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‘Star Wars: Heir To The Jedi’ Just Explained The Crossguard Lightsaber

By Dustin Wicksell
Published on: 03:16 PST, Mar 10, 2015

The crossguard lightsaber, one of the most controversial features of The Force Awakens’ first trailer, has found another place in the Star Wars universe, as the new novel Heir To The Jedi has slyly rooted it in the larger lexicon of the series.

When the teaser for Star Wars: The Force Awakens debuted last year, there was seemingly no part of the minute-long-clip more hotly debated than the flickering, claymore-like lightsaber with its imposing crossguard feature. Later revealed as belonging to Kylo Ren, as the Inquisitr previously reported, the lightsaber sparked a number of theories from Star Wars fans who wondered how the unique weapon would function. Some openly questioned the lightsaber’s practicality, and even Stephen Colbert entered the fray, as HitFix notes, postulating that a single crystal could refract plasma three ways to create the tri-bladed lightsaber.

The recently released novel Heir To The Jedi, however, has seemingly put all those theories to rest. Set between the events of A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back, the novel details Luke Skywalker’s early efforts to utilize the force, and includes a striking passage in which the young Jedi trainee finds a trio of crystals within the hilt of a lightsaber he has disassembled.

In the particular passage, Luke notes three crystals within the lightsaber, “balanced so precariously” that they had been easily disturbed from their proper place. Sensing that the crystals were only placed within the lightsaber through the use of the force, Skywalker notes that he won’t be able to correctly repair the sword, worrying that he will scratch the emitter crystals if he handles them.

Though short, the passage opens up a raft of questions regarding lightsabers in the newly established Star Wars cannon. As Disney has opted to largely ignore the expanded universe of Star Wars, a fact that Ars Technica reported last year, fans are left to wonder how common it is for a lightsaber to possess three focusing crystals. Furthermore, it is unclear whether Kylo Ren’s lightsaber will be unique, or if the short passage in Heir To The Jedi is meant to build a stronger connection between the characters in the overarching continuity of the new films.

Fans have less than a year to wait until Star Wars: The Force Awakens is released, when they will no doubt learn more about the controversial crossguard lightsaber.

[Image: Disney via Cinemablend]

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