If Luke Skywalker had been given this lightsaber in Return of the Jedi, it would have been incredibly meaningful. Lightsaber colors and their meanings have changed considerably in Star Wars. In the original trilogy, only red, green, and blue lightsabers existed. As the Star Wars timeline has expanded over nearly five decades, though, there have been a number of major changes to lightsabers.
Moreover, Disney Star Wars’ lightsaber designs have also seen major upgrades over the years, and this innovation doesn’t seem to be slowing down any time soon. In light of those updates to lightsabers in Star Wars movies and TV shows, there is one lightsaber in particular that could have become Luke’s in Return of the Jedi. In fact, Star Wars’ canon changes to lightsabers and kyber crystals could have given Luke the perfect lightsaber to connect him to his father and symbolize Anakin Skywalker’s redemption.
Darth Vader’s Red Lightsaber Was Lost On The Second Death Star
The very first red lightsaber shown on-screen in Star Wars was Darth Vader’s. Eventually, this became the iconic color of all Sith lightsabers, but, at the time, it was unique to Darth Vader, and it existed in stark contrast to Luke and Obi-Wan’s blue sabers in A New Hope. Eventually, in Return of the Jedi, Luke also wielded a green lightsaber following the loss of the blue lightsaber (that was actually Anakin’s).
Just as Luke’s lightsaber was lost in the fight between Luke and Darth Vader in The Empire Strikes Back, Vader’s lightsaber was lost in Return of the Jedi. Presumably, Vader’s saber was destroyed alongside the second Death Star. However, Star Wars has repeatedly proven that people and objects can resurface in the franchise even when they are thought to be long gone. After all, Luke/Anakin’s blue lightsaber returned in the sequel trilogy with no on-screen explanation. Given that, Darth Vader’s lightsaber could have been claimed by Luke, which could have in turn set up a brilliant story.
Luke Could Have Purified Vader’s Kyber Crystal
If Luke had taken Darth Vader’s lightsaber with him in Return of the Jedi, he could have purified the kyber crystal inside. In current Star Wars canon, Sith have red lightsabers because they have ‘bled’ the kyber crystals of Jedi they have conquered in battle. This is a process wherein a Sith must take a kyber crystal and pour their anger and hatred into it, thereby turning it red. However, white lightsabers in Star Wars work in almost the exact opposite way.
White lightsabers such as Ahsoka Tano’s iconic dual white sabers have kyber crystals that have instead been ‘purified.’ This purification process requires the Jedi or Force-user to take a red kyber crystal, form a bond with it, and empathize the dark side Force-user who had bled the crystal in the first place. In fact, purifying a kyber crystal specifically requires that one understand what led the previous owner to the dark side in the first place, which effectively heals the crystal. This exact process could have given Luke his perfect lightsaber in Return of the Jedi.
Luke’s White Lightsabers Would Have Been The Perfect Symbolism
Luke taking Vader’s red lightsaber, purifying the kyber crystal within, and wielding the white lightsaber that was formerly his father’s would have been a beautiful story and the perfect symbolism. For one, as mentioned, the purification process requires deep empathy, which Luke had already clearly demonstrated when he saved his father from the dark side in the first place. Moreover, this story could have involved Luke uncovering the moments that led to Anakin’s fall to the dark side, including Anakin’s intense fear of losing Luke’s mother, Padmé Amidala.
Luke taking Vader’s red lightsaber, purifying the kyber crystal within, and wielding the white lightsaber that was formerly his father’s would have been a beautiful story and the perfect symbolism.
Indeed, Luke wielding Darth Vader’s lightsaber with the purified, healed kyber crystal inside would have perfectly symbolized Anakin Skywalker’s redemption. It would have been a physical manifestation of Luke saving his father, which would have been incredibly profound and meaningful. In fact, this would have been a constant reminder to Luke and others that no one is too far gone to be saved, which may have come in handy when Luke was mulling over killing his nephew, Ben Solo.
Of course, part of the issue is that, at the time, this was not how kyber crystals worked. This notion of purifying kyber crystals (and even the kyber crystal bleeding process) was added to Star Wars canon long after Return of the Jedi. Nevertheless, as those processes are now canonical in the franchise, this would have been an incredible update to both Luke and Anakin’s Jedi journeys. Truly, had Luke Skywalker wielded the purified kyber crystal/lightsaber of Darth Vader at the end of Return of the Jedi, it would have been incredibly emotional.
