Over the course of the Star Wars series, Obi-Wan Kenobi used three different lightsabers. All three lightsabers had a blue plasma blade which makes it hard to tell his lightsabers apart just by color. In fact, the only way to tell the lightsabers apart is by paying attention to the hilt of the saber.
Each lightsaber was lost during a different, pivotal battle in the series. This makes it easier to track the loss of each lightsaber and recognize when a new one has been introduced. Each lightsaber Obi-Wan wields is a sign of a new start for him and the ending of a pivotal battle.
Obi-Wan’s lightsaber is arguably the most important weapon in the movie series; second only to the Skywalker saber. It is also one of the most recognizable weapons in pop culture history and seems to be on track to going down in history as one of the most iconic weapons ever created in a film. Obviously, this is a weapon that deserves a paper as well as recorded history.
These movies created one of the biggest fandoms to ever exist. They have lasted generations and the new movies continue to bring in crowds and change the course of television history. Obi-Wan Kenobi’s lightsaber changed the world and we will always remember the moment that signature blue blade flashed across the screen for the first time.
There are going to be spoilers in this paper so if you are one of the three people that does not know anything about Starwars read with caution. Obi-Wan Kenobi is one of the most important characters in the Star Wars franchise and his weapon changed the movies and the world. Here is a summarized history of Obi-Wan Kenobi and his legendary lightsaber.
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Obi-Wan’s First Lightsaber
Obi-Wan’s first lightsaber is introduced in the first movie of the prequel trilogy, The Phantom Menace. In this movie, Obi-Wan is still an apprentice studying under his master Qui-Gon Jinn. As a result, this lightsaber was almost exactly the same as the saber Qui-Gon wielded.
It was a relatively simple lightsaber that Obi-Wan would have made when he was a Padawan to Qui-Gon. The design is mostly silver with a few black spots to add a little more detail to the lightsaber. The blade is, of course, blue as all of Obi-Wan’s sabers are.
This lightsaber is lost in the first movie of the prequel trilogy. During the final battle with Darth Maul, this blade was kicked down a shaft never to be seen again. Obi-Wan was left hanging down the same generator shaft he lost his saber to holding on only to a power node.
Obi-Wan lost his master Qui-Gon to this battle as well as the lightsaber he created to match his masters is a show of respect. This scene shows a turning point in the life of Obi-Wan Kenobi as he is forced to kill the Sith Lord Darth Maul with his dead master’s lightsaber. Obviously this is a large feat for Obi-Wan and sets his future as a Jedi Knight into action.
The symbolism of Obi-Wan taking his master’s blade is likely to show Obi-Wan becoming the new master of Anakin. It also represents Obi-Wan’s move from a Padawan to a Jedi Knight himself. Though this lightsaber only lasted the majority of one movie, it made a large statement in the series and moved the plot forward through its loss.
This first blade is how we are introduced to Obi-Wan in the prequel trilogy. All of the first battles he fights are with a blade that matches his master’s and serves him well. That makes this an important, if not a memorable, weapon in the series.
Kenobi’s Second Lightsaber
This is the lightsaber that Obi-Wan wielded as a Jedi Knight. It, of course, has Obi-Wan’s signature blue plasma blade which is the only kind of lightsaber we see Obi-Wan wield in movies. This is the lightsaber that had the shortest life span in the movies but saw quite a lot of action.
The second lightsaber was a bit sleeker than Obi-Wan’s original saber, though it does look very similar. It is the same silver with black details, though the shaft is thinner and taller than the original lightsaber. It also has a very different neck that the lightsaber comes out of, it begins to resemble the final lightsaber Obi-Wan wields.
Obi-Wan uses this lightsaber for the majority of the second movie in the prequel trilogy, Attack of the Clones. This includes his trip to see the clones for the first time, the bounty hunter chase, in the Outlander Club, and his battle with the legendary bounty hunter Jango Fett. That means that even though this saber was not in the movies for long, it was used quite often and saw a lot of action.
The loss of this lightsaber is due to the Sith Lord, Count Dooku. When Obi-Wan was captured by Count Dooku his lightsaber was taken and he never got it back. What was done with it when it was taken is unknown as it was not seen again in the series which adds to the growing pile of lost Jedi lightsabers that are just floating around the Galaxy somewhere.
After Obi-Wan, Anakin, and Padme escape the ties they were put into by Dooku’s minions Obi-Wan continues to fight without a lightsaber. It is not until the rest of the Jedi order show up to fight Dooku that one of the Jedi throws Obi-Wan a lightsaber to fight with for the final battle of the movie. This borrowed weapon is the last lightsaber Obi-Wan is seen with during the second movie of the prequel trilogy.
It is not a blade that counts as Obi-Wans’ as it was borrowed only for the end of one movie. It did, however, serve him well as he fought the final battle of the movie with this borrowed weapon. It was the blue that he seems to favor and it did save his life even if it did not belong to him.
