Why Did Luke Use His Father’s Lightsaber Instead of His Own Green Lightsaber in the Battle Against Kylo Ren?

Everyone knows Luke Skywalker and his iconic green lightsaber—the weapon that helped him become a legendary Jedi and bring down the Empire. But when I watched The Last Jedi and saw Luke face off against Kylo Ren on Crait, something caught my attention immediately. He wasn’t wielding his famous green blade. Instead, he appeared with Anakin’s blue lightsaber—the same weapon that had been destroyed earlier in the film.

At first, it seemed like an odd choice, maybe even a mistake. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized this was one of the most brilliant psychological moves Luke ever made. Let me explain why this detail is so much more important than it might seem.

Kylo Ren and His Obsession with Darth Vader

We’ve seen it since the beginning—Kylo Ren wasn’t just inspired by Darth Vader. He was consumed by him. It wasn’t admiration. It was fixation. He didn’t just wear the mask—he believed he was the one meant to finish what Vader started.

And in Kylo’s eyes, Vader didn’t fail because he fell to the dark side. He failed because he turned back. That’s the moment Kylo swore he’d never repeat. His entire identity was built around doing what Anakin couldn’t—embrace the darkness fully.

This obsession didn’t come out of nowhere. In The Rise of Skywalker, we learn that Palpatine had been manipulating Kylo for years, using Vader’s voice through Snoke to pull him deeper. So when Kylo talked to that charred mask in The Force Awakens, he wasn’t just lost—he was being guided by the same evil that once turned Anakin.

And if we go deeper into the comics, specifically Star Wars: Legacy of Vader, we see that Kylo even visited Vader’s castle on Mustafar, searching for answers. He wanted to understand Vader’s power. He believed there was more to learn—more that had been hidden.

Moreover, Kylo’s belief that he is the rightful heir to Vader’s legacy is evident in The Force Awakens. When he confronts Finn, who wields Anakin’s lightsaber, Kylo declares, “That lightsaber… it belongs to me,” underscoring his sense of entitlement and personal connection to Vader’s weapon.

Kylo’s obsession is not solely self-driven; it is also the result of manipulation by external forces. In The Rise of Skywalker, it is revealed that Emperor Palpatine had been influencing Kylo Ren by imitating the voices of Vader and Snoke, further entrenching his descent into darkness.

Why Luke Used the Blue Lightsaber Instead of His Green One

When Luke steps onto the battlefield on Crait, he’s not holding his green lightsaber—the one we’ve seen him use since Return of the Jedi. Instead, he shows up with Anakin’s blue lightsaber—the same one that had just been torn apart in front of Kylo and Rey.

That choice wasn’t random. Director Rian Johnson explained that Luke used the blue lightsaber intentionally to have “maximum effect” on Kylo Ren. He tailored his Force projection to exploit Kylo’s rage and sense of entitlement over the weapon, aiming to unbalance him by reminding him of his failures and heightening his emotional reaction.

“He’s basically tailoring this projection to have maximum effect on Kylo,” the director shared with IGN. “He knows that Kylo’s Achilles heel is his rage, and so that’s why he kind of makes himself look younger, the way Kylo would’ve last seen him in their confrontation at the temple, and that’s why he decided to bring Kylo’s grandfather’s lightsaber down there—the lightsaber that Kylo screamed at Rey, ‘That’s mine, that belongs to me.’”

Johnson went on to explain that Luke’s green lightsaber wouldn’t have had the same impact. It wasn’t about which blade was stronger—it was about which symbol would hit Kylo where it hurt.

Earlier in The Last Jedi, Kylo and Rey fought over that saber, pulling it apart in a Force struggle. Kylo was knocked unconscious by the explosion and never saw what happened to it. So when he sees Luke holding it again, fully intact, his emotions spike—confusion, rage, doubt. That moment of hesitation is exactly what Luke needed.

It wasn’t about combat. Luke wasn’t there to win a fight. He was there to stall, to distract, and to give the Resistance time to escape. And he knew the best way to keep Kylo fixated was to walk out with the one object that would throw him completely off balance.

That blue lightsaber symbolized everything Kylo thought belonged to him. Seeing Luke with it wasn’t just frustrating—it shattered his sense of control. And without control, Kylo couldn’t think clearly, let alone lead.

Luke knew what that weapon meant to Kylo. He weaponized the symbol, not the blade. And that’s what won the standoff.

The Master’s Final Lesson

Luke knew the weapon Kylo would react to. He knew the version of himself Kylo would expect. And he used both to win—without fighting at all.

That’s the heart of this moment. It wasn’t about power. It was about clarity.

Luke didn’t come to Crait as a warrior. He came as a teacher, one last time. While the galaxy watched, he reminded everyone—especially Ben—that being a Jedi was never about domination. It was about understanding your enemy and rising above hatred.

The blue lightsaber wasn’t just a symbol from the past. It was Luke’s final teaching tool, and in using it, he gave the galaxy a new legend.