Lightsaber

The distinct sound of lightsabers resonated throughout the galaxy for millennia before the age of the Galactic Republic, with notable usage during events such as the Great Scourge of Malachor. They also played a role in the Battles of Rashfond and the Peacekeeping of Parliock. The proto-saber represented an early iteration of the lightsaber technology.

Throughout the history of the Jedi Order, the lightsaber was regarded as a Jedi's most reliable companion in battle. As Master Obi-Wan Kenobi once told his Padawan Anakin Skywalker during the late Republic era, a Jedi's life was embodied in their lightsaber. Jedi viewed the lightsaber as a symbol of their responsible use of Force-granted abilities, and it also conveyed a message to adversaries: lightsaber mastery demanded significant skill and training. The choice of saber also symbolized their role and responsibility as protectors, not destroyers, highlighting that Jedi did not pursue power but stood firm against darkness. However, Jedi understood that they needed to be more than just their lightsabers.

When Padawan Enya Keen lost her lightsaber on a mission to Dalna, her master, Char-Ryl-Roy, reminded her to act as a Jedi even without the weapon. While finding a kyber crystal remained a sacred duty for a Jedi, and Keen felt as though losing her lightsaber would be like losing a part of herself, she willingly sacrificed the crystal to learn more about the Path of the Open Hand and its plans. Lightsabers became more central to galactic affairs as the Clone Wars unfolded. Jedi, who had previously been peacekeepers, transitioned into Jedi Generals within the Grand Army of the Republic, leading them to utilize their lightsabers more frequently than in their peacekeeping roles.

During the majority of the Empire's rule, the lightsabers most prominently seen in use were those of Darth Vader and the Inquisitors serving under him. Nevertheless, lightsabers were still wielded by surviving Jedi and those they trained, including Obi-Wan Kenobi, Luke Skywalker, Ahsoka Tano, Kanan Jarrus, and Ezra Bridger. Vader wielded a dual-phase lightsaber, a design representing an older and more dangerous era. Domina Tagge of the Tagge Corporation attempted to replicate the lightsaber with the Tagge protoblade.

Following the Empire's defeat, Luke initiated the training of a new generation of Jedi. Tano took on the Mandalorian Sabine Wren as her Padawan, with Wren adopting Bridger's lightsaber as her own. In the aftermath of the conflict on Peridea, both became stranded in the far galaxy while Grand Admiral Mitth'raw'nuruodo "Thrawn" returned to the galaxy. Bridger, now wielding a new lightsaber, did manage to return to the galaxy as well.

Skywalker's new Jedi were killed in the destruction of his Jedi temple, leading once again to an era where the only prominent lightsaber wielder was a dark sider, Kylo Ren. This changed when a scavenger named Rey discovered the Skywalker lightsaber and eventually trained under Luke Skywalker and his twin sister Leia Organa to fight Kylo Ren and the First Order during a war against the Imperial successors. After the war, Rey ceremonially buried her masters' lightsabers at the Lars Homestead on Luke's home planet, Tatooine, to bring an end to the Skywalker family's suffering. She then ignited her newly crafted lightsaber to demonstrate her complete journey as a Jedi, and, to honor the Skywalkers' legacy, she adopted the Skywalker name as her surname after receiving the blessing of the Force spirits of her masters when asked by a local.

Lightsabers obtained their energy from a power cell of appropriate size. The components necessary for the creation of a lightsaber included modulation circuits and an energy gate. Essential elements consisted of a blade emitter shroud, the emitter matrix, and some form of activator for turning the weapon on and off. Additional components sometimes incorporated were handgrip ridges and a blade length adjuster. Certain lightsabers also featured a non-lethal, low-power setting used for training purposes. Single-bladed lightsabers typically included a belt ring for attachment to a belt hook, or a wheel-shaped fixture that slotted into a corresponding belt clip on the owner's belt when not in use.

Specially engineered lightsabers could even use unstable crystals, such as Kylo Ren's lightsaber, which incorporated two laterally positioned vents designed to dissipate excess energy from the cracked crystal and maintain the lightsaber's stability. This design also created a protective crossguard.

During the construction phase, it was critical to avoid inverting the emitter matrix; activating the lightsaber with such an error would cause the power grid to backfire. At best, this could result in the blade quickly shorting out, but if left active, the defective weapon would explode violently, potentially causing fatal injuries to anyone nearby.

