Star Wars: Purple Lightsaber Meaning & Most Famous Users
When it comes to the world of Star Wars, we can’t help but admire the power and regality nature of the lightsaber as a weapon due to how powerful and unique it is. Of course, the lightsaber comes in different colors that tend to vary from one Jedi to another. But the purple lightsaber has fascinated a lot of people ever since its first onscreen appearance during the prequel movies. So, what exactly does the purple lightsaber color mean?
The color purple combines blue and red, the two most prominent colors of the Jedi and the Sith, respectively. In that regard, the purple lightsaber symbolizes a Jedi that is strong in the light side of the Force but isn’t afraid of tapping into their inner darkness.
What makes the purple lightsaber so unique is that only a few Jedi have ever used it in canon because it takes a special type of personality to produce a purple Kyber crystal. That means the purple lightsaber is somewhat special from all the different Jedi lightsaber colors. So, with that said, let’s look at what the purple lightsaber color means.
What does the purple lightsaber color mean?
Many people forget about the lightsaber because the Kyber crystal that produces the blade needs to attune to the Force powers of the Jedi first. That is when the crystal gets its color and can now produce a lightsaber blade with the corresponding color.
In some cases, the color of the crystal might be random, depending on certain circumstances. But there are instances wherein the color of the crystal corresponds to the nature of the Force powers within a person.
That is why there are a lot of different lightsaber colors in the Star Wars world. Blue and green are the most common lightsaber colors, and for a good reason, as these colors usually symbolize the tenets that the Jedi Order value the most. But we also know that other colors are rare but still achievable for a Jedi. One such lightsaber color is purple.
While the color of a lightsaber doesn’t actually mean a thing in the strict sense as far as the canon continuity of Star Wars is concerned, what we know is that there is still a deep and underlying meaning that is related to the nature of the color purple and how it relates to both the light and the dark sides of the Force.
When you look at the color purple, it is a combination of blue and red. We know that blue is the most prominent lightsaber color among the Jedi and that red is the only color that the Sith or any user of the dark side favors.
In that regard, the purple lightsaber color combines the nature of the Jedi and the Sith in the sense that it uses the discipline and peaceful nature of the Jedi but incorporates the powerful and emotional aspect of the Sith as well.
Of course, the real-world meaning of the color purple also allows us to learn more about this lightsaber color. Purple is often associated with different meanings, including power, ambition, and peace.
In that regard, it is consistent with the fact that the Jedi Order promotes peace among people. But at the same time, those who use the purple lightsaber aren’t afraid of tapping into their inner ambitious nature to become more powerful. And this would make sense when we look at the most prominent user of the purple lightsaber.
Most famous purple lightsaber users
The truth is that Mace Windu was the only Jedi seen to have owned a purple lightsaber during the final days of the Jedi Order. As such, the other Jedi that owned a purple lightsaber lived centuries ago during the High Republic era.
Mace Windu
As mentioned, Mace Windu was the only Jedi onscreen to have ever owned a purple lightsaber (not counting Cal Kestis), and there’s a very good reason why he has a unique lightsaber. Of course, Samuel L. Jackson simply wanted a purple lightsaber because purple is his favorite color. But in the world of Star Wars, Windu’s lightsaber crystal turned purple due to his unique nature as a Jedi.
While Windu was a true Jedi in every sense of the word, it wasn’t beyond him to be ruthless and tap into his inner darkness whenever necessary. He was the only Jedi to use Form VII without giving into the dark side of the Force, as he can use his emotions and inner darkness to his advantage without completely giving himself up to his rage and anger.
And because we know that the color purple symbolizes a marriage between the light and dark sides of the Force, Windu was the perfect Jedi for the purple lightsaber as he was still a Jedi that could control his inner darkness and use it to his advantage in a fight.
Vernestra Rwoh
One of the most recent additions to the Star Wars canon is Vernestra Rwoh, a Jedi who lived during the High Republic era. During that time, it was a lot more common for the Jedi to have purple lightsabers, as it is possible that they weren’t afraid of their inner darkness. And that is probably one of the reasons why the Jedi Order was at its most powerful during the High Republic era.
Rwoh was a unique Jedi because she was both powerful and innovative. In fact, she became a Jedi Master at the tender age of 15 due to her strength and accomplishment. She eventually redesigned her lightsaber into a lightwhip when prompted by the Force, giving her a unique weapon that’s purple and flexible.
Ty Yorrick
Another character that wielded the purple lightsaber and lived during the time of the High Republic was Ty Yorrick, one of the most unique characters introduced in the High Republic storylines of Star Wars. Of course, she was also known for the distinctive purple lightsaber that she wielded as a Jedi.
Ty became a Jedi at a young age but was never actually with the Jedi Order for a long time because she also left the group after an incident turned her into a mercenary. In that regard, she lived her life hunting monsters for money, and that was when she found her niche, as there were dark-side creatures that were weak to her nature as a Jedi. And the fact that she used a purple lightsaber added a sense of mystique to her character.
Lys Solay
The first Star Wars show to ever feature characters that come from the High Republic era is ‘Star Wars Young Jedi Adventures,’ which is actually a kids’ show that focuses on the adventures of younglings that lived during the High Republic era and were trying to make a name for themselves as they were training to become true Jedi.
Lys Solay was one of the main characters of that series. She wielded a purple lightsaber in the many different adventures she and her friends went through in the show. And like her friends, she was still just a young Jedi-in-training that was looking to learn more about the nature of the Force and what it truly means to be a Jedi.
Cal Kestis
While purple probably isn’t his canon lightsaber color, Cal Kestis is one of the Jedi capable of switching the color of his lightsabers at will, which was seen in the ‘Star Wars Jedi’ video games. Of course, one of the lightsaber colors that Cal Kestis can use in the game is the purple lightsaber color.
Cal is a unique Jedi in his own right because he was a survivor of Order 66 and was one of the rebels that fought the Empire during the earlier part of the Imperial era. He has appeared in two video games already and is set to appear in one more video game that will supposedly conclude his story.
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