At the end of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, we see Rey bury the lightsabers of Luke (previously Anakin’s) and Leia. Rey then produces the new lightsaber she built.
As she flicks a ring on the hilt, igniting the lightsaber, an interesting thing shows for just a few frames. Before the blade ignites, we see a thin part of the hilt flicker green and then blue.
The blade itself is a strong yellow color, so why do the other colors show up? Here we’ll look into this anomaly, why her blade is yellow, and what that says about Rey!
Table of Contents
Is Rey’s Lightsaber Multicolored?
The quick flashes of green and blue light we see from Rey’s new lightsaber indicate that it harbors multiple colors. But is this actually the case? And if not, what’s going on here?
So far in the Star Wars universe, both Canon and Legends, there have not been any confirmed cases of lightsabers which are truly multicolored.
Pseudo-Multicolored Lightsaber Blades
The closest we see to this are blades which have colors somewhere in between the typical colors. For example, one of Ahsoka Tano’s previous lightsabers was a short-bladed one with a yellow-green color.
Another case of a half-colored blade was Kylo Ren’s red-yellow lightsaber blade which was unstable due to a cracked kyber crystal.
Even with these half-colors, the ignition is always solidly that color. That leaves Rey’s new lightsaber as a curiosity of the Star Wars universe.
Kyber Crystals, & the Force
There has been nothing confirmed in canon about the flashes of color yet. Still, we can speculate what these flashes mean based on what we do know about lightsabers and the Force.
In Canon, the color of a kyber crystal is determined when a Force-user makes a connection with it. This is possible because although kyber crystals were primarily inorganic, they also held some organic material in them.
It is this connection to the Force that can give a speculative reason for the flashes of color.
Rey, Luke, and Leia
Before Rey forged a true connection to the Force, she was abandoned on Jakku by her parents. So, when she was finally introduced to what she could be, it made her connection more powerful.
Rey would go on to train and bond at first with Luke Skywalker. Her connection to him was forged when she claimed his lightsaber.
When she joined the Rebel forces against the First Order, she also trained under Leia Skywalker.
As a result, her connection to the Skywalker family was strong and would persist even after Luke and Leia’s deaths.
Therefore, it is possible that the green and blue flashes we see represent her connection to both of them. The two colors represent Luke and Leia, respectively.
Although the kyber crystal itself is yellow, it’s not out of the question to say that her connection to them was channeled into the crystal itself. And as it ignites, it flashes and literally shows Rey’s true colors.
Why Does Rey’s Lightsaber Turn Yellow?
Since we know that a kyber crystal’s color is influenced by a Force-user attuning to it, it’s reasonable that Rey’s lightsaber reflects her self.
Still, with Rey in particular the yellow color could’ve come along two different ways.
In the majority of cases, a lightsaber blade’s color comes as a kind of surprise. It shows the core of a Force-user’s being in the form of color.
There is, however, another way. If a certain color is desired, a Force-user can concentrate on it while they form a connection with their crystal.
Again, we don’t know which way this happened but we can explore both methods to see how they would make sense for Rey.
Natural Color from Attuning
Like many Jedi, it’s possible that Rey’s lightsaber came out yellow because of her inherent personality.
This color is rare, but not entirely unheard of.
In short, the yellow color could be a natural result of Rey bringing a balance to the Force in aiding the destruction of the First Order.
The most notable example of yellow lightsabers are the weapons of Jedi Temple Guards. Every Temple Guard wielded a double-bladed lightsaber which bore a strong yellow color.
Just like Rey’s, they represented a balance in the Force.
The Ancient Jedi Scripts
There is, however, another possibility! Because Rey had access to some of the ancient Jedi scripts, she could have learned the customary meanings of lightsaber colors.
In this case, Rey’s lightsaber would be yellow because she specifically chose to have that color.
Though this method is much rarer, it’s not a stand-alone event. A prominent example of this happening is Mace Windu’s famous purple lightsaber.
During the construction of his lightsaber, Mace Windu formed a special connection with his crystal which created a special purple color. He would later master lightsaber Form 7, a form that brought the user dangerously close to the Dark Side.
In this way, purple lightsabers have been seen as a symbol of a very different, yet still delicate, balance of the Force than yellow ones.
What Does Rey’s Lightsaber Color Mean?
So what does the color of Rey’s new lightsaber mean? We know that it represents a balance in the Force, but this particular color goes much deeper than that.
Although Rey is not a Jedi Temple Guard–and couldn’t be since all Jedi Temples have been abandoned–her blade represents the same thing that theirs did: Balance and an understanding that the Force should not always be relied on.
Rey and the Jedi Temple Guards
We know that in the case of Jedi Temple Guards, the yellow blades of their lightsabers represent a balance of the Force. And this is likely the case for Rey as well.
There is, however, one stark difference between the two!
Though it is currently unknown who created the Temple Guard lightsabers, we know that they were not individually attuned. This was likely done in order to maintain a uniform appearance of anonymity among the Guards.
Rey, on the other hand, created her lightsaber just like countless Jedi before her. This puts her in a special position.
Because Rey is attuned to her kyber crystal, it is a direct reflection of herself. And this reflection says a lot about her.
The Meaning of a Yellow Kyber Crystal
A yellow blade in the hands of a Jedi means much more than just a balance in the Force. It is also an understanding that the user must be capable outside the Force as well.
Jedi Temple Guards understood this, and it was reflected in their defense of Jedi Temples. They rarely relied on the Force in combat and would avoid drawing their blade when necessary.
Even before her formal training as a Jedi, Rey understood and lived by this concept as well.
While Rey lived as a scavenger on Jakku, she was more than capable of fighting and chose to avoid it if it wasn’t necessary. Additionally, she was extremely self-sufficient and rarely relied on outside help.
The parallel between this and her use of the Force is extremely important and is likely what led to her yellow blade.
Rey understood that to become stronger and more balanced as a person and as a fighter, she mustn’t rely too heavily on the Force.
Going Forward
Though Rey did not exhibit these virtues at first, as she didn’t have the training, she grew into them over time.
It’s likely that if or when we see Rey in the future she will be much more collected and have a deeper understanding of what it means to balance the Force.