Lightsabers have always come in a variety of different colors and styles. Having been one of the most unique weapons ever seen on TV, everyone who has watched the Star Wars films has usually been left mesmerized by their hues and designs.
Lightsabers that have been most commonly seen on screen have had three major colors. Jedi have usually used blue or green lightsabers, which represent their association to the light side of the Force.
On the other hand, the Sith have been known to use red lightsabers to represent both their evil intent and the fact that they were aligned with the dark side of the Force.
The Guardians, who focus on mastering fighting and becoming warriors, are the ones that use blue the most. In battle, those who have joined the dark side, most notably Sith Lords, wield crimson lightsabers.
However, in the wider Star Wars world, there are many more colors of lightsabers to choose from. In this wider universe, one of the two rarest colors to ever be seen is the Yellow lightsaber. This is what they imply.
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Yellow Lightsabers, What Do They Mean?
In essence, the color of a lightsaber indicates something about the wielder’s personality. The Kyber crystals needed to produce lightsabers start colorless, according to Lucasfilm’s Pablo Hidalgo.
Only when the crystals have been gathered and a relationship between the crystal and the saber’s owner has been created during the weapon’s development does it take on color.
There was even a time when a yellow saber was created from an unstable red saber crystal, which Jedi Jaden Korr purified and transformed yellow, giving him his third lightsaber.
Sentinels and Yellow Lightsabers
The yellow lightsaber, like the blue and green lightsabers, is linked to one of the Jedi Order’s most prominent schools of thought: the Sentinels (via Ultra Sabers).
According to Star Wars history, the Sentinels want to strike a balance between the Consulars and the Guardians, as well as learn more practical things like tracking methods and espionage. Sentinels, unlike certain other members of the Jedi Order, understand that the Force isn’t always the best answer.
Yellow Lightsabers Throughout Star Wars
In the show, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, we are exposed to a variety of new lightsaber colors and variations of already existing ones. One of the major reveals is of the yellow lightsabers at the ends of the staffs of the Guards of the Jedi Temple.
The Temple Guards use double-bladed yellow sabers, similar to Darth Maul’s dual-ended red weapon before it was severed in two. These lightsabers do not belong to the Temple Guards individually, but rather to the role they occupy.
There was also a moment in time when a yellow lightsaber was spotted in the hands of Asajj Ventress, Count Dooku’s former apprentice and assassin for hire. And while she claimed to have found it on the black market, other factors could be at play here.
Ventress’ blade was identical to the Jedi’s, as opposed to the Temple Guard’s pikes, which had a more blade-like aspect. Ahsoka Tano, Anakin Skywalker’s Padawan pupil, is another Star Wars figure who is reported to have used a yellow lightsaber.
In Star Wars: The Clone Wars, George Lucas opposed the concept of Ahsoka wielding a full-on yellow saber, but Ahsoka’s mostly green blade was tweaked to give off a little yellow glow.
Throughout the nine-film Skywalker Saga, Luke Skywalker has used both his iconic green lightsaber and the historical blue lightsaber that previously belonged to his father, Anakin Skywalker.
But, in the Marvel Comics Collection from 2020, Luke was shown to also have had a yellow lightsaber that was rarely seen, even in the comics. Sadly, those comics do not count as canon anymore.
A yellow lightsaber was seen on screen for the first time ever in the closing scenes of the ninth Star Wars movie, titled The Rise of Skywalker.
In the final scene of the movie, just before the credits roll, we see Rey ignite her new lightsaber on screen for the first time ever. The ignition chamber sparks in a multitude of colors before finally settling on one and producing a yellow-colored blade.
What Do Purple Lightsabers Mean?
The violet-colored blade was first brought to the franchise when actor Samuel L. Jackson requested a lightsaber in his favorite hue from Star Wars creator George Lucas. And how often does Samuel L. Jackson not get what he wants?
When it comes to lightsaber colors in the Star Wars universe, purple stands out the most and has always been instantly recognizable as belonging to Mace Windu.
They were not as popular as their green, red, yellow, and blue cousins. While the other colors’ associations are well-known, the purple lightsaber’s history and origins are less well-known.
The color and tint of a lightsaber are strongly linked to the wielder’s individuality. Purple is usually used to represent a mix of blue, which is a light side color, and red, which is a dark side color.
Like we mentioned above, blue was a color inherently used by the Jedi and represented peace and order in the galaxy. The purple coloring alludes to moral ambiguity, reconstruction, and rehabilitation; and perhaps a certain distance from the strict morals of the light side of the Force.
