As a result, the crystal reacted by disabling her lightsaber while she was ambushed by her quarry and a second Terentatek, leading to her death and leaving the fate of the Solari crystal unknown. Years later, the skeletal remains of a human individual were found close to two Terentateks by Revan. After defeating the Sithspawns, the redeemed Jedi was able to recover a datapad that once belonged to Nuur, along with a Solari crystal.
Additional Solari crystals, while rare, were not as difficult to come by as some of the rarest of crystals, such as the Kaiburr crystal or the companion crystals known as the Heart of the Guardian and the Mantle of the Force. The solari crystal was only visible in the late evening and was found on the planet Sacorria, a peaceful yet secretive planet, and the frozen world of Rhen Var. Utilizing the crystal in one's lightsaber would increase the width of its blade, increasing a Jedi's ability to deflect blaster bolts.
While Shaela Nuur's crystal had an orange hue to it, other solari crystals could imbue a lightsaber's energy plasma blade with a variety of colors.
Although the Solari crystal was an artifact of light side power, the Heart of the Guardian and Mantle of the Force lightsaber crystals could remove the light side restriction and allow a non-lightsider to use the crystal.
- Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic: Prima's Official Strategy Guide
- Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords: Prima Official Game Guide
- Knights of the Old Republic Campaign Guide
- The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia
- Jedi Academy Training Manual