At the end of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, Rey wields a brand new lightsaber that she made herself. The blade appears to be some kind of yellow or orange or even gold!
There’s also the brief flashes of green and blue in the hilt to consider. Could those be part of it?
With Star Wars’ expansive lore it can be hard to tell exactly what something is just by looking. So, what is the color of Rey’s lightsaber?
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Rey’s Lightsaber Color
Based on history within Star Wars and official sources, the answer is clear: Rey’s lightsaber is yellow.
Yellow lightsabers have existed in the Star Wars universe for almost as long as the Jedi have.
Rey’s lightsaber color is officially described as being yellow within the movie’s accompanying book, The Rise of Skywalker: A Junior Novel.
Why is Rey’s Lightsaber Yellow?
We know, now, that Rey’s lightsaber is yellow but not why. There are a couple of theories and a cinematographic reason for the choice.
Visual Effects
The movie’s visual effects supervisor, Roger Guyett, explained the reasoning in a 2020 Insider article.
It was decided that Rey’s lightsaber should give an optimistic feeling. The producers did tests and concluded that yellow was the best color to achieve the effect.
Although it is officially yellow, the blade was given a golden hue.
In the same article, Patrick Tubach said that the golden color was used to prevent the blade from being too faint while still being optimistic.
Fan Theories
There are many fan theories that provide an in-universe reason for Rey’s lightsaber being yellow. Of those, there are three main ones that fit within Star Wars canon the most.
Buying/Collecting Two Kyber Crystals
One possibility is that Rey either bought or found—but did not harvest—two kyber crystals. In particular, she would’ve obtained one green and one blue crystal.
Green and blue are specified because Rey’s lightsaber shows a brief flash of these colors when activated.
Having two crystals may combine their colors and create a new one; and though green and blue don’t make yellow, almost anything is possible with the Force.
This theory rules out harvesting them because the color of kyber crystals is determined when a Jedi attunes themself to it. If Rey did this, she would have two crystals of the same color.
Salvaging Two Kyber Crystals
In a similar line of thought, Rey may have salvaged two kyber crystals from existing lightsabers.
Like the previous theory, the crystals would be green and blue, respectively.
With these colors in mind, it is clear where she would’ve salvaged them from: Luke and Leia’s lightsabers.
When Rey buries the two lightsabers in sand they are not activated, leaving room for ambiguity.
This theory is unlikely though. A Jedi’s lightsaber is extremely personal and an extension of themselves.
By dismantling the lightsabers and taking the crystals, Rey would be disrespecting the very people that they came from.
And because Rey adopts the Skywalker name immediately after burying them, it is extremely unlikely that she would do that.
Attuning to a Harvested Kyber Crystal
The most likely theory is that Rey harvested a new kyber crystal and attuned to it.
Although many locations where kyber crystals grew had been destroyed by then, Rey still had some options left.
The color would be a result of Rey’s spirit and her connection to the Force.
Is Rey the Only One With a Yellow Lightsaber?
The answer to this question is a fuzzy, “yes and no”. Whether there are other people with yellow lightsabers depends not on who but when.
Ancient Wielders
Yellow lightsabers have existed for almost as long as the Jedi Order has existed.
They were primarily used by Jedi but were no stranger to the dark side of the Force.
A prime example of yellow lightsaber users is the Jedi Temple Guards who used to defend Jedi temples.
These Jedi wore a standardized anonymous uniform and wielded double-bladed lightsaber pikes. The blades of these pikes were a strong yellow color that represented the Temple Guards as a whole.
This universal image made the blades a curiosity and a prize to dark side users. One of the most infamous examples was the bounty hunter Asajj Ventress.
After having her original lightsaber stolen, Ventress bought a yellow lightsaber off of the black market.
Modern Users
Besides Rey herself, it is unknown whether there are other yellow lightsaber users. Jedi and lightsaber-users alike are a scarcity in the galaxy, and yellow kyber crystals are rare.
That doesn’t mean that they don’t exist, though! Lightsabers and kyber crystals are often sold on the black market.
Although it is unlikely, it’s possible that someone, somewhere, in the galaxy has and uses a yellow lightsaber as well.
What Does a Yellow Lightsaber Mean?
The Jedi Temple Guards universally used yellow lightsabers and the color itself is rare among lightsabers. This fact makes you wonder if there is some special property or reason behind it.
As it turns out, there is! And it reveals a lot about who Rey is as a person and what she stands to accomplish.
Balance
Lightsaber colors can be seen as an extension of the soul of the person who attunes it.
Although Temple Guards did not attune their own lightsabers, they nevertheless wielded yellow ones to represent one thing: Balance.
At the height of the Jedi Order, yellow lightsabers were universally seen as a balance in the Force.
If Rey harvested her own kyber crystal then the meaning of its color is clear: She has, and will continue to, bring balance to the Force.
Conclusion
The official reason for Rey’s lightsaber color is to project a feeling of hope and optimism.
No matter which method Rey used, there is a clear answer to what color her lightsaber is: yellow!
With yellow representing balance in the Force, there is great hope for Rey to go on and bring peace across the galaxy.