One cannot overstate the importance of Luke Skywalker’s legacy. Lightsaber lore aside, it’s Luke’s journey that introduced audiences everywhere to the galaxy far, far away in Star Wars (later subtitled Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope). Each of Luke Skywalker’s lightsabers represents a different chapter of his journey, from his training to become a Jedi in the original trilogy to his experience as the last Jedi in the sequel trilogy.
Luke Skywalker’s lightsabers are pure Star Wars iconography, from the blue lightsaber he inherited from Anakin Skywalker to the green lightsaber he built himself and the lesser-known yellow blade he wielded in the comics. Join us as we discuss every lightsaber Luke has had in the Star Wars saga, from his farmboy days bulls-eyeing womp rats on Tatooine to his final stand at the Battle of Crait.
When it comes to Luke Skywalker, lightsaber color is an important topic of discussion. So, what color is Luke’s lightsaber? In the movies, we’ve seen Luke use a blue lightsaber that’s often associated with Jedi Guardians in Episode IV – A New Hope and Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back, then a green lightsaber in Episode VI – Return of the Jedi. In current canon, established in the 2020 Star Wars comic book series by Charles Soule, Luke Skywalker uses a yellow lightsaber between the events of Episode V and VI.
One could argue that the only true Luke Skywalker lightsaber color is green (often associated with Jedi Consulars) since that’s the only one he constructs himself.
The original Luke Skywalker lightsaber is blue, given to him by Obi-Wan Kenobi in the first Star Wars movie. However, as we learn in the film, it originally belonged to his father. That means Luke’s blue saber is actually the Anakin Skywalker lightsaber — the most storied weapon in all of Star Wars, seen in each trilogy of the Skywalker Saga.
Luke trains with this lightsaber in A New Hope, and he later uses it to duel Darth Vader on Bespin in The Empire Strikes Back. Vader toys with Luke to gauge his abilities, and even though he retains the upper hand, he may have underestimated young Skywalker, who shows significant prowess with his lightsaber despite having cut his training short.
Still, the Dark Lord of the Sith remains in control, eventually cutting off Luke’s hand and also revealing that he’s his father. Luke’s lightsaber, along with his hand, falls into the reactor shaft below as he cries out in physical and mental agony.
In the sequel trilogy, Rey eventually uses the Luke/Anakin Skywalker lightsaber, and she even tries to give it back to Luke, now an old man in exile on Ahch-To. While he initially rejects it, we see Luke wield this weapon once again (sort of) in his standoff against his nephew Kylo Ren during the Battle of Crait in Episode VIII – The Last Jedi.
Luke is actually Force-projecting himself to Crait while physically still on Ahch-To. His confrontation with Kylo Ren gives the Resistance a fighting chance to escape the First Order. As for why Luke uses his blue lightsaber instead of green in this projection, he knows it will impact Kylo Ren, who believes the iconic Anakin Skywalker lightsaber should belong to him.
Luke Skywalker died in Star Wars: The Last Jedi after using the aforementioned Force projection to confront Kylo Ren during the Battle of Crait. Although Luke appeared to be fighting his nephew with Anakin Skywalker’s blue lightsaber, he was actually projecting himself across the galaxy from Ahch-To.
The impressive effort left Luke physically exhausted. After buying the Resistance enough time to escape, he peacefully became one with the Force as he watched the twin suns set over Ahch-To. His sacrifice marked the end of his physical life, but Luke later returned as a Force ghost in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.
The original Luke Skywalker lightsaber hilt was a prop created from a Graflex camera flash tube. Canonically, it’s 28 centimeters long and made of alloy metal and carbon composites. It features black ridges on the handle, a blue kyber crystal, and an adjustable blade length.
In Episode VII – The Force Awakens, we see that the Luke/Anakin Skywalker lightsaber has wound up in the care of Maz Kanata at her castle on Takodana. It calls out to Rey, but she initially refuses to take it. Finn, the reformed Stormtrooper, takes it and uses it to duel Kylo Ren, who is enraged at the sight of his grandfather’s weapon in the hands of yet another.