Lightsaber hilts were composed of multiple components that encased and protected the internal mechanisms. Metal, ranging from simple alloys to Haysian smelt, was commonly selected for the hilt's construction. However, lightsaber users also opted for other materials, such as Jedi youngling Gungi, who used a lightsaber with a casing carved from the wood of a Brylark tree, known for its metal-like strength. Some hilts were even adorned with gems. Inlays decorating the hilt could be crafted from materials like pastillion ore, black onk, or the bone of creatures such as the Cartusion whale. Each hilt component was aesthetically tailored according to various design philosophies, shaped by the maker's choice of materials, ideology, and personal preferences. A practical design choice involved fitting the weapon to the species' specific handgrip.

The Jedi Order of the late Galactic Republic employed four distinct styles: Duty and Resolve, Peace and Justice, Elemental Nature, and Valor and Wisdom. The first two were simple designs intended to reflect the Jedi's dedication to a life of devotion to the Force and the Order's ideals. The latter two utilized resilient natural materials derived from flora and fauna to evoke the living Force.

The Sith Order used two styles: Passion and Strength, and Power and Control. Both were characterized by sharp and strong forms that showcased their owners' brutality, relentlessness, and insatiable desire for supremacy.

Another style, Protection and Defense, was favored by the earliest Force users in ancient times. It featured designs and inscriptions with meanings that have become shrouded in mystery, but the style itself was believed to have been created with the intent of conferring anonymity upon and symbolizing the emotional detachment of the wielder, who would use their lightsaber strictly for personal protection.

The energy blade's power was so immense that it could sever nearly anything. It is important to note that lightsaber wounds rarely bled profusely, even in cases of severed limbs. This was because the energy blade cauterized the wound upon contact, preventing significant blood loss.

Aside from the blade of another lightsaber, certain rare materials could withstand a lightsaber blade:

• Armorweave is a material used in various pieces of clothing, including capes, as armor. It was also able to resist lightsaber strikes. The Jedi Temple Guard wore special armor robes incorporating layers of armorweave to provide an effective defense against blaster bolts and lightsabers. [48]

• Beskar was a specially forged steel derived from an iron found exclusively on the planet Mandalore and its moon Concordia. In its purest form, it could briefly withstand lightsaber strikes. [49] [50] Examples of its use in that way included Din Djarin's armor, which resisted Ahsoka Tano's lightsaber blades, or the beskar spear offered to Din Djarin by Morgan Elsbeth, the magistrate of Calodan, which was also used to fight against Tano's sabers. [51]
• The Elite Praetorian Guard armor was capable of resisting lightsaber strikes, with the gauntlets able to parry a direct blow. However, a direct thrust or stab could still penetrate the armor. Their high-tech weapons are also resistant to lightsaber strikes. [29]
• Cortosis armor, constructed by weaving cortosis fibers within a protective matrix, could redirect a lightsaber's energy back into itself, causing the blade to temporarily deactivate upon contact. [52]
• Magical ichor weapons like Mother Talzin's sword is able to resist lightsaber strikes. [53]
• A personal energy shield powered by extremely rare kohlen crystals was impervious to kyber crystal lightsabers. However, swapping out a lightsaber's kyber crystal for a kohlen crystal would produce a low-powered orange blade which was capable of slicing through the shields. [54]
• The rare metal phrik is impervious to lightsaber blades. A staff made of this material was once on display during the Valo Republic Fair, which was taken and used by the Nihil Tempest Runner Lourna Dee to fend off the Jedi Archivist OrbaLin. [55] Electrostaffs are made of phrik, [56] making them resistant, [57] but not invulnerable, to lightsabers. [58]
• Qi'ra's electro swords are capable of emitting electrical charges to effectively repel and resist clashing with a lightsaber without them being damaged. [59]

On the aquatic planet of Mon Cala, Jedi such as Kit Fisto, Anakin Skywalker, and Ahsoka Tano were able to use their lightsabers underwater without any adverse effects. In dimly lit environments, the glowing plasma blade could serve as a convenient source of illumination, as demonstrated by Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker, Jedi Masters Yoda and Obi-Wan Kenobi, along with Savage Opress.

