You know that scene – lightsaber out, Force lightning hits it, and the Jedi stands firm. Most people think it started with the prequels, but there’s an earlier story behind that moment. I ran across something recently that connects this idea directly back to the Expanded Universe.
Let’s walk through it.
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It First Showed Up In A Book Before The Prequels Ever Existed
The earliest place I’ve seen this concept fully played out is in Dark Force Rising novel, the second book in Timothy Zahn’s Thrawn Trilogy. There’s this moment when Joruus C’baoth hurls Force lightning at Luke. And Luke just – catches it with his lightsaber:
“Still laughing, C’baoth raised his hand and sent a flash of blue lightning toward them. Skywalker caught the bolt on his lightsaber, and for an instant the green of the blade was surrounded by a blue-white coronal discharge.”
That’s not just a brief flicker or a near miss. Zahn described it clearly – Luke actively blocking lightning with his saber, and not just once. More bolts come at him, and one even wraps around the blade. This was published in 1992, a full decade before Attack of the Clones hit theaters.
So this moment existed in Star Wars storytelling long before it showed up in film.
It Became More Visual In The Comic Adaptation
Dark Force Rising was adapted into a comic by Dark Horse in 1997, five years after the novel but still years before the prequels started showing lightsaber-vs-lightning battles. In Issue #4, the same scene plays out again – Luke holding his ground while blocking C’baoth’s Force lightning with his lightsaber.
https://youtu.be/XmmcpdSX2go?t=1060
That version likely made its way to George Lucas. Timothy Zahn confirmed this himself in an interview:
“My trilogy was adapted into comics, and I’d heard [Lucas] does read comics. It’s a visual medium. He’s a visual medium guy, movies and such. I can only assume that’s where he picked up the catching the Force lightning on a lightsaber blade… because I’d written that into Dark Force Rising. And I’m sure he pulled it from that, but probably from the Dark Horse adaptation.”
It Wasn’t Completely New – But Zahn Made It Clear
Before Dark Force Rising, there was a small mention of Force lightning being deflected in the Return of the Jedi novelization by James Kahn, released in 1983. The scene happens during Palpatine’s final attack on Luke. Here’s what it says:
“But if it was Force-generated, it could be Force-repelled. Luke raised his arms to deflect the bolts. In doing so, he was knocked to the floor – the lightning rebounded into the walls.”
So technically, the idea that lightning could be blocked or redirected existed before Zahn. But in that version, Luke used his bare hands or the Force itself, and it’s unclear whether it was a defensive stance or just an automatic reaction. There’s no mention of a lightsaber being involved at all.
Zahn’s version in Dark Force Rising is the first time it’s shown clearly with a lightsaber – described in detail and later illustrated in the 1997 comic. That’s what made the idea stick, and likely what led to it being used in the prequels.
Bonus: The EU Gave A Lot More Than People Realize
Once I started looking into it, I noticed this wasn’t a one-time thing. Lucas and his team regularly pulled things from the Expanded Universe when they fit what they needed.
A few examples that stood out to me:
- Double-bladed lightsabers showed up first in Tales of the Jedi comics
- Aayla Secura started in the Republic comic series
- Coruscant wasn’t just named by Zahn – it got its layered structure, districts, and even the Imperial Palace from EU material
- The 501st Legion? That’s also something Zahn first introduced
Even the details about Coruscant’s design – multiple levels, deep underworld, social divisions by height – weren’t originally laid out by Lucas. They came from books, especially ones like Jedi Academy Trilogy and RPG sourcebooks. At some point, these elements became standard, and Lucas kept using them because they worked.
It’s not just about names being reused either. Whole visual ideas, city layouts, military units, lightsaber designs – they often came straight out of comics and novels.