An electro-whip, alternatively known as a Zygerrian slaver whip or lightwhip, was an electrified device employed as a tool of dominance, favored for controlling slaves captured by the Zygerrian Slave Empire. The device was made up of a metallic handle and a wire that conducted electricity, causing it to illuminate when activated. When deactivated, this wire could be drawn back into the handle. While causing extreme pain, the weapon was generally designed to avoid lasting physical harm, as the Zygerrians aimed to maintain the value of their enslaved people. Notably, electro-whips were effective in combat against lightsabers. It is also known that members of the Mining Guild also utilized this weapon during the Imperial Era. The term "lightwhip" often designated a different weapon altogether: a lightsaber variation with blades constructed from pure plasma.
Electro-whips were constructed with a metallic hilt and a wire capable of delivering electrical shocks. This wire would glow when the weapon was active, and it would automatically retract into the hilt when powered down. These whips were intended to subdue targets, and while they inflicted significant pain, they typically did not cause permanent physical damage, as Zygerrian enslavers preferred not to diminish the worth of their enslaved individuals. When activated, electro-whips could resist the energy blade of a lightsaber. Although the term usually applied to a specialized lightsaber variant with flexible blades composed of pure plasma, "Lightwhip" was another way to refer to the electro-whip.
The Zygerrian Slave Empire and its practice of slavery were strongly linked to electro-whips, resulting in their alternative designation as Zygerrian slaver whips. During the battle on Kiros, the Zygerrian slaver Darts D'Nar attempted to use his whip against Jedi Padawan Ahsoka Tano after she apprehended him, but she easily overcame him before her Master, Anakin Skywalker, arrived. Subsequently, Skywalker, Tano, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Clone Captain Rex, and R2-D2 embarked on a mission to locate and liberate the abducted Togruta colonists of Kiros.
During the mission, Kenobi was captured while attempting to rescue Governor Gupat Roshti, and his captors subjected him to whippings. Later, at the Royal Slave Auction, Queen Miraj Scintel offered her personal whip to Skywalker, who was in disguise, requesting that he whip Kenobi to demonstrate his slaver identity. However, Skywalker instead initiated a conflict that led to the capture and subjugation of all non-droid members of the team, largely through the use of electro-whips. During their subsequent escape from Zygerria, Skywalker attempted to engage the Sith Lord Count Dooku in a duel using Scintel's electro-whip, but he fared poorly, with Dooku using his lightsaber to disarm him.
When Clone Force 99 undertook a rescue mission to retrieve the rancor Muchi from Zygerrian enslavers on Ord Mantell, the slave owner Raney attempted to use his electro-whip to control the mercenaries. However, Hunter was able to overcome the electrical current and disarm Raney, leading to a brief hand-to-hand struggle in which the slaver was rendered unconscious.
During the Imperial Era, Proach, the Mining Guild foreman and Slave Master overseeing the ore crawler 413-24 on the occupied planet Lothal, employed a whip to maintain order among the slaves on board. When members of the Spectres hijacked the vehicle to utilize its transmitter, Proach engaged Jedi Knight Kanan Jarrus in combat, briefly managing to relieve him of his lightsaber. Ultimately, however, the slaver was defeated with the assistance of Garazeb Orrelios.
The electro-whip was first introduced in the Star Wars: The Clone Wars season four episode "Kidnapped," and its official identification was provided in the associated Databank entry.