In the days of the Galactic Republic, Jedi Padawans were required to construct their own lightsabre, as one of the final parts of their training. Yet this endeavor was often overseen by the Padawan's Master, on hand to provide guidance and support. When Luke Skywalker created his replacement lightsabre, he had no such helping hand.

Luke lost his original lightsabre - the one built by his father, and given to Luke by Obi-Wan Kenobi - in a duel with Darth Vader, along with his right hand. Though Luke escaped death in that epic face-off, he needed a new weapon to assert his status as a Jedi Knight. He returned to his homeworld of Tatooine, and settled in the spartan hut once occupied by Obi-Wan. While there, Luke found a leather-bound book tucked away in Obi-Wan's trunk. Inside, Luke found information on the Jedi, as well as instructions on how to build a lightsabre. It was perhaps fate that led Luke to that book.

The components for the lightsabre were easily acquired in Mos Eisley, but Luke could not find what was perhaps the most important part of the lightsabre: the Adegan crystal that produced the weapon's energy blade. The Jedi of the Old Republic gathered Adegan crystals on worlds such as Ossus and Ilum, but Luke had no such luxury. Instead, he was forced to forge a crystal from scratch. The look of Luke's lightsabre was loosely based on his Master's own weapon, as were most of the weapons crafted by Padawans, to show respect for their mentor. Yet Luke still had a long way to go; Obi-Wan's book stated that Jedi often built new lightsabres in mere days; after a month's work, Luke's lightsabre was still incomplete.

After much more work in Obi-Wan's hut, where Luke synthesized an Adegan crystal in a furnace, the lightsabre was completed. Despite most lightsabres using three crystals, Luke's single crystal worked well enough to deliver a shimmering green blade. The weapon was just as powerful as Luke's father's lightsabre, as the young Jedi found when faced with a group of swoop-riding assassins. The lightsabre preformed well in its first combat test.

Some time later, Luke used his lightsabre in combat against Darth Vader on the second Death Star. The weapon sliced off the Dark Lord's right hand, but Luke refused to kill Vader, for fear of falling to the dark side. Though Luke cast his weapon away, he retrieved it after Darth Vader turned on the Emperor, and Luke fled the exploding battle station. The lightsabre continued to serve as Luke's only weapon for many years to come, although he did temporarily abandon his Jedi weapon when he fell to the dark side and served the reborn Emperor. Fortunately, Leia was able to return him to the light, and Luke became a Jedi once more, his lightsabre at his side.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Page created: 04 April 2004