Those who wielded a purple lightsaber exhibit characteristics like unpredictability, tremendous energy, and an unwavering commitment to completing whatever task they are given.
Isolation, sympathy, and compassion are also typical characteristics among purple lightsaber wielders. Users of the purple lightsaber usually like to work alone, with Mace Windu being the obvious exception given his ranking as a Jedi Master.
Purple Lightsabers Throughout Star Wars
Purple lightsaber duelists have a reputation for having exceptional foresight and anticipation, frequently approaching risky situations with power and meaningful attacks. They are people who are aware of their genuine selves yet are easily influenced by their emotions and fury.
These warriors periodically lose control while balancing the delicate mix of patience and chaos. When it comes to fighting, these duelists are hungry for fame, and their level of enthusiasm reaches new heights in the heat of battle.
They embrace the wrath of war, as seen by their actions during a battle.
Purple lightsabers are best suited for persons who move with rapidly developing strikes, laden with intense and adaptive maneuvers, in terms of combat style. These warriors rely on their Force talents to overcome their foes, in addition to their hand-to-hand fighting capabilities.
Their fighting repertory includes Force-adjusted lightsaber swings, Force-pushes, and Force-assisted lightsaber throws. The purple crystals that power these lightsabers carry a degree of strength that permits the Jedi to push their physical and mental barriers to new heights not seen with other colors of lightsabers.
As a result, their lightsaber combat technique necessitated a considerably higher level of mental concentration and emotional expression. Even though purple lightsaber wielders were used to this, the tranquility on the exterior belied the tempest within.
Purple lightsabers were most usually discovered on the planet Hurikane, as opposed to other lightsaber crystals that were regularly found on the planet Ilum and other parts of the galaxy.
Purple lightsaber crystals were prized for their rarity as well as their universally acknowledged majesty and beauty. The most infamous purple lightsaber holder, a Jedi named Mace Windu, got his crystal on Hurikane.
During his visit to the planet, Windu killed one of the planet’s natives after a long pursuit. He utilized his Force talents to recreate the creature after finding he had murdered one of the indigenous species.
Windu was given his purple lightsaber crystal after displaying his kindness to the species, which he utilized as his weapon of choice for years. Windu’s lightsaber is a sign of tenacity, resolve immense mental power, and goodwill.
A Comparison of Yellow and Purple Lightsabers
| Features of a Purple Lightsaber | Features of a Yellow Lightsaber |
| Extremely rare | Extremely rare |
| Generally made by crushing blue and red crystals and crystals found on planet Hurikane | Generally made with of kyber crystals |
| Represents great knowledge of both, the light and the dark side | Represents the Sentinels mainly |
The meaning behind both of these lightsabers is quite interesting and viewers have had to wait a long time for it to be released, according to the non-canonical realm of Star Wars, the sentinels have been seen utilizing yellow lightsabers.
Now, the Sentinels are those among the Order who believe that the Force isn’t the solution to everything. They have a more practical school of thought than the Consulars and the Guardians, and try to seek some sort of balance among these two.
The Sentinels believe that other aspects of life, more practical ones like espionage and tracking techniques, should be things one shall educate others about. There aren’t many sentinels left since the fall of the Jedi, and those who exist try to remain hidden. A theory suggests that this is why the yellow-colored lightsabers are considered rare.
The color purple is a combination of red and blue, which historically represent the dark and light side. The wielder of a purple lightsaber may exhibit unpredictable tendencies and bursts of energy (Mace Windu being a perfect example).
Those who wield these powerful weapons are usually alone in the galaxy, who prefer it that way to indulge in meditation and find out the true purpose of their lives.
It is hard to say which lightsaber is better than the other because it is not that simple. In the vast and fascinating universe of Star Wars, nothing is set in stone. The color of a lightsaber is also based on the personality of its wielder, generally, a kyber crystal is white.
So it can be said that the color represents what type of Jedi the wielder might be, but then again, one color does not have only meaning.
Conclusion
Purple lightsaber duelists have a reputation for having exceptional foresight and anticipation, frequently approaching risky situations with power and meaningful attacks, whereas those who wield yellow lightsabers are mainly protectors of the cause of the Jedi.
The meaning of the yellow lightsaber is quite hard to pin down, but in general, it represents practicality, independence from the usual like of Jedi, and balance.