At its core, Star Wars is a fantasy story in space, a series of joyful, thrilling, and hopeful adventures. And what’s a good fantasy saga without a magical sword? They’re integral parts of these stories: Aragorn’s Andúril and Frodo’s Sting in Lord of the Rings , Jon Snow’s Longclaw in Game of Thrones , King Arthur’s Excalibur. In Star Wars , it’s the lightsabers that aid our heroes—and villains—on their journeys of war and self-discovery.
They’re mythic weapons, individual to their makers, with histories rooted to the most ancient aspects of the galaxy far, far away. We’ve seen them in all of the saga movies, starting with Star Wars: A New Hope in 1977. Now, with the sequel trilogy complete and several new Disney+ shows released or in the works, let’s take a deeper look at the lore behind these incredible “laser swords”: Where they come from, what they mean to our main characters, and what we could see in the future.
What Is a Lightsaber and What Is Its Purpose? “This is the weapon of a Jedi Knight,” Obi-Wan Kenobi explained in A New Hope . “Not as clumsy or random as a blaster. An elegant weapon for a more civilized age.
” Though the origin of the first-ever lightsaber is unknown, lore has shown evidence of lightsabers thousands of years before the events of the Skywalker saga. Both Jedi, light-side Force users, and Sith, dark-sided, use the weapon. They’re good for protection and defense, but also for combat.
The blades can deflect bla.