A lightsaber was constructed from a number of distinct parts: blade emitter, focusing lens, cycling field energizers, main hilt, kyber crystal, lightsaber energy core, hand grip, inert power insulator, and the pommel cap. Each of these parts was vital for maintaining the lightsaber's structural integrity, enabling a Jedi to engage in combat without the weapon falling apart or exploding upon activation. While every lightsaber hilt was customized to meet the individual Jedi's specific requirements and preferences, each weapon contained the same fundamental elements: power insulators, cycling field energizers, energy modulation circuits, a focusing lens, a blade emitter, and, most importantly, the energy core containing a kyber crystal. Once a few control dials were added, which would have been responsible for changing the intensity and length of the blade, the lightsaber would be complete.

Kyber crystals were exceptionally rare objects capable of concentrating and amplifying energy. They were found on planets with a high natural concentration of Force energy. The primary planets where they were located included Ilum and Jedha; however, Ilum was more frequently used because it was the site of the Gathering, where Jedi younglings went to construct their lightsabers. Each kyber crystal was unique and required a Force-sensitive individual to align and activate it during the lightsaber assembly process. Upon discovery, a kyber crystal would initially be clear, but after being awakened by the Force, its color would shift to reflect the nature of the saber's master. The crystal's color determined the color of the lightsaber's plasma blade. Blades powered by damaged kyber crystals could still function, but the energy they emitted could often be as dangerous and unpredictable as the person willing to wield them. Some individuals, such as Kylo Ren, wielded these unstable crystals, often with modifications to accommodate the unstable kyber.

It began on the planet of Ilum where the younglings would begin the 1000 year old ritual known as the Gathering where a small group of Jedi younglings would be escorted by a Jedi Knight to Ilum in a very specific time in Ilum's solar cycle. First of all, a kyber crystal must be found which is done by the youngling overcoming their fears. Once the crystal was found by the youngling, they will choose the different components including the hilt which would be chosen to fit their personal preference and comfort. Once completed, the younglings will activate their kyber crystal, and would have begun to construct their lightsaber. This was done using telekinesis whilst following a diagram which was given to them by an engineer. Once completed, the lightsaber would have been ready to ignite. As well as this, the younglings would have then also had the knowledge to construct a lightsaber in the future should their current one be destroyed.

The vast number of Jedi active during the era of the Galactic Republic inevitably resulted in countless variations in lightsaber designs. Some of these modifications were purely aesthetic, while others enhanced the saber's functionality in unique ways. While the traditional single-bladed lightsaber was the most common design among Jedi, some preferred creative adaptations of this classic weapon.

• Sith lightsaber —The lightsabers wielded by members of the Sith. The designs of Sith lightsabers depended on the user. [6]
• Double-bladed lightsaber —Double-bladed lightsabers consisted of a hilt that projected a blade from both ends, resulting in a deadly staff-like weapon. [34] Hinged double-bladed lightsaber—Was a type of double-bladed lightsaber that could fold in half, making it easier to store while not in use.[66] Double-bladed spinning lightsaber—A double-bladed spinning lightsaber projected a blade from each end of the hilt. However, the hilt was as long as a single-bladed lightsaber, with a circular rim that, when activated, could spin the blades along a track.[67] This variant was used by the Inquisitorius. Split saber—A split saber consisted of two separate lightsabers that join together forming a double-bladed lightsaber.[68] Lightsaber pike—Featuring two yellow plasma blades on each side of the staff, lightsaber pikes were used by the Jedi Temple Guard.[69]
• Dual-phase lightsaber —A dual-phase lightsaber contained one or multiple focusing crystals, which allowed its blade length to be extended or shortened in the middle of combat. [6]
• Broadsaber —A lightsaber with a broad flat blade that resembled a traditional sword. [70]
• Magus —A type of lightsaber hilt. [39]
• Great lightsaber —A great lightsaber was a lightsaber made for individuals with a giant stature. [70]

