A Vibroblade is perhaps the closest rival that Star Wars has given us regarding a weapon that could compete with a lightsaber. But most people don’t even know what a Vibroblade is.
So, we took this opportunity to talk about the Vibrosword, the most common variant of the Vibroblade. Everything from what a Vibrosword is, to whether a Vibroblade can compete with a Lightsaber or not will be discussed below.
Table of Contents
What is a Vibrosword?
Vibroswords were initially modeled after Enchain weapons which were heavy-duty and required two hands to use. This meant that the same applied to Vibroswords, even though a few people have been strong enough to carry and use them with one hand, which allowed for a dual-wielding approach.
A Vibrosword, like most other Vibro-based weapons, was dangerous to use against electricity-based weapons since they transmitted electricity, electrocuting the person wielding the sword.
A major risk is energy going up the length of the blade. Should it connect to the weapon’s energy cell and ultrasonic vibration generator, the result could be a little explosion with enough force to rip the person’s handoff. Hence, the weapon is dangerous, even without the risk of electrocution.
The Vibrosword during the Old Republic generation, around 3956 BBY, had a cortosis-weave incorporated into it. This gave it lightsaber-deflecting properties, making it even more effective against the numerous lightsaber-wielding opponents during that generation.
Members of the Sith Empire’s Imperial Military were equipped with Vibroblades to help them fight the Jedi Order. Prominent users from the Sith Military included Security Leader Souske, Lieutenant Markovic, and Dashade Sith fighter Khem Val. Keshk, a Grand Chieftain of the Flesh Raiders, wielded the weapon as well to fend off both the Jedi and the Sith.
BX-series droid commandos used Vibroswords during the Clone Wars and the Rise of the Empire era, and they looked to be rather effective against Galactic Republic Clone troopers. Despite their frequent use, the version used in the New Canon was ineffective against lightsabers.
They have also been efficient against droids, as seen by Hondo Ohnaka’s use of one against battle droids on Florrum when General Grievous stormed the planet while Ahsoka Tano and plenty of other Jedi younglings were on the surface.
Scavengers have also used the weapons after gathering from Trandoshan. Sapphire – a smuggler and operative from the era of the Rebel Alliance – also used a Vibrosword.
The Galactic Alliance Remnant’s elite Venom attack teams employed Vibroswords during boarding raids and other close-quarter combat circumstances during the Legacy era.
What is a Lightsaber?
The Lightsaber, or laser sword, was a unique weapon whose image was closely linked to the mythos of the Jedi Order and their opponents, the Sith.
A blade of pure plasma emitted from the hilt and suspended in a pressure containment field made up the weapon. The field surrounded the wielder in the tremendous warmth of the plasma, protecting him and allowing the blade to maintain its shape.
The wielder usually made his or her hilt to suit his or her own needs, preferences, and style. As a symbol of respect, the hilt was also made to look like his or her master’s Lightsaber.
A wielder requires a tremendous amount of energy and finesse to wield a lightsaber due to the weightlessness of plasma and the intense gyroscopic impact caused by it. In addition, it was extremely difficult for the untrained to attempt.
Differences between a Lightsaber and a Vibroblade.
In the Star Wars world, Vibroblades are the standard melee weapon. They have become more popular due to the widespread use of personal shields that deflect standard laser weapons. A Vibroblade is just a regular sword with a vibrating edge that does more damage than a regular blade.
On the other hand, force users normally use a lightsaber because it takes a Force-sensitive to build one. A non-Force user can wield a lightsaber, as seen in The Empire Strikes Back (and in multiple episodes of Star Wars: The Clone Wars). However, there is a significant skill gap compared to a Jedi or Sith.
A Lightsaber’s blade is super-heated energy capable of cutting through almost anything. This means that it usually cuts through almost anything by simply melting through it.
If we talk about Vibrosword vs Lightsaber, a Vibrosword’s minimum damage was approximately eight times higher than the minimum damage that a lightsaber could inflict. The condition here is that the blows were delivered with the same angles and intensity.
The maximum damage of the Vibrosword was eight times less than the maximum damage of the Lightsaber. And again, the same conditions as above would apply.
The main difference between a Vibrosword and a Lightsaber is that a Vibrosword would inflict Kinetic damage to the target. This was achieved by the fact that the blade would gain its unique properties by vibrating the blade’s edge at sub-light speeds.
A lightsaber would inflict heat and energy damage due to the properties of its blade. This meant that the blade would also cauterize wounds and cut through anything with ease, which reduced any chance of healing for the wound.
Can a Vibroblade block a Lightsaber?
In the New Canon, Vibroblades are not capable of blocking lightsabers and were nearly useless against them. This was because Vibroblades were nothing more than vibrating swords in the New Canon.
However, in the Legends Universe, any iteration of the Vibroblade came with a “Cortosis weave”, making them Lightsaber resistant. Cortosis was a lightsaber-resistant material, capable of shorting out lightsabers if they came into contact with them.
They are also basic swords that everyone can use, but lightsabers are unusually weighted and need some practice.
Cortosis became extremely expensive to mine as it got increasingly rare, and it required careful refinement.
Pure, unprocessed Cortosis ore was energized for unknown reasons, killing anyone who touched it with their naked skin, including Hutts with energy-resistant enzymes in their perspiration.
Cortosis ore was a very uncommon, brittle, fibrous mineral with electrical qualities that could cause lightsabers to short out quickly if they came into contact with it.
Cortosis became a useful material for anti-lightsaber melee weapons due to this impact, even though a lightsaber would still be able to cut through it with repeated attacks.
Why didn’t the Clones use Vibroblades against the Lightsaber wielders?
Cortosis is the substance that makes Vibroblades impervious to lightsabers in the comparison of Vibrosword vs Lightsaber.
The Jedi Council discovered the Confederacy of Independent Systems was mining cortosis on Bal’demnic during the Clone Wars and dispatched a task force led by Halagad Ventor and Sha Koon to disrupt the activity.
According to some fan’s theory, Vibroblades were unsuitable as a weapon against a Jedi since cortosis was largely unavailable. Since Jedi can deflect blaster bolts, blasters aren’t any better. At the very least, they put some distance between the user and the Jedi’s Lightsaber.
Jango Fett, for example, demonstrated how powerful blasters could be against a Jedi and how crucial it was to keep one’s distance from one. Finally, in most cases, Clone Troopers and Stormtroopers were not designed or allowed to attack Jedi. Until Order 66 that is, when they turned on the Jedi.
Why don’t Lightsabers cut through Vibroblades?
Melee weapons were designed with a cortosis weave in the Old Canon to deflect lightsabers.
A swordsman would not stand a chance against a force-sensitive lightsaber user. A large enough number of swordsmen, on the other hand, may push the challenge back. If the mercenaries are clever enough to employ Vibroblades instead of blasters, a Jedi may not defeat them easily.
Even though a barrage of repeating shots might pressurize a Jedi into fleeing or relying on stealth, Vibroblades still appear to be the best option in the battle of Vibrosword vs Lightsaber.