Who Has a White Lightsaber?

The white lightsaber has a singularly eye-catching look that can be attributed partly to the dazzling effect produced by its glowing silvery blade, and partly to its scarcity as one of the most unique lightsaber colors. But, who has a white lightsaber in Star Wars? White sabers appear rarely in the Star Wars universe—so rarely, in fact, that the current canon recognizes only one carrier of a white lightsaber. Ahsoka Tano, the former Jedi Padawan who aided in the rebellion against the Galactic Empire, is acknowledged as the sole possessor of the white lightsaber. Actually, Ahsoka owned not one but two of these rare sabers.

How she came to wield these twin sabers, each powered by a kyber crystal that emits a white blade, is an interesting episode of Star Wars history that every fan should become familiar with.

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Background of Ahsoka Tano

Ahsoka Tano’s background provides essential context when exploring who wields a white lightsaber in Star Wars. The history of Ahsoka Tano begins on her home planet, Shili, where she was discovered by the Jedi Master Plo Koon. Recognizing her potential, Koon decided Tano should undergo Jedi training at the Temple on Coruscant.

When the Clone Wars broke out, Tano, then only 14 years old, became a Jedi apprentice under Anakin Skywalker, who at the time was still a Jedi Knight. She fought alongside Anakin and Obi-Wan Kenobi at the Battle of Christophsis and played an important role in the Republic’s victory. Following this impressive performance on the battlefield, Tano rose to the rank of commander in the Republic Army.

Up to this point, the annals of Ahsoka Tano do not involve the white lightsaber with which she would become so closely identified. She used a different pair of lightsabers during the Clone Wars: one with a green blade, the other—a shoto saber—with a green-yellow blade.

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How Did Ahsoka Tano Get White Lightsabers?

As one of the only Star Wars characters with white lightsabers, Ahsoka’s white lightsabers stand out as truly unique. Tano’s change over to the white lightsaber can be traced to a traumatic personal event: She was falsely accused by the Jedi Council of having participated in the bombing of the Jedi Temple hangar during the Clone Wars. That tragic event claimed the lives of six Jedi Knights and several others. Although Tano was eventually proven innocent, the ordeal damaged her relationship with the Jedi Council to the extent that she left the Order.

Following the tumultuous conclusion of the Clone Wars, Tano abandoned her old lightsabers, went into hiding, and ended up on the remote farming moon, Raada. That’s where she encountered the Sixth Brother, an Inquisitor sent by the Galactic Empire to find her. Tano, although saber-less, managed to use the Force to kill the Sixth Brother. She then used the Sixth Brother’s kyber crystals to make a new pair of lightsabers for herself. While doing so, Tano called upon the Force to heal the red kyber crystals by expelling the Dark Side from them.

That act permanently turned the crystals—and the blades that emit from them—white. It also introduced a new lightsaber color, one that reflected the unique status of its wielder. Ahsoka was no longer a Jedi with a white lightsaber but was unwilling to go to the Dark Side. Tano employed her distinctive white lightsabers in many battles across the galaxy.

White Lightsabers in Star Wars Legends

While Ahsoka’s white lightsabers are the only ones officially recognized in canon, Star Wars characters with white lightsabers do appear in Legends stories. Who else has a white lightsaber? Most notably, the Imperial Knights of the Fel Empire wielded single-blade white sabers as a symbol of their loyalty—not to the Jedi or Sith, but to the Emperor of the Fel dynasty.

These Force-users followed a strict code of service to a benevolent Empire and used the Force for the greater good, setting them apart from other Force-wielding orders. Although compelling, this version of white saber meaning and lore remains part of non-canon Legends material and is not considered part of the current canon in the Star Wars timeline.

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