Star Wars’ new Jedi has a purple lightsaber, further establishing that Mace Windu’s lightsaber was not that unique. The High Republic Era is allowing Star Wars to explore the Jedi at a very different time compared to the movies. While the vast majority of High Republic content has been for novels and comics, Star Wars is slowly bringing this unique era into the TV shows.
Mace Windu’s purple lightsaber from Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones was the very first purple lightsaber in the Star Wars franchise. Since then, Star Wars has introduced a few other Jedi who also used a purple blade, both in Legends and in the current canon. Now, Lys Solay joins the list of Star Wars characters who built their lightsaber out of a purple kyber crystal.
Purple Lightsabers Were More Common In The High Republic Era
Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures’ Lys Solay is the most recent example of Jedi who had a purple lightsaber in the current Star Wars canon. Lys is one of the Jedi Younglings introduced in Young Jedi Adventures, which sees Master Yoda training a new generation of Jedi during the High Republic Era. There is no particular story-related reason for Lys Solay to have a purple lightsaber, but the color matches the character’s hair and eyes. It is interesting to see a new Jedi character wielding a purple lightsaber in a Star Wars TV show, though, as those are the absolute exception.
In terms of movies and shows, Windu remained the only Jedi to have used a purple lightsaber for years. In 2020, the Jedi Temple Challenge game show brought Ahmed Best as Kelleran Beq, a Jedi Master who used a purple lightsaber. While the scripted portion of Jedi Temple Challenge is loosely canon, Star Wars changed Kelleran Beq’s lightsaber color for The Mandalorian. That said, in terms of Star Wars canon, purple lightsabers were indeed more common in the High Republic Era. The Jedi Kyber Arch introduced in Star Wars: The High Republic’s multimedia project suggested that there were once as many purple lightsabers in the galaxy as there were greens.
What Does A Purple Lightsaber Reveal About A Jedi?
In Legends, Star Wars’ purple lightsabers were associated with an idea of balance, something that existed between the light and the dark side of the Force. Purple is the combination of blue and red, after all. However, in the current Star Wars canon, the only lightsaber colors that have a more special meaning behind them are red and white. Red lightsabers come to be after a kyber crystal is bled, while white lightsabers only happen when a kyber crystal is purified. In addition, in Disney’s Star Wars canon, a kyber crystal only takes on a specific color after it connects to a Jedi.
The origin of Star Wars’ purple lightsabers is much less complicated than the in-universe mechanics of kyber crystals. During the making of Attack of the Clones, Samuel L. Jackson asked George Lucas if he could have a different lightsaber color from all the other Jedi, purple. Though Lucas was initially keen that lightsabers only came in blue, red, and green, Mace Windu was eventually given a purple lightsaber in post-production. Mace Windu’s purple lightsaber indirectly led to other unique lightsaber colors joining the Star Wars universe, such as yellow and white.
