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Lightsabers are easily the most recognizable element of the Star Wars franchise. Ever since Obi-Wan pulled out Anakin's saber and gave it to Luke in A New Hope, the weapon has been indicative of a Jedi or Sith. During Star Wars' first two films, the Skywalker lightsaber became a popular item, but it didn't stop there. In Return of the Jedi, Luke had a new green lightsaber that symbolized his growth as a Jedi. After that, nearly every new film introduced some kind of lightsaber variant.
Over the years notable irregular lightsabers have included: a double-blade, a curved hilt, a cross guard, various lightsaber blade colors, and even a rotating hilt. Star Wars #25 introduced a brand-new lightsaber variant in a substory called ''The Lesson" by (Charles Soule, Ramon Rosanas, Rachelle, Rosenberg, and VC's Clayton Cowles). More importantly, the issue explained why Jedi rarely used lightsaber variants like the double-bladed lightsabers.
Updated by Jordan Iacobucci on December 17, 2023: Star Wars continues to expand the definition of what a lightsaber can be in various mediums and storytelling styles. From Ezra Bridger's blaster lightsaber to the Inquisitors' helicopter lightsabers, there are many kinds of blades for Force-wielders to use. However, one of the most popular lightsaber styles also happens to be one of the first variants introduced: the double-sided blade. While this blade has helped make characters like Darth Maul stand out among other lightsaber wielders, there is a special history behind this design and a very good reason for the Jedi to discourage their members from crafting one.
What Happens In Star Wars #25?
Star Wars #25 was released as a commemorative issue. After eight years of authoring Star Wars comics, this was Charles Soule's 100th script. So, to mark the occasion, he wrote four sub-stories within the comic that called back to some of his most famous comic runs. The first story featured Obi-Wan and Anakin in a story called "The Lesson." It took place in between The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones.
As the story opens, Anakin and Obi-Wan begin a sparring match similar to the one pictured during the events of Obi-Wan Kenobi. As they begin, Anakin draws his first lightsaber and asks his master why the Jedi only use lightsabers, as opposed to the many other weapons in the galaxy. He understands that there is great power inside Kyber crystals, and he suggests it would benefit the Jedi Order to expand their horizons by making Kyber-powered spears, blasters, and the like. At first, this sounds like an innocent enough idea. In fact, Obi-Wan admits he had once had similar thoughts when he was a Padawan. He had wanted to design and use a set of lightsaber nunchucks, but his master, the wise and venerable Qui-Gon Jinn, had given him some valuable advice to the contrary.
The advice was simple: as a Jedi, appearances always matter. Of course, the Jedi could have made countless weapons with the power held within the Kyber crystals, but becoming more powerful is not the intent of the Jedi. They want to protect others and carefully use the power that they have been given. So, while the traditional lightsaber may seem elementary, this was the exact point of the weapon. As Obi-Wan tells Anakin, keeping lightsabers simple and identifiable, "reminds others that while we could do more … we very purposefully do not." It is for this same reason that Yoda doesn't prioritize lightsaber combat when training Luke on Dagobah in The Empire Strikes Back. A Jedi constantly has access to a deep well of power, but it is his or her responsibility to never use more of that power than is necessary at any given moment. It is this that makes each Jedi so much more honorable than the Sith, who constantly vie for more and more power.
Obi-Wan's Advice Reveals Why Jedi Don't Use Double-Bladed Lightsabers
Other lightsaber variants — like Kenobi's proposed lightsaber nunchucks — would have been an obvious attempt to increase individual power, which would have been against the Jedi mandate. This, however, was the exact reason the double-bladed lightsaber was created in the first place. The Dark Lords of the Old Sith Empire created the weapon to overwhelm their Jedi counterparts. The two blades were dangerous and limited the wielder. However, they could also confuse and disorient an opponent because the opponent's brain unconsciously tries to track both blades separately.
In this way, the double-bladed lightsaber was as much a psychological weapon as a physical one. It was meant to frighten and overwhelm, which are clear hallmarks of Sith combat. Because of the nature of the weapon, the most notable double-bladed wielders are those who subscribe to the Dark Side of the Force. The weapon first appeared in the 1995 comic Tales of the Jedi - The Sith War. Then, it was wielded by the Sith Exar Kun, but it became more popular when Darth Maul wielded one in The Phantom Menace.
Have Any Jedi Ever Used Double-Bladed Lightsabers?
However, there were multiple different Jedi Knights who earned reputations for using double-bladed lightsabers in Star Wars. For example, both Grand Master Satele Shan and Bastila Shan used double-bladed lightsabers during the age of the Old Republic. During the Clone Wars, Jedi General Pong Krell wielded two double-bladed lightsabers, making him a formidable fighting force. The Jedi Temple guards also typically used yellow double-bladed lightsabers, challenging the idea that no Jedi ever used such weapons. Much later on, Cal Kestis would adopt the use of a double-bladed lightsaber during his run from the Empire.
While there have been several examples of Jedi wielding double-bladed lightsabers in Star Wars, Qui-Gon's advice still rings true. Many of these Jedi struggled with the pull to the Dark Side, perhaps as a side effect of their more powerful weapon. For example, the Grand Inquisitor fell to the Dark Side after the Great Jedi Purge, having once served as a Jedi Temple guard. Similarly, Pong Krell betrayed the Jedi Order, actively sabotaging its efforts during the Clone Wars. It would seem that, more often than not, the Jedi who risk the allure of power by using double-bladed lightsabers find themselves irrevocably drawn to the Dark Side sooner or later. This would explain why the practice was so strictly frowned upon in the Jedi Order.
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