Ren bests Finn, but Rey picks up the lightsaber and holds her own when dueling Ren. As for how Maz Kanata got Luke’s lightsaber, she says that’s "a question for another time," though the 2020 Star Wars comic series shows an Ugnaught discovering the weapon after Luke loses it on Cloud City.
Luke Skywalker’s green lightsaber is possibly his most iconic because it belongs to him and him alone. First seen in Return of the Jedi (ROTJ), this is the lightsaber Luke constructs for himself as he continues his journey toward becoming a Jedi Knight. Luke’s ROTJ lightsaber pops out of R2-D2 when he rescues Han Solo from Jabba the Hutt’s captivity, giving audiences their first glimpse of a green blade on screen.
Luke’s green lightsaber also clashes with Darth Vader’s lightsaber in their rematch on the second Death Star, his father commenting on its construction. Luke stops short of killing Vader, edging too close to the Dark Side, and ultimately redeems him instead.
This is also the Luke Skywalker lightsaber seen in The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett, which take place after ROTJ, where we see him destroy dark troopers to rescue Grogu and train him. As witnessed in Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker, Luke also uses his green lightsaber when training his sister, Leia Organa.
In The Last Jedi, we see a flashback of Luke after he’d begun to train new Jedi. With his green lightsaber, Luke has a vision of his nephew and Padawan Ben Solo turning to the Dark Side, and for a fleeting moment, he considers killing him. This terrifies and angers Ben, who turns against Luke, setting him on the path to becoming Kylo Ren. The fact that Luke has his green lightsaber in this moment of great shame is probably another reason he chooses the blue one for his redemption at Crait.
Luke models this hilt after Obi-Wan Kenobi’s lightsaber in tribute to his master, though the design is streamlined. With a green kyber crystal, this particular Luke lightsaber hilt is 28 centimeters long and is made from alloy metals and a variety of salvaged materials.
Luke constructed his green lightsaber himself, as many Jedi do. Although Obi-Wan and Yoda guided Luke’s Jedi training, the films don’t show exactly how he learned to construct his own lightsaber or where he obtained all the necessary components. A deleted scene from Return of the Jedi shows Luke with the ROTJ lightsaber shortly after crafting it, igniting the blade for the first time.
After Luke passes away and becomes one with the Force, the native Caretakers on Ahch-To retrieve his green lightsaber and store it with his other possessions. This is revealed in The Last Jedi: Expanded Edition novel. Although the lightsaber’s whereabouts are accounted for, it could still make future appearances in Star Wars canon.
Seen primarily in the Star Wars comic book series, Luke Skywalker has a yellow lightsaber between the events of The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. He discovers it in an abandoned High-Republic-Era Jedi outpost located on Tempes in the Outer Rim. Luke uses this lightsaber to duel the spirit of the Grand Inquisitor and defend himself while hunting for Boba Fett, who had captured Han Solo.
The yellow-bladed lightsaber Luke uses belonged to the Jedi Temple Guard. While not many characters wield yellow lightsabers, all of the Jedi Temple Guard did. Luke’s has a single blade, though the Jedi Temple Guard typically used double-bladed lightsaber pikes.
The yellow Luke Skywalker lightsaber hilt is single-bladed, straight, cylindrical, and fairly smooth, with gold accents. This lightsaber houses a yellow kyber crystal, the standard for Jedi Temple Guards.
With all this talk of lightsabers, what lightsaber form does Luke use? For Luke Skywalker, lightsaber form developed naturally from his instinctual expertise with the weapon and his experiences dueling with his father.
Like Anakin Skywalker, Luke uses Form V: Shien & Djem So, a combat style that emphasizes powerful counterattacks and turning an opponent’s attacks against them. Shien focuses on defending against blaster fire, while Djem So emphasizes strength and counterattacks in lightsaber duels. Luke’s aggressive exchanges with Darth Vader in Return of the Jedi demonstrate the latter approach.
“I’m a Jedi, like my father before me.” —Luke Skywalker
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