Obi-Wan Kanobi’s Final Lightsaber
The last lightsaber Obi-Wan Kanobi is ever seen with is the one he fights with during The Clone Wars. It is, in chronological order, seen first in the movie Revenge Of The Sith. This weapon seems to be a departure from Obi-Wan’s first two lightsabers that we see in the previous movies in the prequel trilogy.
Obviously, this is the most pivotal lightsaber the Obi-Wan wields as it is the weapon that he uses to defeat Anakin and the weapon he is using when he is killed by Darth Vader. It is also the only lightsaber used by Obi-Wan that lasted more than one movie. This shows how important this lightsaber is to the plot of the movies, both the prequels and the original trilogy.
This lightsaber is the one that Obi-Wan constructed after being promoted to a Jedi Master. The blade itself remains the same bright blue that Obi-Wan prefers, but the hilt is quite different from the first two lightsabers. This weapon has more black than silver, it also has a couple of touches of gold that the first two weapons didn’t have.
We get to see this saber in many different battles against great enemies. This is the blade that fought Anakin, this is the blade that showed Luke who Obi-Wan truly was, and it is the last weapon that Obi-Wan ever used. Overall, that makes this one of the most pivotal weapons in the StarWars series.
Obi-Wan’s lightsaber is the first introduction audiences ever had to the weapon that would change cinema forever. This is the first lightsaber we ever got to see which makes it special for anyone who loves the Star Wars franchise. That is why it is so important that we remember Obi-Wan’s lightsaber and all of the things it made happen in the movies.
The last time we really see this blade is when Obi-Wan sacrifices himself for Luke in the first movie of the original trilogy. Obi-Wan holds up this iconic lightsaber and prepares to lose a fight against a boy he raised so that Luke can escape and have a chance at defeating Darth Vader. A fitting and heroic end for one of the most iconic weapons in cinema history.
After Obi-Wan’s death, Luke models his own lightsaber after his fallen master’s. Just like Obi-Wan’s first weapon looked like Qui-Gon’s, so too does Luke’s look like Obi-Wan’s. This is a sign of respect and reminds the audience throughout the series how much Luke respected Obi-Wan and how much of an impact the Jedi Master had on his Padawan.
This is the lightsaber that changed movie history as we knew it into what we know it now. It launched one of the most successful franchises of both movies and toys to ever exist. That is why it is so important we remember this lightsaber as the legendary weapon it was.
How Lightsabers Are Made
All lightsabers are powered by a Diatium power cell that is hidden away in the hilt of the lightsaber. The hilt is often where most of the individual style of a lightsaber comes in, but its only functional purpose is a grip and to hide the power conductor of the weapon itself. The Diatium power cell is what gives the lightsaber the heat it needs to cut through things in the clean way lightsabers are known for achieving.
This, of course, does not account for the different colors of each blade. That is due to the individual stone that can be found in every lightsaber. A Kyber crystal is essential in every lightsaber and the color of the crystal dictates the color of the blade. A lightsaber would not be able to work without the very powerful crystal found inside.
Kyber crystals are force attuned rocks that can be found on very specific planets throughout the galaxy. These crystal seem to have quite a lot of their own energy and give more to the lightsaber than just color and a mission. The Kyber crystal is an essential part of every lightsaber whether it is for a Sith or a Jedi.
Padawans are sent to get their own crystals from an ice planet as part of their training and so they can build their first lightsaber. Apparently, because Kyber crystals are attuned to the force, Jedi can feel certain crystals calling to them which will make the best crystal for their lightsaber. This is one of the reasons the making of lightsabers is so secretive and why lightsabers are such an important weapon to the Jedi Order.
To get the blue lightsaber that Obi-Wan clearly prefers, he would have had to find a blue Kyber crystal and then continue to find and use that same kind of crystal in all of his following lightsabers. This is a personal choice as it is clear that lightsabers can come in many different colors, but it also might have shown that blue Kyber crystals just were more in tune with Obi-Wan’s Jedi abilities. Obi-Wan specifically chose a blue Kyber crystal to help increase the power of his Diatium powered weapon.
The ceremony and process that goes into creating a lightsaber and preparing a Kyber crystal are still mostly unknown to the audience. This is mostly because it was not addressed in the movies and is mostly kept as a Jedi secret in books or television show adaptations of the source material. This has left the process of creating al lightsaber as mysterious as the Jedi would have wanted it.
Was It Luke’s Lightsaber As Well As Kenobi’s
Because the lightsaber Luke is seen with during the third movie in the original trilogy, Return of the Jedi looked so much like Obi-Wan’s many fans believed they were the same weapon. They are both silver and black with a thin hilt and gold details. However, they are entirely different weapons.
