Summary
- Recent Star Wars literature, particularly The High Republic novels, has introduced a variety of new lightsaber designs and styles.
- The reintroduction of the lightspear in The High Republic: Light of the Jedi draws inspiration from the Knights of the Old Republic video game series.
- Jora Malli, a Jedi Master in The High Republic, wields a lightsaber with a kyber crystal from a Sith lightspear, a unique and rare weapon in the Star Wars universe.
As Disney’s Star Wars continues to expand its frontier, it inevitably draws from old Legends material. Recently, the franchise has become obsessed with introducing new lightsaber styles and colors to Canon. For example, not only did the Ahsoka series bring the first orange lightsabers on-screen to Star Wars, but Baylan Skoll may also have the first on-screen great lightsaber in Disney’s new canon. Nevertheless, while the movies and tv shows tend to introduce one or two new lightsaber variants at a time, recent Star Wars literature has been filled to the brim with groundbreaking new weapons.
In particular, The High Republic novels have been reintroducing a plethora of cool lightsabers from Legends and other Star Wars media. Namely, Vernestra Rwoh brought back the lightwhip into Canon, which had been a part of Legends since 1977. Additionally, Stellan Gios’ lightsaber features a foldable crossguard design similar to Kylo Ren’s saber from The Force Awakens. Orla Jareni also utilizes a hinged white lightsaber reminiscent of Pong Krell’s design from The Clone Wars. But in any case, one High Republic novel recently mentioned a weapon that hasn’t really been seen since the Knights of the Old Republic video game series.
Star Wars Canon Has Introduced The Lightspear
According to The High Republic: Light of the Jedi by Charles Soule, the kyber crystal in Jedi Master Jora Malli’s lightsaber came from a “Sith lightspear.” This is the first time Star Wars has ever referenced the lightspear, and while not much information was given about what it looks like, there were a few hints as to how it works. Much like a normal Sith lightsaber, the kyber crystal Malli used from the lightspear was imbued with the pain and hatred of its previous Sith owner. Given that it was a “spear” design, it’s likely the original Sith owner favored the lightspear for its ability to thrust and stab opponents.
Despite Jora Malli’s kyber crystal coming from a Sith lightspear, it’s likely still possible for a Jedi to wield a lightspear as well.
The Lightspear Is Most Likely Drawn From Knights Of The Old Republic
While the mention of the lightspear in Light of the Jedi may seem like a throwaway comment, Soule certainly drew inspiration for the lightspear from weapons in the Knights of the Old Republic video game series, where the lightstaff and lightsaber pike were common lightsaber variants. Of course, Soule’s description of the lightspear specifically states it’s different from a lightsaff or lightsaber pike, but he doesn’t give much information as to why. Instead, it sounds like the lightspear is similar to Senya Tirall’s lightsaber from Knights of the Fallen Empire.
It should also be noted that Jora Malli actually resembles Ahsoka Tano’s character. Not just because both are of the Togruta species, but because both purified Sith kyber crystals into white lightsabers. While Ahsoka got her white crystals from defeating one of Vader’s Inquisitors, Malli got hers from the mysterious Sith lightspear. Hopefully, the lightspear will appear again in more Star Wars media soon, so viewers can get a better idea of what kind of weapon it really is.