Category:Lightsaber

The weapon of choice for Jedis and the most iconic weapons in the Star Wars universe.

Technical Specifications (Typical Lightsaber)

 * Type: Melee Weapon
 * Length: 24-30 centimeters (hilt); 145 centimeters (blade)
 * Width:  3.2-3.75 centimeters (diameter)
 * Mass: 1 kilogram

Design Features
Lightsabers are unique, personalized, and individual weapons that are hand-crafted by the wielder themselves and are not mass-produced. In fact, many Jedi and Sith regard the making and fashioning of their lightsaber to be a symbolic rite of passage.

The typical lightsaber consisted of a metal cylindrical hilt. Depending on the hand size and preferences of the individual, the hilt can range between 24 and 30 centimeters in length and generally 3.2 to 3.75 centimeters in diameter. The hilt itself has several control devices such as knobs, buttons, and dials to vary the lightsaber blade's length and power output as well as an insulated grip to protect the wielder from any accidental feedback discharges.

There are a wide variety of modifications that an individual could make to their lightsaber hilts ranging from pressure switches that would automatically deactivate the lightsaber should it be dropped; ring clips to attach to utility belts; Force-activated levers to alter the lightsaber settings; recharging plugs to fit into standard energy sockets; and even anti-personnel devices to prevent unauthorized individuals from wielding the lightsaber.

The lightsaber's mechanisms such as the power cell, superconductors, focusing lenses and crystals were all incorporated within the hollow internal space of the hilt itself. The key to the the lightsaber's cutting power lay in the focusing lenses and crystals. A typical blade required at least three while specially modified lightsabers could require more or differently arranged arrays.

Unlike the Jedi who tend to utilize naturally grown crystals for the focusing emitters in part due to their reliability and tradition towards working in harmony with the Force; the Sith have a tendency towards creating their own synthetic crystals for their lightsabers. Normally artificial crystals are incapable of handling the power requirements of a lightsaber and rapidly burn out; but the Sith perfected a method via their strange alchemy and manipulation of the Dark Side of the Force. These synth-crystals are blood red and as a byproduct, this causes their ignited sabers to be red as well.

The Sith claim that their synth-crystals are stronger than a naturally grown crystal used by the Jedi and because of that; their lightsabers are naturally more powerful. It is unknown if this is actually true or mere hyperbole as another reason why they were forced to create these artificial synth-crystals was because of the large presence of the Jedi at the rare locations that the natural crystals were to be found. After the Great Jedi Purge, Emperor Palpatine had the Galactic Empire keep a careful watch on these locations to prevent any Jedi or potential students from claiming these crystals to fashion their own lightsabers.

Special Features
Not all Jedi or Sith were of similiar size and stature to typical humanoids and found the regular sized lightsaber hilts to be awkwardly uncomfortably large in their hands or too delicate. For that reason, two different types of lightsabers came into existence; the shoto and the great saber.

The shoto is in effect, a miniaturized lightsaber with a hilt around 10 to 15 centimeters in length and much slimmer as well, around 1 to 2 centimeters in diameter. The ignited blade of a shoto was usually half the length of a typical lightsaber blade and only one crystal was sufficient for the focusing lens. The shoto was also referred to as light daggers or short lightsabers. Some Jedi also took to wielding the shoto as a secondary weapon in their off hand as part of a dual sword style of combat. However, the majority of wielders of the shoto were alien species who were much shorter than usual; for example Grand Master Yoda wielded a shoto in combat.