When deciding on symbols that stood out in the Star Wars series, many people might argue about what are the most recognizable ones. Things like the Millennium Falcon or Darth Vader’s helmet are some pretty recognizable objects. In our opinion, the most recognizable object in the series is the lightsaber.
Not only is this weapon used by the Jedi and the Sith, it’s a symbol of the whole series. Nobody would ever confuse a lightsaber for anything other than Star Wars.
When fans show their appreciation for the Star Wars series, they do different things. One thing they might do is buy Star Wars apparel. Another thing might be to buy all the movies. However, die-hard fans get tattoos and the lightsaber tattoo is a favorite.
In this article, we will go into the history of the lightsaber and talk about why it is such a fan favorite for tattoo enthusiasts to have inked on their bodies.
What is the Lightsaber
Primarily used by the Sith or Jedi, this weapon is also known as a laser sword. Lightsabers are powered by a kyber crystal and emit a plasma blade. It can be turned on and off at will and it’s easily concealable. Not anyone can use this weapon and it takes a great deal of training to master the lightsaber. When used with the Force, this weapon becomes notably more powerful. Even though the Sith are able to use this weapon, it is generally likened to a Jedi weapon.
In addition to being a weapon that can do a great deal of damage, it is also used as a defense tool. In many cases, Jedi and Sith alike use this weapon to deflect shots from blasters. There aren’t many materials that can withstand a strike from a lightsaber. It will cut through virtually anything and therefore it is such a powerful tool.
The History of the Lightsaber
Although there is no information out there on when the first lightsaber was created, we do know they were used in the Great Scourge of Malachor thousands of years before the existence of the Republic.
As time moved on, lightsabers had a bigger role when the Clone Wars came around. Before this, Jedi had mostly kept the peace. However, they became generals of the Grand Army of the Republic and had to use their lightsabers in more of an offensive capacity.
After the ending of the Clone Wars, lightsabers became a rarity. Many Jedi had died during the war and the ones who still existed with lightsabers rarely unleashed them for fear are drawing attention to themselves. During the time the Empire was strong, the only people using lightsabers were Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader.
Luke Skywalker was accountable for training a new group of Jedi when the Empire was conquered. Most of these Jedi were killed by Kylo Ren and his Knights of Ren.
How the Lightsaber Works
The hilt of the lightsaber was usually made of metal. It was also known that lightsaber hilts had also been made from the wood of the Brylark tree which was equally as sturdy. The lightsaber pulled power from a power cell in the hilt. Parts that were crucial to the build included an emitter matrix, an emitter shroud and a switch of some sort to turn the lightsaber on and off.
When being assembled, one had to be careful to invert the emitter matrix or the lightsaber would backfire. In a best-case scenario, inverting the emitter matrix could cause a short in the lightsaber but option two is a backfire in a Jedi hand, potentially killing them.
Variations of the Lightsaber
Throughout the series, there were different variations of the lightsaber. You will see these variations displayed in lightsaber tattoos. Much of it depends on the character and who the person being tattooed has an affinity towards.
First and foremost, comes the standard lightsaber. This is the one Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader used. It has a straight hilt but can be customized by the Jedi or Sith using it.
We’ve also seen the double-bladed lightsaber. This version of the lightsaber was used by Darth Maul. It had a single hilt with a plasma blade that emitted from both ends. The hilt of this saberstaff was much longer than the standard lightsaber. Many times, these lightsabers would be two standard lightsabers connected in the middle.
The Grand Inquisitor had a double-bladed spinning lightsaber. This lightsaber was similar to the saberstaff in that it emitted plasma blades out of both ends, however, the hilt was as long as the standard lightsaber which made this easier to spin.
The crossguard lightsaber was the version used by Kylo Ren. This version looks like a standard lightsaber but there are two short plasma blades that emit perpendicular to the main blade.
Darth Tyranus used a curved-hilt lightsaber. This was also known as the canon. The name is descriptive of the hilt of this weapon. It had a curve in the hilt which was supposed to aid in better one-handed fighting.
Then you had variations of blasters and lightsabers. Weapons like the lightsaber pistol and the lightsaber rifle were created to give fighters the ability to fight in close quarters while still being able to fire at the enemy from a distance.
As you can see, the history of the lightsaber is in-depth and intensive. This is one example of why there are so many fans of the Star Wars series. There is never a shortage of information to find which keeps new generations of fans interested. The lightsaber is something that will always be a staple of the Star Wars franchise and it’s pretty clear why people would like to have the lightsaber tattoo.
We’ve seen the lightsaber tattoo placed on every part of the body. From fingers to faces, the lightsaber tattoo is known to be one of the most popular Star Wars-inspired tattoos.