A new Star Wars show introduced a new kind of lightsaber that breaks all the rules of the franchise’s most iconic weapon. Lightsabers have long been one of the most iconic parts of the Star Wars movies and shows, ever since Luke first ignited one in the original Star Wars in 1977. Though they’ve been around for nearly half a century, lightsabers have gone through a significant number of changes over the years.
Behind the scenes, the technology used to make lightsabers work has changed drastically, from rotoscoping to CGI to practical, LED-powered blades. In-universe, Star Wars has also revealed quite a bit about the favorite weapons of the Jedi and the Sith. Over the years, Star Wars has given fans more information about the kyber crystals that power lightsabers, new lightsaber versions like Darth Maul’s double-bladed weapon, detailed lightsaber forms and fighting styles, and several new lightsaber colors.
Even with all the changes Star Wars has made to lightsabers over the years, the franchise has never completely changed the basic rules governing them. Most importantly, lightsabers still have a set color now, just as they did nearly 50 years ago. It is now possible to change the color of a lightsaber through the process of kyber crystal bleeding or purification, but Star Wars has ensured that remains a difficult and rare process. Recently, however, a new show changed that core rule of lightsabers by introducing a new blade that can and does change colors frequently.
The Ninth Jedi Introduced Color-Changing Lightsabers To Star Wars
Image via Disney+
The Star Wars: Visions spinoff series The Ninth Jedi introduced a new kind of lightsaber to Star Wars that can change color automatically. The Ninth Jedi, along with its prequel episodes in Visions, is not canon and instead occupies a standalone continuity. In that continuity, lightsabers crafted by Lah Zhima have kyber crystals that automatically attune themselves to the person wielding the blade.
Because the kyber crystals of The Ninth Jedi are attuned to their wielder, they change color to reflect the user’s heart and alignment in the Force. When a Sith wields one, the blade turns red, while Jedi get the classic blue, green, and purple blades. When a Jedi is seduced by the dark side, as Lah Kara was in The Ninth Jedi, the blade can shift from green to red in real-time to reflect the user’s emotional state. The Ninth Jedi even includes silver lightsabers to reflect emotional clarity and emptiness.
The Ninth Jedi and its color-changing lightsabers directly clash with established Star Wars lore. As previously mentioned, the only way to change a lightsaber’s color in canon — without replacing the crystal within — is by either bleeding a kyber crystal to red by pouring hatred and (usually) blood into it or by purifying a red crystal back to white. Both bleeding and purification take significant, deliberate effort to pull off, however, and they certainly don’t change color automatically based on the wielder’s intent.
While The Ninth Jedi does change the way lightsabers work in Star Wars, it’s not canon. As previously mentioned, The Ninth Jedi exists in a separate continuity. Color-changing lightsabers aren’t a retcon, they’re a hypothetical situation that this spinoff story is based upon. It’s a fun idea to have lightsabers essentially act as mood rings that can expose a secret Sith or highlight a character’s corruption, and The Ninth Jedi handles it extremely well thematically, but it’s not a lore-breaking crisis.
Star Wars Has Toyed With Color-Changing Lightsabers Before, But Never In Canon
The Ninth Jedi‘s color-changing lightsabers are unique, but they’re not the first-ever example of color-changing blades in Star Wars. Notably, the video games Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order and Jedi: Survivor allow Cal Kestis to do some very in-depth customization with his lightsaber’s color. In Fallen Order, Cal could choose what color his new kyber crystal became by refracting light through it, while Survivor even includes a “party mode” that cycles through available colors every time the saber is swung.
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Upcoming Star Wars Movies & Shows |
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Ahsoka Season 2 |
January 20, 2027 |
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Star Wars: Starfighter |
May 28, 2027 |
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Maul – Shadow Lord Season 2 |
TBA |
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New Jedi Order |
TBA |
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Simon Kinberg’s Trilogy |
TBA |
It’s heavily implied in both Fallen Order andSurvivor , however , that Cal can’t actually change his lightsaber’s color at will . The customization options are just a game feature for the player’s enjoyment ; in canon , Cal’s lightsaber is blue and remains blue throughout his journey . Star Wars canon , as a whole , isn’t interested in lightsabers that can change color at will or without some great effort like bleeding or purifying .
That also means that The Ninth Jedi remains the only<em> Star Wars</em> story , canon or otherwise , where color-changing lightsabers play a central role in the story itself . Cal’s changing lightsaber has no effect whatsoever on Fallen Order or Survivor , but Lah Kara’s changing lightsaber means a great deal to The Ninth Jedi and her journey to understanding the Force and defeating Nawaam .
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