19th March 2024
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What Makes a Black Lightsaber?

In Star Wars, lightsabers come in a lot of different colors, shapes and styles. Have you ever wondered what it would be like if there was a black lightsaber? In the stories, such a weapon really existed, and in the real world, it has already been imitated. Let’s explore the fascinating world of a dark lightsaber, what it means, and how you can get one.

Black Saber Canon

There was only ever one black saber in all of Star Wars canon. It was named the darksaber, and it is one of the most famous weapons in the Star Wars universe. It notoriously had a curve to it, and it in fact glowed black.

You might assume such a weapon was preferred by a Sith, but it was actually created by a Jedi. It was forged a thousand years before Episode I by Tarre Vizsla, the first Mandalorian Jedi. Considering that origin, it shouldn’t be surprising that a unique weapon was created.

The original story never explained why his blade glowed black, but his legend was enough that the Jedi Order kept his blade and protected it for many years after his time. Eventually, the blade was stolen by future generations of Mandalorians. It became a symbol of the people. It changed hands many times after that, even being used by Darth Maul for a time, but it always seems to find its way back to the Mandalorians.

What Makes a Real Black Lightsaber?

In the real world, lightsabers aren’t quite what they are in the movies. While an actual plasma proto saber has been constructed, the lightsabers most of us use don’t produce plasma. Despite that, you can get your hands on a high-quality black lightsaber. To create the same dark glow effect, there are primarily two options. You can use filters on the blade material. Rather than a true black glow, you’ll likely use a combination of blues and purples to imitate the effect as closely as possible. It looks impressive.

The other option is to use a black light instead of traditional light to emanate the glow. The entire atmosphere is different, and it seems to be a good way to capture the ambiance of the legendary darksaber.

Ultimately, it’s up to you what effect you think best represents the darksaber. For now, these are the options, but maybe in a few more years we’ll be discussing the geniuses who invented the first real-life darksaber.