It is sometimes believed by people who did not fully understand the movies that the first lightsaber Luke is given belonged to Obi-Wan. This is kind of true as it was in his possession longer than it was in any of the Skywalkers, but he never wielded it and he did not make it which is what makes a lightsaber belong to a Jedi. However, we do see Luke with a lightsaber that looked very much like Obi-Wan’s lightsaber in the final movie of the original trilogy.
The same way that Obi-Wan modeled his first lightsaber after his master’s, so too did Luke model his lightsaber after Obi-Wan Kenobi’s. This is a sign of respect among the Jedi Masters and their Padawan. It also explains the similar appearances of the two weapons.
The lightsaber that Luke is seen holding during the first two movies of the original trilogy belonged to his father. When it was lost down a shaft in Cloud City along with Luke’s hand it was not found for the rest of the original movies. This meant that Luke had to go make a new lightsaber in order to fight Darth Vader and bring an end to the tyranny of the Galactic Empire.
The new lightsaber that Luke makes has a green blade unlike the blue that Obi-Wan was known to sport. It also had more silver on the hilt than the lightsaber we last saw Obi-Wan with during the movies. This is how we can be sure that the lightsaber Luke uses in Return of the Jedi is an entirely different weapon than we saw Obi-Wan die with during the original Star Wars movie, A New Hope.
Though Luke’s final lightsaber does not have the renown that the “Skywalker Lightsaber” has throughout the entire series, it is still a great weapon. It is the weapon made in honor of a man who sacrificed his life for both Luke and Luke’s father. It is the lightsaber the pays homage to one of the greatest weapons in the Star Wars universe.
Where Is Kenobi’s Lightsaber Now?
An often asked question is: where is Obi-Wan Kenobi’s lightsaber now? The answer is a little complicated mostly because it is unknown. The truth is canon has not addressed what happened to Obi-Wan’s lightsaber after he was killed on the Death Star.
This is not unusual as usually when lightsabers are lost in the movies they stay lost. The only exception to this seems to be the Skywalker lightsaber that keeps popping up anytime a new Jedi is ready to wield it. All of the lightsabers that are lost by Anakin or Obi-Wan before the Skywalker lightsaber is created seem unimportant and they never are seen again.
The lightsaber was last seen as Obi-Wan and Luke invaded the Death Star along with their companions Han and Chewy. They were there to save a princess and destroy a weapon that was going to end the battle for freedom against the Galactic Empire. It is one of the most well-known and often watched hero missions in film history.
When they were cornered by Vader during their escape it was clear that Luke was too inexperienced to fight and that not everyone could escape alive. Obi-Wan, knowing the legacy and prophecy that surrounded Luke, decided to sacrifice himself for the good of the galaxy. This led to him raising his lightsaber for the last time right before Darth Vader struck him down.
It is unknown what happened to the lightsaber after that scene. Luke was clearly too upset and too far away to grab it from the pile of robes that were left behind. If Darth Vader took it before the Death Star exploded that is not seen on the screen or stated by any of the people who worked on the film. This leaves the fate of one of the most pivotal weapons in film history unknown.
Most people seem to have accepted that it was blown up in the Death Star explosion along with everything else that remained there. As the lightsaber was not seen in the newest Star Wars movies, that does seem like the most likely explanation. Still, as long as there is no solid answer to what happened to Obi-Wan’s lightsaber fans can keep hoping it is out there somewhere waiting for the right Jedi to find it and wield it once more.
Conclusion
The first thing that most people think of when they hear Star Wars in the lightsabers. They changed weapons in movies and made history. Lightsabers are one of the most important weapons in movie history and probably the most memorable.
Obi-Wan Kenobi was a pivotal character in the Star Wars franchise. Neither Luke nor Anakin would have been the great Jedi they were without his help. This makes everything he does or owns in the series important worth remembering.
The lightsaber that Obi-Wan is known for is the same lightsaber he died with. It is the lightsaber that fought a Sith Lord twice and won once. It is also the lightsaber the inspired Luke’s final lightsaber in the original trilogy.
Obi-Wan Kenobi’s lightsaber is one of the most pivotal weapons in cinema history and certainly one of the most important weapons in the movies. Obi-Wan kept it for longer than any other lightsaber he owned and he managed to save the galaxy with it. This makes it worth documenting and its history important to the entire Star Wars franchise.
There were many battles that were won with this lightsaber. Every single thing that we know about Obi-Wan and his lightsabers change the way we view the rest of the series. Lightsabers are one of the most important things a Jedi can own and Obi-Wan was one of the most important Jedi to ever exist.
Obi-Wan Kenobi’s lightsaber changed the course of cinematic history as soon as it appeared on the screen. It was the catalyst for a movement on television and some of the most sold toys of all time. This is what makes Star Wars great. The fandom and the history behind each part of the movie completely changed the world.