• Crossguard lightsaber —An ancient design dating back to the Great Scourge of Malachor, a crossguard lightsaber consisted of a standard blade with two shorter blades perpendicular to it at the end of the hilt. [37]
• Curved-hilt lightsaber —Curved-hilt lightsabers were of a design which featured a hilt with a built in curve. This was usually done to allow the hilt to fit better into the palm, facilitating the use of one-handed fighting styles such as Form II. [71]
• Cane lightsaber —A standard lightsaber concealed as the head of a cane. In combat, the handle would be detached from the body of the cane and wielded normally. [71]
• Training lightsaber —Training lightsabers were engineered with a permanent low-power setting. As their name indicates, training lightsabers were used for instructional purposes, teaching initiates how to wield a lightsaber. [72]
• Shoto lightsaber —A shoto was a short lightsaber. Featuring a shortened blade length, shotos were usually used as the secondary weapon in dual-blade combat. [6] Guard shoto—A guard shoto was a lightsaber with a hilt perpendicular to the blade that gave a unique way of blocking and attacking.[6]

• Lightwhip — Featuring a flexible blade extending several meters, the lightwhip was designed to ensnare adversaries. [24]
• Two-piece lightsaber — This unique lightsaber contains a single blade but can be separated into two distinct parts: the primary body and grip of the hilt, and the section housing the emitter shroud. The user simply joins the emitter component to the main body, locking them together with a twist, to prepare the lightsaber for use.
• Lightsaber-blaster hybrid — This weapon combined a standard single-bladed lightsaber with an integrated blaster attachment, enabling the user to discharge blaster bolts. [32]
• Darksaber — A singular, ancient lightsaber distinguished by its flat, black blade, which terminated in a point similar to a traditional sword, deviating from the typical rounded beam of other lightsabers. [46]
• Sickle-bladed lightsaber — This lightsaber variant projected a blade shaped like a sickle. [73]

A specialized blaster rifle, known as a lightsaber rifle, was engineered for use in tandem with a lightsaber. The design involved inserting a standard lightsaber into a designated slot on the rifle's upper surface. Once loaded, the rifle could unleash potent energy beams capable of inflicting significant damage. Furthermore, Jedi Masters Ki-Adi-Mundi and Agen Kolar each possessed lightsabers equipped with two differently colored kyber crystals, allowing them to alternate the blade's color between green and blue.

Lightsabers were primarily intended to resolve conflicts, crafted to inflict harm only to the extent desired by the wielder. Moreover, lightsaber strikes were designed to avoid collateral damage, unless a target was inadvertently struck. In situations where lethal force was unavoidable, the blade was engineered to ensure a swift demise. Despite the Jedi adhering to these principles, groups like the Sith opted to employ lightsabers in ways that promoted suffering.

Bell Zettifar, a Jedi Padawan, considered the lightsaber to be a tool that offered adversaries a chance to yield, owing to its distinctive glow and hum that made it easily detectable. Additionally, he regarded the blade's sound as a symbol of training, focus, and mastery; it represented a Jedi's last option and the essence of their Order's art.

While Sith also famously wielded lightsabers, they considered the dark side of the Force to be their main weapon, with the lightsaber acting as a symbol of the dark side and its power to consume all who resisted it.

Lightsaber combat stood as the favored method of engagement for those wielding lightsabers. Over countless years, numerous fighting styles evolved into the seven "classic" forms that now serve as the standard, alongside a multitude of other techniques demanding significant skill. Lightsabers were most commonly wielded using both hands during battles.

Lightsabers played an essential role in the knighting ceremonies practiced by the Jedi Order. During these rites, a Padawan's braid would be ceremonially cut by the overseeing Jedi Master. Kyber crystals were retrieved from the lightsabers of Jedi who perished in battle. Many of these crystals were subsequently incorporated into the Kyber Arch, which became a place of meditation within the Jedi Temple.

Lightsabers possessed the ability to sever nearly any material. The radiant plasma blade could function as a handy source of illumination when needed. Moreover, lightsabers could be used to vaporize certain liquids, thanks to the intense heat they generated.

The concept for the lightsaber was initially drawn from the various serials that George Lucas enjoyed watching as a child, which often featured characters wielding swords. As he began to develop Star Wars, he sought to incorporate swords, leading to the creation of the "lightsaber" to better integrate them into the futuristic setting.

In the initial iterations of the Star Wars narrative, lightsabers were not limited to Jedi and other Force-sensitive individuals but were, in fact, quite commonplace. Early concept art shows lightsabers being used by both Rebel and Imperial soldiers. George Lucas later restricted lightsabers to the exclusive use of the Jedi to enhance their uniqueness and amplify the mystique surrounding the Jedi Order. Additionally, in the rough draft of the script, lightsabers were originally termed "lazerswords."

