The source of Ahsoka’s lightsaber crystals revealed in Tales of the Jedi
WARNING: This article contains spoilers from Tales of the Jedi
In the short time before the release of Star Wars: The Clone Wars season 7 the Star Wars fanbase was desperate for more content, partially about how Ahsoka survived order 66. We had a lot of comics and books but E.K. Johnston’s book Ahsoka gave us a look into how Ashoka Tano managed to escape and even find more crystals for the Lightsabers she left behind. After the release of season 7 however, several details were changed, and it now seems that we have our defensive answer about how Ahsoka got her lightsaber crystals.
What happens in the Ahsoka Novel?
In E.K. Johnston’s novel, the actual storyline is extremely similar to what we saw in the short final episode of Tales of the Jedi. We see Ahsoka and her friends hunted down after her using the Force to save another (not unlike what happened in Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order) then hunted down by an inquisitor. In the beginning, Ahsoka is hesitant to fight and wishes to simply escape but when the inquisitor being to threaten and hurts her friends Ahsoka is eventually forced to fight. While the fight in the book is certainly more long-winded than the simple method Ahsoka uses in Tales of the Jedi the end result is the same. The inquisitor falls and Ahsoka receives the red-bladed lightsaber, which she later crafts into the iconic blades she uses during her time as a rebellion leader.
Why are the crystals so significant?
You might be thinking “But why does any of that matter anyway, can’t Ahsoka just find more crystals?” While that might seem reasonable we know there are a few unique aspects of Ahsoka’s lightsabers and a few barriers to her getting more. The only locations (in current canon, yes I am looking at you Knights of the Old Republic) to get kyber crystals are currently being mined by the Empire. We see this mining process in both Rogue One and Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order so getting more crystals is pretty much out of the question unless you want to fight an entire Imperial garrison.
Ahsoka’s lightsabers are also unique because of their unique color. Her blades are white, and as the novel points out this is because she actually purifies the blades of their Sith taint. While this is a change from the Expanded Universe, in the current canon the only way to create red blades is by tainting a lightsaber crystal through your connection to the dark side of the force. Likewise, the only way to create white blades is by purifying those tainted crystals and returning them back to the light side of the force.
While some may consider this change somewhat of a retcon, the idea of the story remains very much the same. It also shows that Tales of the Jedi is fulfilling its goal of answering those questions that we were always curious about.
Tales of the Jedi is now streaming exclusively on Disney+. Be sure to check out all of our coverage of the series, including episode recaps, reviews, and more.