Throughout the sequels, and the course of Star Wars in general, we realized that lightsabers are more than just the pop culture icons they are perceived as. In the Star Wars universe, a lightsaber is just as important as the person wielding it.
Over time, these weapons turned from mere laser swords into marks of identification. Lightsabers were unique to each Jedi, and throughout the Galaxy, a lightsaber’s design was used to identify who it belonged to in case it was ever lost.
And while both factors mentioned above were true for the Prequel Trilogy and the time of the High Republic, it was not as accurate after the rise of the Empire. This was mainly due to Order 66 and the execution of most, if not all, of the Jedi in the Galaxy.
In the years to follow, the art of lightsaber creation was all but forgotten and would not make a comeback on the big screen. Throughout the Sequel Trilogy, we were able to count the number of lightsabers present on one hand.
This fact remains important because lightsabers had stopped being a mark of identification and had returned to being nothing more than an elegant weapon (from a more civilized time). This was mainly due to one character having more than one lightsaber at different points in the story.
So, one of the major questions about the main protagonist, Rey, is how many lightsabers she has used throughout the Sequel Trilogy.
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How many lightsabers has Rey had throughout the movies?
From the middle act of Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens, to the ending scene of Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker, we see a total of six lightsabers on screen.
Out of these six, four have belonged to Rey exclusively and there is one more that she wielded for a limited amount of time. Let us get into the details of all the lightsabers that Rey has had throughout the movies.
1. The Skywalker Family Lightsaber
This lightsaber was the first lightsaber that Rey wielded throughout the Sequel Trilogy and is coincidentally also the lightsaber that she uses the most throughout the movies. She acquires it during the second act of The Force Awakens.
Originally belonging to Anakin Skywalker—and later used by his son, Luke Skywalker—this lightsaber was attached to some of the most influential Jedi in the Galaxy. The lightsaber called to Rey when she found it, and it was first used by Finn before Rey claimed it.
This lightsaber was also a major point of disagreement between Rey and Kylo Ren, with Ren believing that the lightsaber belonged to him due to his heritage and the fact that he was a Skywalker by blood.
Rey would end up using the lightsaber to defeat Ren in the forests of Ilum (then turned Starkiller Base) and would take the lightsaber to Luke Skywalker on Ahch-To. She would then train under Luke with this lightsaber and continue to use it throughout Episode VIII: The Last Jedi.
The lightsaber would eventually break after Ren and Rey held onto it using the Force and refused to let go. Rey would then repair the lightsaber due to it being her only weapon and would use it throughout Episode IX before giving it to Ben Solo during their fight with Darth Sidious.
2. Leia Organa’s Lightsaber
The second lightsaber that Rey would use in the Sequel Trilogy was first introduced in The Rise of Skywalker during a flashback scene. This scene took place when Leia told Rey that she had also trained with Luke to become a Jedi.
The scene showed us how Leia trained with Luke to become a Jedi in the time between Return of The Jedi and The Force Awakens. It also showed us how she gave up her training to become a Senator like her mother, and how she gave her lightsaber to Luke so that someone else could use it later.
This someone else turned out to be Rey, who, after Leia’s death in The Rise of Skywalker, found her lightsaber buried in a wall on Ahch-To. Rey would then take the lightsaber with her to Exegol to fight Palpatine.
Rey would initially use the Skywalker lightsaber after her arrival on Exegol and would not reveal that she had a second lightsaber. But when her connection with Ben Solo showed her that he did not have a weapon, she would give the Skywalker lightsaber to him and use Leia’s weapon herself.
The lightsaber’s blade was blue, matching the Skywalker lightsaber and showing how Ben Solo and Rey were now on the same side. Rey would eventually use both lightsabers to defeat Palpatine.
Leia’s lightsaber shared the same fate as the Skywalker lightsaber. Rey would opt to bury both inside the sands of Tatooine, outside the Skywalker farm that was once owned by Owen and Beru Lars. This was the same farm where Luke grew up in Episode IV: A New Hope.
3. Kylo Ren’s Lightsaber
While the name itself suggests otherwise, one of the many lightsabers that Rey used was the iconic red lightsaber owned by the infamous Kylo Ren. Ren’s lightsaber had a unique design, given its cross-guard hilt and the instability of the blade due to the cracked Kyber Crystal.
Rey would use the lightsaber on two separate occasions throughout the sequel trilogy. The first occasion was in Episode VIII: The Last Jedi, and the next time she would use it (albeit very briefly) is in Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker.
During the famous throne room scene from The Last Jedi, just before the death of Supreme Leader Snoke, Rey uses the Force to pull Kylo Ren’s lightsaber toward herself. The attempt, however, is unsuccessful and Kylo Ren gets his lightsaber back almost instantly.
The second time she uses the lightsaber is on Kef Bir during her fight with Kylo Ren. As Ren is about to defeat Rey and strike her down, Leia uses the last of her strength to speak to Ren through the Force. This creates an opening for Rey who disarms Ren and uses his lightsaber to deliver a fatal blow by stabbing him through the stomach.
Both these occasions, although short and fleeting, count as moments that Rey would use Kylo Ren’s lightsaber and hence allow that lightsaber to be on this list.
4. Rey Skywalker’s Yellow Lightsaber
At the end of Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker, we see Rey bury two lightsabers deep inside the sands of Tatooine. The two lightsabers in question are the Skywalker family lightsaber and Leia Organa’s lightsaber.
The burial of these lightsabers was the starting point of a new era of Jedi that would begin after Rey. The beginning was marked by the ignition of Rey’s newest lightsaber, which was one that she could call truly her own.
The lightsaber was crafted out of the iconic staff that she had in Episode VII: The Force Awakens. The staff was cut short, and the hilt of Rey’s new lightsaber was heavily inspired by the design of the staff.
This lightsaber, although never wielded on-screen, was iconic for being the first-ever Yellow-Orange lightsaber in a Star Wars movie. The lightsaber was also made available in Star Wars Battlefront II as part of the “Jedi Knight” skin for Rey.
The lightsaber had an extremely unique look to it, with the black hilt and yellow blade, it stood out against Tatooine’s setting suns. The lightsaber also featured a rotating ignition switch, instead of the normal flick switch.
Despite being the one lightsaber that Rey never fought with, it was the first lightsaber that was truly her own, which is why it is on this list.
5. Rey Palpatine’s Sith Lightsaber
For a moment in Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker, when Rey visited the ruins of the crashed Second Death Star, she had a vision of a possible future where she took the title of Empress and rose to claim the throne of the Sith.
It was this version of Rey that had her own extremely unique lightsaber. Her lightsaber was representative of the fact that she had fallen to the Dark Side of the Force with its blood-red hue, but that was not the only thing that set it apart from the others on this list.
The lightsaber was foldable and had two blades. The hilt would be in a folded state when it was used in a single blade form but would fold open and snap into place when the second blade needed to be ignited.
This lightsaber, albeit an illusion, was one of the coolest designs ever seen on screen. The lightsaber was the same length as Rey’s original scavenger staff, which kept her combat style in mind.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Rey has had a lot of lightsabers throughout the sequels. Some of the lightsabers she has wielded include fan favorites such as Anakin Skywalker’s Youngling Slayer 9000, Kylo Ren’s iconic crossguard lightsaber, and unique designs such as both of Rey’s lightsabers.