The lightsaber is an iconic symbol of a long-running franchise and, in addition, a fairly cool item, according to the casual “Star Wars” viewer. Fair enough, it is unquestionably true. However, there is also a tonne of fascinating mythology around lightsabers. Even while not every interesting lightsaber tidbit is included in the current canon, the lightsaber history keeps growing as more Force-wielders are introduced to that galaxy far, far away.
Take Ahsoka Tano as an example. Despite being a relatively recent addition to the franchise, Ahsoka has appeared in a number of “Star Wars”-related media pieces, which all contribute to her character’s considerable development. Fans of “Star Wars” have essentially witnessed Ahsoka mature throughout the years, from her time as a Jedi padawan during the Clone Wars to her breakup with the Jedi Order, to her brief role as a mentor in “Star Wars: Rebels,” and even her transition to live-action in “The Mandalorian.” Her preferred weapons have also changed as she has: from the green and yellow lightsabers in “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” to the brilliant white blades she has used ever since.
The switch by Ahsoka to two white blades is symbolic as well as aesthetic. In the “Star Wars” world, white lightsabers are exceedingly uncommon. The process of making white blades is also deeply ingrained in the franchise’s spiritual history. What does Ahsoka’s less-used arsenal of weapons tell us about her connection to the Force and how did she get it?
When did Ahsoka get her white lightsabers?
A lightsaber is a crucial piece of equipment for any Force user. In “Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones,” Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi emphasises that a Jedi should value their weapon as much as their own life. However, not every Jedi is able to maintain possession of their original lightsaber throughout their entire lives. Some characters have been known to swap up their weapons as needed since things happen, especially during conflicts.
Ahsoka is unquestionably in this situation, however the circumstances surrounding her lost lightsabers are a little more confusing. The “Wrong Jedi” arc of “The Clone Wars” saw the confiscation of Ahsoka’s original green version of her weaponry. Ahsoka loses her membership in the Jedi Order, along with all the benefits and trinkets that come with it, after she is accused of attacking the Jedi Temple. Ahsoka finally has her name cleared by her Master, Anakin Skywalker, but she chooses not to rejoin the Order. Ahsoka is no longer allied with the Jedi, but she isn’t precisely leaning to the dark side either as of the point at which she leaves the Jedi Order at the conclusion of season five of “The Clone Wars.”
Between her final appearance in “The Clone Wars” (during the series’ seventh season revival on Disney+) and her return in “Rebels,” Ahsoka engages in a lot of introspection. During this period, Ahsoka starts to accept her future as a free agent and begins to construct a new pair of lightsabers that would symbolise her newly attained neutrality.
Into the light
Kyber crystals, which are naturally occurring minerals with the ability to transform the Force into a certain kind of energy, are what power all lightsabers, whether they be Jedi, Sith, or otherwise. The crystals are capable of communicating with Force users and appear to have a kind of consciousness. This is used to their advantage by Sith-aligned soldiers through a process known as “bleeding,” which gives every Sith lightsaber its unique red tint.
The process of bleeding a crystal is difficult. Dark side users must infuse the crystal with their hatred, fury, and fear in order to control it, yet there is always the possibility that the crystal will defy their new Sith training. Even a crystal can be harmed by bleeding, but the process can also be stopped by a willing Force user.
In the book “Ahsoka,” Ahsoka is able to “cure” a collection of tainted kyber crystals. She is finally sent to a distant moon in the Outer Rim despite the fact that her initial hunt for a suitable crystal leads her to the planet Ilum, where many Jedi harvest kyber for the first time. She encounters the Sixth Brother, an Imperial Inquisitor who had been pursuing her for some time, there. After taking down the Sixth Brother, Ahsoka discovers that the crystals in the Inquisitor’s lightsaber have been crying out to her, and she is able to purge them of the evil side. As a result, the crystals become completely white, serving as the foundation for her new weaponry.
So … why white?
The now-white blades of Ahsoka serve a purpose beyond the character’s aesthetic preferences. The showrunner of “Star Wars: Rebels,” Dave Filoni, who also developed Ahsoka in 2008, claims that the colour white serves as a definite symbol of Ahsoka’s future neutrality. She is a follower of the Force despite not being allied with the Jedi or the Sith, which justifies her reliance on lightsabers. Even after she joins the budding Rebel Alliance at the conclusion of the “Ahsoka” novel, she still feels obliged to carry out “acts of kindness.”
Ahsoka’s persona would be shaped by the colour white during her tenure on “Rebels”; the white cloak and staff she wore in the series finale demonstrate how far she has come since her introduction in “The Clone Wars.” Like the kyber crystals she refined for her most recent lightsabers, Ahsoka never stopped chasing the light despite her troubled history. There’s a good reason why white also stands for innocence. When compared to the Jedi who were too overcome by the dark side during the fall of the Galactic Republic, Ahsoka represents everything that a Force-user should be.
With her own live-action series on the coming, will Ahsoka continue to change the rules for Force users in the future? That remains to be seen, but fans of “Star Wars” have always found it thrilling to watch her develop throughout the franchise, and the “Ahsoka” series shouldn’t be any different.