Crystals are first mentioned in Star Wars as a decorative addition embedded on the hilt in the original film's novelization. Apart from this single reference, crystals are not mentioned in any of the films or their associated novelizations.

During the production of A New Hope, the Anakin/Luke lightsaber was constructed from a Graflex camera flash, while Darth Vader's lightsaber was fashioned from a Micro Precision Products flash attachment. The handle grips consisted of T-shaped plastic pieces sourced from sliding glass cabinet windows, and contrary to common belief, were not made from rubber windshield wipers. D-rings were affixed to the bases of the units to allow for attachment to belts. Obi-Wan Kenobi's lightsaber stood as the most intricate hilt at the time, assembled from components of an Armitage Shanks Starlite model Handwheel, Browning ANM2 machine gun booster, WWI No.3 Mk.1 British Rifle Grenade, and a Rolls-Royce Derwent Mk.8/Mk.9 Jet Engine Balance Pipe.

Nelson Shin, a Korean animator working for DePatie–Freleng Enterprises, was tasked by his manager with animating the lightsaber in the live-action scenes of a film. Upon accepting the task, Shin received the live-action footage and proceeded to draw the lightsabers using rotoscoping, an animation technique superimposed onto the footage of the physical lightsaber blade prop. Shin explained to Lucasfilm that a lightsaber, being composed of light, should appear "a little shaky," akin to a fluorescent tube. He suggested inserting a frame significantly brighter than the others during the film printing process on an optical printer, creating the illusion of light vibration. Shin also advised incorporating a degausser sound in addition to the weapon's existing sounds, as it would evoke the sensation of a magnetic field. The entire process took one week, surprising his company. Lucasfilm showcased the finished product to Shin, having followed his suggestions to use an X-Acto knife to give the lightsaber a very sharp look, and to have sound accompany the weapon's movements.

The lightsaber effects during the original trilogy began with a highly complex approach. During the filming of A New Hope, the blade was crafted from a three-sided rod coated in reflective material. This rod was then rapidly rotated by a small motor within the hilt, reflecting the set lights and producing a glowing effect in-camera. However, these props had significant limitations: they were unwieldy and fragile, often breaking during fight sequences. Furthermore, the glowing effect was inconsistent, as the spinning rod became visible whenever the blade moved out of the light or pointed directly at the camera. To partially compensate for this issue, the blade was rotoscoped, and an animated glow was added by tracing a magnified copy of each frame with pen and colored ink. It was at this stage that the blades were assigned colors, as the props were originally plain white rods.

During the production of The Empire Strikes Back, it was determined that creating an in-camera glowing effect was more troublesome than it was worth, leading to the replacement of the spinning rods with carbon rods. While these new blades were less cumbersome, they remained fragile and prone to breakage. Nevertheless, they continued to be used for Return of the Jedi.

As filming commenced for The Phantom Menace, the new lightsaber blades were made of steel and aluminum rods, which offered high durability but frequently bent and flexed, requiring constant replacement. Despite this drawback, these rods were still used during the filming of Attack of the Clones due to the lack of an alternative at the time. However, for the filming of Revenge of the Sith, the blades were replaced with carbon fiber rods laminated with glass and plastic. These new props were exceptionally durable and did not flex, although their hardness often resulted in bruising and scarring. While lightsaber effects were still achieved through rotoscoping for the prequels, the process was done digitally rather than manually.

For The Force Awakens, the lightsaber props featured a glowing effect, similar to the one used in Attack of the Clones during the duel between Anakin Skywalker and Count Dooku. Behind-the-scenes footage revealed that the actors used blades akin to those produced by Master Replicas. This choice not only enhanced the desired environmental realism by providing interactive lighting on the actors and the set but also immersed the actors in the lightsaber experience, enriching their performance and enhancing the convincing nature of the lightsaber effect.

Lightsabers portrayed in the initial two films, A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back, displayed blades colored either blue (for the Jedi) or red (for the Sith). This color differentiation was a post-production decision made during the rotoscoping of the lightsaber blades, as the original blades were simply white.

In Return of the Jedi, Luke's newly-constructed lightsaber was initially colored blue during the film's editing phase and appeared as such in both an early movie trailer and the official theatrical posters. However, in the final film, it was ultimately colored green to better contrast with the blue sky of Tatooine in outdoor scenes and to more clearly indicate to the audience that the new lightsaber differed from Luke's lightsaber in The Empire Strikes Back. It also appeared as green in re-release posters.

