Synthetic kyber crystal
Synthetic kyber crystals, also called synthcrystals, were artificially created kyber crystals known for their instability and explosive potential due to their artificial creation.
Description
These synthetic kyber crystals were artificially manufactured crystals attuned to the Force. Both the Jedi and Sith utilized them in the construction of their lightsabers, causing the blades to emit a green glow. Their synthetic origin led to significant instability and a tendency to explode, resulting in their prohibition by the Galactic Empire.
History
In the year 4 ABY, a young smuggler was tasked by the gangster known as "Happy" Dapp with transporting a quantity of synthetic kyber crystals. However, they were intercepted during a contraband inspection conducted by an Imperial Security Officer at Longstar Marketplace on the planet Burnin Konn. To avoid arrest, the smuggler stunned the officer and escaped into a nearby mine shaft. Inside, the smuggler detonated the crystals to collapse the entrance, preventing two pursuing Imperial stormtroopers from following. Dapp, enraged by the loss of his crystals, dispatched his bodyguard, Tryken, to confront the smuggler about the failed delivery. However, the aging Zabrak bodyguard was ultimately defeated. Short one enforcer, the gangster allowed the smuggler and their sibling, Riley, to work off the debt incurred by the destroyed shipment.
Behind the scenes
The debut of synthetic kyber crystals in the new Star Wars canon occurred in the mobile game Star Wars: Uprising. Kabam developed this game for iOS and Android devices, and it was released in 2015. The concept of artificially created lightsaber crystals can be traced back to the Shadows of the Empire novelization, a Star Wars Legends novel authored by Steve Perry. It was released on April 1, 1996 as part of the Shadows of the Empire multimedia project. Fightsaber: Jedi Lightsaber Combat, a Legends reference piece by David West Reynolds featured in Star Wars Insider 62, which came out on September 13, 2002, explained that the red lightsaber blades used by the Sith were created using synthetic crystals. Despite the fact that they used natural kyber crystals in their lightsabers, the Sith were mistakenly said to use synthetic crystals in Ultimate Star Wars, a canon reference book cowritten by Patricia Barr, Adam Bray, Daniel Wallace, and Ryder Windham that was released on April 28, 2015. "Lightsabers and Jedi Equipment" also incorrectly mentions synthetic crystals, claiming that Dooku's lightsaber was powered by one, when in fact, Dooku's lightsaber used a real kyber crystal.