Luke’s Broken Lightsaber Redefined Kylo Ren’s Weapon 2023
In Star Wars, having a broken lightsaber must run in the Skywalker family, as Anakin Skywalker, Luke Skywalker, and Ben Solo have all experienced it at some point. However, the similarities between Luke Skywalker’s and Kylo Ren’s broken lightsabers actually redefine the significance of Kylo’s iconic weapon.
Kylo Ren’s lightsaber, first seen in Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens, has a significant malfunction. According to the expanded mythology, Kylo Ren shattered his kyber crystal while bleeding it, which is the only way to create a red lightsaber from its original color and requires the Dark Side.
This resulted in his lightsaber igniting and sputtering whenever it was activated. In addition, the energy generated by the kyber crystal had to escape from the sides of the hilt, which resulted in the creation of the two hilt-guard beams. This is the first lightsaber in the history of Star Wars to sustain this level of functional injury. At least, thus far.
Luke Skywalker inspired Kylo Ren’s lightsaber, not Darth Vader.
Luke, Leia, Chewie, Holdo, and Lando are endeavoring to escape No-Space in issue 33 of Star Wars by Charles Soule and Madibek Musabekov. Luke Skywalker is engaged in combat with Killdroids, which are extremely durable and partially resistant to lightsabers.
Just as Luke believes he has the upper hand, one of the Killdroids seizes him and destroys the robotic hand holding his lightsaber. R2-D2 attempts to repair Luke Skywalker’s lightsaber once the crew has escaped this strange alternate dimension without being killed.
Although it is not in ideal condition, R2 is able to get it working again, and its operation is strikingly similar to that of Kylo Ren’s.
Kylo and Luke Both Employed Damaged Lightsabers
This scene is yet another example of how Star Wars continues to ‘rhyme’ throughout its various eras. Kylo Ren is obsessed with Darth Vader and does everything to honor his ancestor in the sequel trilogy. Kylo Ren imitated Darth Vader at every turn, from rejecting the ‘falsehoods’ of the Jedi to serving as an authority within the regime of a galaxy-wide dictatorship.
Yet, one of his most distinctive characteristics, his defective lightsaber, was an unintentional copy of the man he despised so much: Luke Skywalker.
Kylo Ren’s lightsaber will always be regarded as perhaps the most recognizable aspect of his character due to its uniqueness, and now, it’s taken on an even greater significance in Star Wars lore, as its connection to Luke Skywalker’s newly-revealed broken lightsaber has forever altered its significance.
Marvel Comics’ Star Wars #33 is available now.
