The legacy lightsabers of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge explained
By Danny Pham
Luke Skywalker’s lightsaber – Debuted in Return of the Jedi (1983)
Having lost Vader’s former lightsaber in Cloud City, Luke needed a replacement if he was going to face his father again. Traveling to Kenobi’s Tatooine hut, Luke found the missing parts he needed and used it to construct his own hilt. Although he altered certain sections, the weapon was primarily modelled after his late master’s. A glimpse of the building process can be seen in a deleted scene for Return of the Jedi (1983).
Unlike his father and Kenobi’s blue blades, Luke’s personal lightsaber emitted green, which was not the case originally. During the filming of Return of the Jedi, Luke’s blue blade was changed because it was not visible against the Tatooine daytime sky. The decision gave Star Wars its first green blade and helped establish the three original colors of lightsabers (red, blue, and green).
Luke’s lightsaber was last seen in a flashback when he ignited it against his nephew and apprentice, Ben Solo. Solo clashed his own against his master’s, before knocking it away with a Force push. While the hilt was not shown in the present, The Last Jedi novel revealed the caretakers of Ahch-To — home of the first Jedi temple — possessed Luke’s “weapon.” Whether if it was the hermit’s staff or longtime lightsaber remains unclear.
Obi-Wan Kenobi’s lightsaber – Debuted in The Phantom Menace (1999)
One of the less prominent live-action lightsabers, Kenobi’s original hilt made its single appearance in The Phantom Menace (1999). Featuring a black notched hand-grip and a silver casing, Kenobi designed the hilt to resemble his master Qui-Gon Jinn’s. In reality, a behind-the-scenes documentary revealed the design was personally picked by actor Ewan McGregor for his character.
Although it had relatively little screen time, the blue-bladed lightsaber was used by Kenobi for years during his time as a Jedi Padawan. He eventually lost the weapon in a duel with Darth Maul, who kicked it down a Theed power generator. Kenobi replaced it with a replica hilt that served him until the start of the Clone Wars. His third lightsaber — which he used throughout the war to his final days as a hermit — finally dropped the design.