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Do Sith Have To Have A Red Lightsaber?

Do Sith Have To Have A Red Lightsaber?

Just like there is the Jedi on the light side of the Force, the dark side has its own group as well. This group of soldiers is known as the Sith.

As every Star Wars fan knows, the Jedi are notorious for not harboring any intense emotions. Especially, those that are more negative in nature. Of course, the Sith don’t believe in this nonsense. As a matter of fact, they are fuelled by all that, the very thing the Jedi rejects.

They run their training, practices, and just life in general, with hatred, greed, jealousy, and anything else that is on the cynical end of the morality spectrum.

The Sith’s ultimate goal is to become the most powerful in the Star Wars universe by any means necessary. They don’t care who they have to hurt or step on to get there, which pays an unfortunate resemblance to some things in our own reality.

As evil as they may seem, the Sith does have one of the most stand-out styles in Star Wars. With their all-black outfits, radiating aggression, and, of course, red-bladed lightsaber, the Sith is a hard group to miss. 

But why do Sith have red lightsabers? Are they always red?

Don’t worry, keep reading and these questions will be answered later on in the article.

Are Sith Lightsabers Always Red?

Sith lord Darth Nihilus and Darth Vader with their red lightsabers

Lightsabers are incredibly interesting weapons. They’re created from kyber crystals, but the wielder does not get to choose what color they acquire. The crystal chooses for you!

The color of the crystal changes based on the person who possesses it.

This is why the pure-hearted Jedi get blue, green, and even purple. Interestingly enough, Because of how many fatalistic emotions Sith possess, they can’t even find the kyber crystal in the wild for themselves.

They have to get it, either stealing it from a Jedi or forcefully removing it after having defeated the Jedi. When this happens, the crystal would retain its original color based on what it’s the previous wielder had. 

However, the minute the crystal gets into the hands of the Sith, a process called “bleeding” takes place.

This is where Sith puts all of their dark side energy into the crystal, turning it to a distinct red hue. And that will generally always be the case.

Does Any Sith Have Non-Red Lightsabers?

Even though it is clear that the Sith are destined to have red lightsabers as a general rule of thumb, there is always someone who comes along to break the trend.

There has been a handful of Sith who did not wield a red lightsaber. 

The most notable case of a Sith using a non-red lightsaber is none other than our true guerilla, Anakin Skywalker. He had a blue lightsaber, which he used in his epic battle against Obi-Wan Kenobi. 

Obi Wan vs Darth Vader but Vader has a blue lightsaber

For those not familiar with the full Star Wars franchise, it may be confusing as to why Anakin is listed here as being a part of the Sith. Yes, he originally made his debut in Star Wars as a Jedi Knight. 

Right on theme with his personality, Anakin went completely rouge and embraced the dark side. Later serving the Empire as Sith Lord, Darth Vader.

Do Any Sith Use Blue Lightsabers?

Apart from the well-known, Anakin Skywalker, there have been other Sith who used blue lightsabers. Another major one is Sith Master Darth Sidious. 

After his return from the dead in Byss, Darth Sidious became the proud owner of Palpatine’s blue-bladed lightsaber.

Darth Sidious was essentially a hoarder of undoubtedly stolen Jedi lightsabers. He amassed a lard collection in the imperial towers. 

The Sith Master put this weapon into action against Luke Skywalker. You see, Luke was convinced by his sister Leia Organa Solo, which Darth Sidious did not like one bit.

Can a Sith Have a Purple Lightsaber? 

Despite the Sith, more often than not, having red lightsabers, it’s clear that there are exceptions.

In theory, a Sith can take a lightsaber from a Jedi that has a purple crystal in it. Since it is not bled, the color should remain. 

In actuality, the answer may be a little more complicated than that.

At face value, the Jedi use blue lightsabers and the Sith use red lightsabers. With basic color theory, red and blue make purple, and this is true for the Star Wars world as well. 

Because the Jedi are the heroes of the galaxy and the Sith are the villains, the purple lightsaber would be a combination of the two.

Think of the purple lightsaber as a moral grey area. It is representative of the uncertainty and general internal turmoil of the wielder. 

The most remarkable Sith who has wielded a purple lightsaber is Darth Revan. He was so impressive that he used both a purple and red lightsaber.

Star Wars Darth Revan

Of course, the red lightsaber is representative of his stint on the dark side of the Force. 

The purple on the other hand represents Darth Revan’s fealty to the Jedi and the light side of the Force. Instead of being fully blue, the lightsaber is purple.

But why exactly is that?

Well, Darth Revan, just like Mace Windu, utilizes some tactics that do not adhere to the Jedi code of conduct.  He sometimes makes very emotionally driven decisions, which is definitely not what a Jedi does. 

Conclusion

The Sith are full of rage and want to do nothing but rule the world of Star Wars with all the negative power they possess.

Because of this, they have the ability to completely corrupt their stealthily obtained crystals.

Even though they are filled with all these unfavorable emotions, it does not mean they are bound to the red lightsabers. Some Sith have even managed to maintain the color of the original lightsaber while fully embracing the inherent evilness of the dark side.

In any event, all lightsabers, regardless of what side of the Force you are on, are absolutely breathtaking in their own right. 

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