So, we all know he had a green lightsaber in Return of the Jedi, but have you ever wondered why Luke made a new Lightsaber to fight Vader? Well, it turns out that the reason behind it has finally been revealed in Marvel’s ongoing Star Wars series. In the comics, Luke was unable to retrieve his father’s blue lightsaber after his fight with Vader in Cloud City, so he went on a mission to find a new one. He stumbled upon an abandoned outpost from the High Republic era and found a yellow-bladed temple guard lightsaber, which he has been using to battle the Empire ever since.
SPOILERS AHEAD FOR STAR WARS #33
However, in Star Wars #33 by Charles Soule and Madibek Musabekov, Luke is caught by a Killdroid while on a mission in No-Space, and his prosthetic hand and temple guard lightsaber are completely crushed. Luke and his crew finally return to the Rebel Alliance Fleet, where R2-D2 tries to repair the damaged lightsaber, but he can only fix it just enough for it to barely function. Sensing that his final confrontation with Vader is approaching and that he’ll need a fully working lightsaber to defeat him, Luke activates the unstable, crackling lightsaber and states that he’ll need a new one.
This moment confirms that Luke had no choice but to construct a new lightsaber as his yellow one was too damaged to be wielded properly. The time Luke has to create a new lightsaber is fairly limited as Leia and Mon Mothma are mobilizing the Rebel Alliance to take advantage of a “ripple” in the Force that is supposedly weakening Force sensitives including Luke, Vader, and Palpatine. While the Empire’s Sith leaders are distracted by this mysterious occurrence, Luke plans to exploit this by procuring a new saber to eventually fight Vader with.
It’s unknown how close this storyline is to the events of Return of the Jedi, but it is likely only a few months away, giving Luke little time to find a new Kyber crystal and new saber parts. In a deleted scene from Return of the Jedi, Luke was shown modifying his Obi-Wan Kenobi-inspired hilt and igniting it for the first time right before Threepio and Artoo enter Jabba’s Palace. Fans could have considered this canon until the 2019 comic Age of Rebellion – Luke Skywalker #1, which shows Luke wielding his green lightsaber well before Return of the Jedi.
The comic series also explains that the ripple in the Force was caused by the destruction of an ancient dark side weapon, which caused a tear in the Force that weakened the connection of Palpatine and Vader to the dark side. So, how do Jedi lightsabers work? Well, they are powered by Kyber crystals that are uniquely attuned to the Force. Kyber often calls upon Jedi to select them, usually through trials or visions that test their connection to the light. In the upcoming Star Wars #34, Luke will search for a new Kyber crystal, suggesting that the Force could make Luke undergo his own test.
However, the yellow crystal within Luke’s temple guard saber still functions, so it’s unknown why he chooses to find a new crystal instead of simply replacing the damaged hilt. Whatever the reason, readers can look forward to Luke Skywalker’s mission in the coming issues of Star Wars that will finally end the speculation regarding the origin of his iconic weapon. Star Wars #33 is available now from Marvel Comics, so make sure to check it out if you want to know more about the backstory of Luke’s green lightsaber.
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