In its final scene, Skywalker’s Rise revealed a great deal. Rey surprised everyone when she ignited her own yellow lightsaber on Tatooine after burying Luke and Leia’s lightsabers. There was no blue, green, red, or purple lightsaber before, only a bright yellow one.
There were many fans scratching their heads and wondering: why?
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What does Rey’s yellow lightsaber mean rather than one of the more standard colours?
It’s okay to feel this way. You’re not alone. We can better understand Rey’s lightsaber’s colour by understanding what lightsaber colors mean in general. We’ll have to examine other Star Wars examples of those colours if we’re to find the answer. Explore the meaning behind Rey’s yellow lightsaber, and learn all about lightsaber colors.
Where do lightsabers get their colour anyway?
Each lightsaber is equipped with a kyber crystal, which concentrates energy on the plasma blade of the classic weapon. During the bonding process with its user, each kyber crystal changes from a colourless crystal into a vibrant one. When a Jedi or other light side force user uses the crystal, it almost always changes to either green or blue, though it may sometimes change to another colour.
In the Star Wars canon, there is no full explanation of how and why this happens. However, you can find clues about what different colours might mean if you know where to look. Look for other non-standard lightsaber colours that appear in the canon and explore what similarities their users may have. Even if “Legends” is no longer considered canonical, the continuity could still provide some insight.
Other lightsaber colours
RED
By far, red is the third most common colour for Rey Lightsaber, following blue and green. The Sith and other dark side force users to exclusively use these weapons. A red blade isn’t just a coincidence – there’s a specific reason why dark side users have them. It is not just a matter of personal preference, but it is due to the nature of kyber crystals and their relationship to the force. Kyber crystals are naturally attracted to the light side of the force, so for them to be used by a sith, they first need to bend them to their will. Dominance causes the crystals to “bleed” and corrupt, which produces the signature red blades of the dark side.
Purple
For reasons not explained in canon, the purple lightsaber of Mace Windu is famous. Behind the scenes, the reason is pretty simple: Samuel L Jackson requested it and it was granted. Despite not being a dark side user, Mace Windu was an adherent of the “forbidden form” of lightsaber combat: Form VII, which is also known as “Vaapad.” He revived the forbidden form in an attempt to control his inner darkness, channelling his passion and anger without revealing his true nature.
It is no surprise that purple is halfway between blue and red, just as Windu’s relationship with the force is halfway between dark and light. In other words, he represents Mace Windu and the unique style of his Jedi training as a result of the colour of his lightsaber.
White
A distinctive white glow emanated from Ahsoka Tano’s second set of lightsabers. Since she created these blades from the red kyber crystals taken from inquisitors, they had to be “healed”. Ahsoka restored the crystals to their original colourless state after she removed the corruption from them. As seen in The Mandalorian and Rebels, this results in a pure white lightsaber blade. But kyber crystals by definition start off colourless, so why did these crystals revert to this state, instead of gaining colour? How could they have turned white when they were green, blue, or even yellow?
The producer Dave Filoni said they gave Ahsoka a white lightsaber to symbolize the fact that she was not affiliated with the Empire. Although she never turned to the dark side, she had left the Jedi Order at the end of the Clone Wars, so it wouldn’t make sense that her blades would be blue or green. The producers may have made this choice out of symbolism, but the crystals themselves would understand this. It would have been easy for the force to make her blades white to reflect the fact that she no longer was a Jedi, but still, a strong light side forces user.
Estala muru
A yellow lightsaber was introduced to another Jedi of that era in the connected comic book series of The High Republic. The Kessurian Jedi Master Estala Maru possessed exceptional multi-tasking skills. When he was responsible for operations on the Starlight Beacon, he had this skill, which made him such a successful administrator.
In addition to his administrative skills, he also had some technical skills. Additionally, he used his yellow lightsaber to fend off a Drengir attack on the station in the fourth issue of The High Republic comic series: Song of the Drengir.
So why does Rey have a yellow lightsaber?
Only the force knows why Rey’s lightsaber is a specific shade. The continuities of both Legends and Canon make it perfectly reasonable for her character. According to canon, yellow lightsabers were the property of guards, teachers, and multitasking officials. Pragmatists used them in Legends to balance the conflicting demands of combat and diplomacy with the knowledge of common people. Rey’s lightsaber signifies all of these, from a certain point of view.
She took on all the strength of the previous Jedi to defeat Palpatine once and for all. Her yellow lightsaber, like that of the Jedi Sentinels, may symbolize her balance of all the other schools of thought before her.
Her background is similar to that of the Jedi and she represents the last guard of her legacy. There are many reasons why Rey has a yellow Lightsaber Company, including the fact that she is the first of a new kind of Jedi and that she may teach a new generation. The blade of her lightsaber is also a symbol of all the previous yellow lightsabers, just as Rey is a symbol of all the Jedi.
