Lightsabers have always been an essential aspect of the Star Wars universe. In fact, they may very well be the most iconic and recognizable item from the galaxy far, far away. Ever since Luke Skywalker first ignited his father’s lightsaber in Obi-Wan Kenobi’s hut, Star Wars hasn’t stopped exploring all the variants of the humble weapon. The original trilogy solidified the most basic lightsaber colors and their meanings, but the prequel trilogy really started to experiment with cool and creative new lightsabers—such as Darth Maul’s iconic double-bladed lightsaber—much to the delight of the audience.
While the Star Wars movies have showcased some pretty cool lightsabers (like Kylo Ren’s crossguard saber), they have barely scratched the surface on the plethora of saber designs in the Star Wars universe. Both Star Wars canon and Legends have shown several intriguing hilt and saber designs. With seven lightsaber combat forms to choose from, many Jedi and Sith have crafted unique hilts to gain an advantage over opponents with standard sabers. Some offer much greater defensive capabilities than a regular saber, whereas others are designed for offense. And with more Star Wars movies on the way, viewers could very well see some of the coolest blades pop up in live-action soon.
15 Lightsaber Axe
One of the most famous wielders of a lightsaber axe was Darth Malgus from the Star Wars: The Old Republic video games. Malgus’ saber featured two sharp blades that jutted out toward the tip of the hilt, making it a brutal weapon even when it wasn’t activated. The axe head of the saber also added extra weight to the top of it, ensuring Malgus’ strikes were heavy and powerful.
14 Tonfa Lightsaber
Tonfa lightsabers—also known as guard shoto—have largely been forgotten and overlooked in Star Wars canon. The Tonfa lightsaber featured an extra handle protruding near the end of the hilt, which allowed the user to hold the saber backward, similarly to how Ahsoka holds her lightsabers. Maris Brood from the Star Wars: The Force Unleashed games was notable for wielding two tonfa lightsabers.
13 Umbrella Lightsaber
By far one of the most mind-boggling lightsaber modifications shown in Star Wars, the umbrella lightsaber (or lightsaber parasol) was first featured in Star Wars: Visions season 1, episode 1. In the episode, a Sith bandit leader named Kouru used a long staff which boasted several blades on the end. By spinning the umbrella-like end, Kouru effortlessly deflected dozens of blaster bolts from a Z-6 rotary minigun, proving her lightsaber as the ultimate defense.
12 Extendable Lightsaber
Another interesting lightsaber choice was one with an extendable hilt. Senya Tirall from Star Wars: The Old Republic expertly utilized the staff-like extension below her saber’s blade. With it, she was able to single-handely take down six guards (all armed with lightsabers of their own) in the Knights of the Eternal Throne “Betrayed” cinematic trailer.
11 Lightwhip
Lightwhips—also known as electro-whips—were first shown in The Clone Wars season 4, but have a long history in Star Wars Legends as one of the more dangerous variants of the lightsaber. While the electro-whips used by Zygerrian slavers in The Clone Wars did not actually cut victims, the lightwhip from Star Wars Legends did. The Sith Lumiya from Star Wars Legends owned a special kind of lightwhip with multiple strands coming out of the hilt, making it extra deadly in combat. Additionally, Am from Star Wars: Visions season 1, episode 3 wielded six lightwhips.
10 Lightsaber Blaster
Ezra Bridger’s first lightsaber broke Jedi tradition by adding a blaster attachment into the hilt of his saber, which many Jedi would have considered sacrilegious. Nevertheless, Bridger’s lightsaber blaster made sense as a transitionary blade for him, since he began Star Wars Rebels with little to no lightsaber training. He often defaulted to using the blaster portion to get an edge on ranged opponents or when he felt out of his depth with his lack of lightsaber skills.
9 Hinged Lightsaber
While a Sith vision of Rey was briefly seen wielding a hinged lightsaber in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, the Star Wars movies have yet to fully show its power. Umbaran Jedi Master Orla Jareni from The High Republic books and comics wielded a white hinged lightsaber, while Pong Krell from The Clone Wars season 4 owned two. The hinge allowed the wielder to easily fold and store the length of a double-bladed saber without it becoming cumbersome and long on one’s belt.
8 Lightsaber Gauntlet
In some unused concept art from Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, Jedi Master Plo Koon originally wielded a lightsaber gauntlet, which was reminiscent of Wolverine’s claws from the Marvel comics. In the art, Plo Koon showcases his gauntlet with two short green blades emitting from both sides of his fist. If a gauntlet like this is ever depicted in the Star Wars movies, it would be interesting to see how the user adapted their combat style for it.
7 Split Saber
The split saber had a unique connection at the base of two lightsabers, which allowed the wielder to connect them into a double-bladed lightsaber when they wished. Asajj Ventress in The Clone Wars was one of the most famous users of the split saber, and hers were notable for being curved. Keeve Trennis in The High Republic also wielded a green split saber, and Cal Kestis made use of a blue pair in the Star Wars Jedi: Survivor video game.
6 Curve-Bladed Lightsaber
Perhaps one of the rarest lightsaber variants of all, the curve-bladed lightsaber featured an unorthodox blade which was not straight. The Sith Lord Darth Noctyss wielded a sickle-bladed lightsaber. Furthermore, the former Sith Lola from Star Wars: Visions season 2, episode 1 had a slight curve to her unique red and yellow double-bladed lightsaber.
5 Lightsaber Pike
In the same vein as the curve-bladed lightsaber, some unused concept art for The Clone Wars showed a lightsaber pike unlike any other. During Darth Bane’s reveal at the end of The Clone Wars season 6, he almost wielded a long pike with a flat, axe-like lightsaber blade emitting from the end. For whatever reason, the showrunners cut this intriguing lightsaber design before The Clone Wars season 6’s release.
4 Lightsaber Staff
Similar to Kenya Tirall’s extendable lightsaber hilt, Darth Chratis from Star Wars: The Old Republic was a Sith Master who wielded an exceptionally long lightsaber staff. Not only did the sharp end of the hilt allow Chratis to stab his enemies, but the sheer length of the hilt gave him an enormous reach in battle. He was able to duel at a distance or up close depending on the opponent he was facing.
3 Folding Crossguard Lightsaber
Jedi Master Stellan Gios in The High Republic wielded an improved and rare crossguard lightsaber which folded when not in use. Like the hinged lightsaber, this allowed it to be stored easily without the quillons poking out on the user’s belt. Unlike Kylo Ren’s crossguard, Gios’ also featured physical protection from the lightsaber quillons, ensuring he never accidentally sliced his hands while wielding it.
2 Protosaber
In Star Wars Legends, one of the earliest lightsaber designs was the protosaber. Due to the technical limitations of the era, ancient Jedi needed to carry around battery packs connected to their sabers in order to keep them running. In other words, lightsabers needed to constantly be plugged and charging. It will be interesting to see if James Mangold’s new Dawn of the Jedi Era film (set 25,000 years before the Skywalker saga) revisits the idea of the protosaber.
1 Overcharged Lightsaber
In Star Wars: Visions season 1, episode 3, a Force-sensitive named Karre was able to overcharge his lightsaber using an exceptionally powerful kyber crystal fragment. Not only did the crystal make his blade multi-hued, but it extended it far longer than any traditional blade. Karre’s overcharged lightsaber allowed him to slice an Imperial Star Destroyer clean in half, making it possibly the most powerful lightsaber ever shown in Star Wars.