Green and blue became the standard blade colors for Jedi lightsabers in the Star Wars prequel trilogy. Similarly, red became the standard Sith lightsaber blade. Mace Windu's purple lightsaber, first seen in Attack of the Clones, was a special request from actor Samuel L. Jackson to make his character stand out from other Jedi. Purple is Jackson's favorite color, and he often requests that the characters he portrays use an item of that color in his movies. Additionally, yellow, yellow-green, light-blue, black, and white blades exist. These blades are visible in works such as The Clone Wars and Rebels animated series. The yellow lightsaber blade made its live-action debut in the final scene of The Rise of Skywalker, as the new weapon constructed by Rey Skywalker.

Orange blades are featured in the video game Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, along with indigo, cyan, and magenta blades. Under the direction of Dave Filoni, orange-red lightsabers appeared as the blades of Shin Hati and Baylan Skoll's lightsabers in Ahsoka. To Filoni, this color indicates to the audience that Hati and Skoll do not fulfill the same narrative role as the Sith. As established in the novel Master & Apprentice, a lightsaber containing a kohlen crystal also produced an orange blade, but with an intensity that rendered it largely ineffective against anything other than a specialized type of shield also powered by a kohlen crystal.

While the initial inspiration for lightsaber usage came from the rapiers seen in the old serials that George Lucas enjoyed, the final choreography in A New Hope bore little resemblance to fencing. Given that Jedi and their Sith counterparts were heavily inspired by samurai, the fighting styles employed were based more on kendo. The slower, more strength-focused movements of kendo used in the Obi-Wan/Vader duel also aligned with Lucas' concept of a battle between two essentially elderly men.

During the production of The Empire Strikes Back, Lucas began to increase the speed of the duels, making them "faster and more intense," reflecting Luke Skywalker's growing proficiency with the weapon. Moreover, instead of using David Prowse, the actor inside the Darth Vader costume, for the duels, professional swordsman Bob Anderson was brought in to perform the fights due to Prowse's tendency to repeatedly break the fragile prop blades. Anderson continued to serve as Prowse's fighting double during the filming of Return of the Jedi.

When filming commenced for The Phantom Menace, the new stunt coordinator Nick Gillard elevated the speed and agility displayed by the characters in lightsaber duels, reflecting the idea that the prequels were set when the Jedi Order was at its "full flower," at least in terms of combat techniques. Gillard took care to avoid giving the fight scenes a choreographed appearance, drawing on his extensive knowledge of martial arts to create the moves. The resulting fighting style was very fast-paced, which he described as a chess game between grand masters, with each move being a check. This style of choreography was maintained throughout the prequel trilogy.

During production on Attack of the Clones, Gillard organized sparring matches with stars Ewan McGregor, Christopher Lee, and Hayden Christensen. A practice drill between McGregor and Gillard was captured in a photo later uploaded to StarWars.com under the name "Spar Wars." During some of Gillard's training sessions with the actors, animation director Rob Coleman approached him for assistance in developing Yoda's fighting style. In the script Coleman received, all that was written about Yoda and Dooku's duel was that it would "[defy] description." With George Lucas only telling him to figure out how it would be done, which Coleman later found amusing, he approached Gillard, with whom he discussed real-world examples of fighting with small weapons. Additionally, Ahmed Best, best known as the actor behind Jar Jar Binks, provided Coleman with several anime examples to help visualize the battle. Ultimately, he conceived Yoda's speed and style after watching a scene in the film Swordsman II.

Yoda pulling back his cloak to retrieve his lightsaber was at Lucas's request, evoking images of a gunslinger drawing their pistol. Lucas and Coleman were both very pleased with the finalized duel between Yoda and Dooku, with Lucas specifically approving of Yoda's jumping movements as it was what he wanted. Coleman was concerned that such actions would be seen as "too cartoony." When the screening he attended was met with excitement at Yoda's fighting style, Coleman was relieved.

In the alternate history presented in "The Duel" and Ronin: A Visions Novel, Kouru wielded a lightsaber parasol—a lightsaber that utilized a lightsaber auxiliary to generate multiple blades that sprung from its sides like a parasol. It could also be used as a single-bladed lightsaber without the parasol auxiliary.