Anna Daniels
The Rise of Skywalker really divided audiences. Whether it was the writing, the story, or how the characters ended their narratives, some fans weren’t happy about it. But, regardless, there were good moments throughout. One was definitely the surprise object Rey has at the ending of the film, which tied her arc up rather nicely. And in it, there might even be one last Skywalker Easter egg. MAJOR SPOILERS for The Rise of Skywalker ahead.
Rey’s lightsaber is fittingly bits of scavenged metal from her staff
After Rey’s big fight with Palpatine, she’s left with two lightsabers: Leia’s and Luke’s. These two lightsabers came in handy when Ben showed up to help her fight. He threw away his lightsaber from his time on the Dark Side at that point already. After she won, and Ben was gone, it was time to start a new era. One where she got her own lightsaber, once and for all. And that’s exactly what happened.
While the movie doesn’t mention it, Rey’s lightsaber looks like it’s made from her quarterstaff, as pointed out by Inverse. It’s the weapon she used in The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi. It represents her time as a scavenger on Jakku, and it brings together her former life of being a scavenger and her new life as a Jedi.
There might be an ode to the Skywalkers in her lightsaber, too
In an exciting turn of events, Rey’s lightsaber not only includes parts from her old staff (probably), but it also might have Luke and Leia’s kyber crystals as well. The material that powers the sabers are these crystals. Jedi have been using them for a long time, and they initially don’t have a color. But based on the Jedi’s “spiritual alignment,” it changes once the Jedi picks out their crystal.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qT0CSwys8_M?feature=oembed&w=500&h=281]
So it makes sense that Rey’s is different than the other Skywalkers since she’s a Palpatine. But eagle-eyed Reddit user u/SullivantheBoss pointed out that when Rey switches her blade on, it sparks with blue and green first. And another user, u/IllusiveManJr, wrote that it could be “symbolism” or a “nod to the Skywalkers.” User u/aibohphobia321 took it one step further and wrote, “The symbolism I guess could also be a nod to her and Ben coming together as one and that he’s always with her even if you couldn’t see him.”
And, in typical Reddit fashion, another user u/IG90 went even deeper. “There’s a plot leak thread somewhere that indicates she takes the Skywalker sabers apart and uses their components to build a new lightsaber,” they wrote. “She buries the leftover [sic] pieces.” This last comment is the most convincing.
Jedi can find kyber crystals across the galaxy, but unfortunately, after the Empire took over post-Revenge of the Sith, a lot of the popular spots were plundered of these crystals. But, as described in the novel Ahsoka, a Jedi (or Force-wielder in the Togruta’s case) can take crystals from another’s lightsaber if those crystals call to said Jedi. And since the crystals wouldn’t be tied to Luke and Leia anymore, they would change to whatever color Rey’s spirit wills it to be.
The yellow/gold color is pretty new and different
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2NihqrNDoA?feature=oembed&w=500&h=281]
This theory makes even more sense with what we know from Ahsoka’s novel, because she took hers from an Inquisitor, meaning the crystal had been bled and were red. They then turned white because Ahsoka wasn’t a Jedi, but she also wasn’t a Sith. They showed her individuality amongst the Force.
So for Rey, if she used different components from Luke and Leia’s sabers and their crystals, it could change color to the gold that she has. Plus, the little green and blue flicker fans see when she switches it on is just a nod to the origin of the lightsaber’s materials.
In terms of what a yellow or gold lightsaber means about Rey’s spirit alignment, ScreenRant noted that yellow sabers were used by Jedi Temple guards, whose sabers were also double-bladed (it looks like Rey’s could be, but that’s not shown on screen). In the expanded universe, which isn’t truly canon, yellow sabers belonged to Jedi sentinels.
Whether we learn more about Rey’s lightsaber or not is up to Disney. In the future, a spin-off or comic could add more lore later on, and fans could get answers to what this all means. But, in the meantime, it’s a lovely ode to the Skywalkers and connects Rey to them further.
Written by: Cheat
