Kylo Ren's Lightsaber

There are many reasons why Kylo Ren's lightsaber is so different from anything Star Wars fans have seen before. Many are still wondering about this new design since the trailers for Star Wars: The Force Awakens first appeared. The latest trilogy has given us some answers but not all the secrets of this lightsaber are there.

We have linked everything possible to fully trace the mysteries of this weapon. Young apprentice, even if you are a fan of this character, in this article you will learn new things about Kylo Ren's lightsaber.

So hang on to your seat because today we're going to enter hyperspace. This interstellar journey will allow you to better understand the history and origins of Kylo Ren's lightsaber. Why is it so special and famous? Find out !

Presentation of Kylo Ren's Lightsaber

You might not have noticed, but in the famous flashback of episode 8, we can see very briefly Ben Solo's lightsaber (Kylo Ren for those coming from a distant galaxy) when he was a young padawan !

The blade of his saber did not have 3 blades at that time, it was unique and blue in color. Regarding its shape, both sabers have exactly the same design except for the color of the hilt which changes from grey to black and the additional quillons on the new saber. The red 3-bladed lightsaber seems to be the same as the one he started with as a padawan, although it has undergone some modifications.

It was his switch to the dark side of the force that caused him to perform the "bleeding" ritual to change the color of his blade. Don't be in such a hurry! We will study this process in more detail a little further down in the article.

Why is Kylo Ren's Lightsaber Unstable?

The normal way to get a lightsaber is to make it yourself. This means that a lot of your own personality will go into the making of the case and the condition of the crystal when it is placed in the heart of the weapon.

According to the Star Wars Illustrated Encyclopedia - The Force Awakens: Episode VIII, Kylo Ren's blade seems unstable for two main reasons :

• Although the design of the weapon is old, the technology and components inside the saber are new. Indeed, Kylo's lightsaber is built with modern parts, trying to make it as close as possible to a real working lightsaber. Its crude appearance, however, suggests that it was built by someone with little experience. It was therefore made by an inexperienced hand and contains many problems within its core. Many fans speculate that Kylo Ren never really learned the ability to properly construct his own lightsaber since he did not fully complete his Jedi training with his mentor Luke Skywalker.
• More importantly, the lightsaber uses a cracked Kyber Crystal, which is the main cause of the blade's irregular appearance. Obviously, this lightsaber is a perfect reflection of the unstable character of its wielder.

The factors thus contribute to the instability of the weapon that he used throughout the last trilogy of the Star Wars saga.

Here is an excerpt from the book Star Wars, The Force Awakens: The Illustrated Encyclopedia.

Why is Kylo Ren's Lightsaber Crystal cracked?

The crystal inside his lightsaber is actually his saber crystal as a Padawan. It is cracked because it "bleeds". Because Kyber crystals do not naturally produce a red color, users of the dark side of the force are forced to perform a difficult ritual called "bleeding" in order to bend the Kyber crystal to their will.

It is during a meditation that the Sith must pour all his hatred into it until the crystal stops resisting and starts to bleed, in order to send back a red light. We can observe this ritual in a comic book where we see the steps of creation of the red lightsaber of Darth Vader. It was very difficult for him to bleed his crystal...

Kylo's inexperience almost destroyed his crystal in the process, causing it to crack and become very unstable. That's why he had to make outlets called "quillons" on both sides of his lightsaber. These outlets release and channel the extra energy and heat that the crystal produces. Without them, Kylo Ren's lightsaber would have simply exploded in his hands.

It is also important to know that a crystal corrupted by the bleeding ritual can be repaired. A perfect example of this was Ahsoka Tano turning her blades from red to white.

Why does Kylo Ren's lightsaber sound so different?

It's not just the look of his new lightsaber that's different, it's the sound it makes. When Kylo activates his lightsaber, there is that familiar humming sound that we all know mixed with something else, an electric crackle... It's a terrible sound, unique for a saber, and this is done on purpose !

Listen to this sound so violent and explosive !


Let's let Mathew Wood and David Acord, respectively sound editor and sound designer for "The Force Awakens" enlighten us on some points :

• Mathew Wood said the sound of Kylo's lightsaber was inspired by menacing objects like chainsaws and flamethrowers: "It sounds like it was designed by an amateur," he explained. "It crackles when it turns on, so we wanted an electric sound that was both unfinished and also menacing. We wanted it to have a "dangerous" sound.
• David Acord explained this further in an interview with Nerdist, "I think the most obvious new sound effect in the film is Kylo's lightsaber. We tried, with his use of force, to create sound effects that would be a perfect reflection of his character, which is this raw power that he has that is not quite formed. It's not fully formed certainly, but it's extremely powerful. It's a little wild and dangerous. The main blade and the look of the extra blades coming out of the sides is really sparkling. The thought process for these sound effects was to match that: something that feels like raw energy, pure power, yet looks brutal, a little wild and dangerous".

To summarize these answers, the sound emanating from Kylo Ren's lightsaber is the transcription of his unstable personality, his weapon is a reflection of him. It is reminiscent of Rey Skywalker's yellow lightsaber, whose rare blade also has a meaning that really fits her. Whether it's the heroine or the antagonist, everything has been carefully calculated. In any case, Kylo Ren has managed to make his crystal as flawed as he is, but still obviously works. However, the fact that it is cracked gives this sword some of the most remarkable qualities.

Crudely constructed out of lack of knowledge and lust for power, it turns out that this three-bladed lightsaber is partly just a bad design flaw, but what a terrifying anomaly !

Is Kylo Ren the originator of this 3-Blade Lightsaber design?

It is the second season of the Star War Rebels series and comic #2 of the Darth Maul series that prove to us that Kylo Ren is not the originator of this form of lightsaber. Indeed, this style of lightsaber was used by ancient Jedi fighting in the final battle known as the "Great Scourge of Malachor" between the Jedi Order and the Sith Empire.

It was also in Star Wars Rebels that the remains of this battle were later discovered, including a green-guarded lightsaber found by Ezra. In the video game Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, Cal Kestis can also customize his lightsaber by adding a cross-guard.

We also like the idea that the guarded lightsaber was the standard design of the Jedi of the Old Republic, like our medieval knights participating in a sort of "Force Crusade". Kylo Ren is not the originator of this type of lightsaber, he has drawn his inspiration from the past and taken advantage of this ancient design. This allowed him to adapt his cracked crystal and use it safely.

But then how could he have been inspired by it if this form of lightsaber dates back thousands of years? We assume that learning the different forms of lightsabers throughout history is part of the training required of young Padawans. So Kylo Ren could have remembered this in time. Of course, this is just a theory.

Interested in a realistic three-bladed lightsaber? Check out the Ancestral model directly inspired by Kylo Ren's weapon ! It's a real quality light saber with a speaker. Thanks to it, you will be able to live a total immersion :

See the saber