During the era of the Cold War between the Galactic Republic and its rival, the Sith Empire, the Jedi Knight known as Satele Shan switched from using double-bladed lightsabers, which were her primary weapon during the Great Galactic War against the Empire, to a lightsaber that projected a green blade. Shan employed this weapon during the Cold War period, but by the time of the Galactic War with the Empire, she had reverted to using a double-bladed lightsaber.
This particular lightsaber was the fourth one owned by Satele, and it differed from her others in that it featured a single blade. Its hilt was constructed from a silver-colored metal, and the slim, cylindrical design incorporated a gold-colored pommel along with a blade emitter shroud. Inside the weapon was a green lightsaber crystal, the source of its green-colored blade.
After the Battle of Rhen Var near the end of the Great Galactic War against the Empire, the Jedi Knight Shan chose to exchange her usual blue double-bladed lightsaber for a single-bladed lightsaber. Shan brought this green-bladed lightsaber with her to the planet Alderaan when she was selected to be part of a delegation to a peace conference in 3653 BBY. However, when the conference was exposed as a deception, with the Sith holding the Republic's capital world of Coruscant hostage to force the Republic to accept their demands, Shan ignited her lightsaber and engaged the Sith negotiator Darth Baras in combat. She later used the weapon to fight off Imperial attackers when the Envoy, the vessel she was traveling on, was boarded in what appeared to be a violation of the Treaty of Coruscant that had ended the war. Shan once again used this weapon in a battle against Darth Baras on Dantooine not long after, though the fighting concluded with the death of her former Master Dar'Nala and a retreat by all sides.
By the year 3643 BBY, Shan was still using the green lightsaber while serving as the Grand Master of the Jedi Order. Her Padawan, Shigar Konshi, briefly wielded it alongside his own lightsaber to rescue Shan from the wreckage of the destroyed Corellia above the planet Sebaddon. After the rescue, Konshi returned the lightsaber to his Master, and she used it in battle against droids known as hexes on Sebaddon's surface. This encounter was later named Independent Operation Sebaddon, an unsanctioned joint operation between the Empire and the Republic to destroy the hexes and prevent them from spreading throughout the galaxy. However, Shan soon abandoned the single-bladed lightsaber and returned to using a double-bladed weapon, which she continued to use throughout the remainder of the Cold War and the subsequent Galactic War with the Empire.
The green lightsaber of Satele Shan was first seen in the webcomic series Star Wars: The Old Republic, Threat of Peace. This webcomic served as a prelude to the release of the BioWare video game Star Wars: The Old Republic. However, because the final appearances of many characters had not yet been determined for the game, Shan's appearance and her choice of lightsaber were among the several inconsistencies present in the comic. The novel The Old Republic: Fatal Alliance, which was also released prior to the game, indicated that Shan continued to use the lightsaber for a decade after the events of the comic. However, all subsequent materials, starting with the Hope cinematic trailer, depicted Shan wielding several different blue double-bladed lightsabers throughout her life. The exception to this was the novel The Old Republic: Deceived, which begins at the same time as Threat of Peace.
Furthermore, the reference guide The Journal of Master Gnost-Dural depicts Shan wielding a blue double-bladed lightsaber during the engagement on Dantooine. This directly contradicts the already debated existence of the green lightsaber. The first issue of the The Lost Suns comic arc further complicated the matter, as Shan is shown with a double-bladed saber at Rhen Var shortly before the events of Threat of Peace. She is also seen in-game with a double-bladed saber not long after the events of Fatal Alliance.