Summary
Red-bladed lightsabers are directly tied to the Dark Lord of the Sith Lords in theStar Warscanon. However, that wasn’t always the case in the original continuity that’s now become part of non-canon Legends. Originally, lightsaber colors mattered far less in the galaxy far, far away.
In the established canon, red lightsabers became part of the Sith aesthetic beginning withDarth Maul in 1999’sThe Phantom Menace, following Darth Vader’s crimson blade in the original trilogy. This created the trend where George Lucas gave all dark-side users red blades, and the Sith traditions that came with them were eventually established as well. However,the various books and comics released before 1999 (which are now Legends) were more open with their lightsaber colors, including those wielded by the Sith.
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Red Wasn’t The Only Lightsaber Color Used By Sith In Legends
One of the best examples of a Sith wielding a non-red blade in Legends was Exar Kun, a fallen Jedi Knight who became a Sith Lord and warred against the Republic and Jedi Order during the “Old Sith Wars”.However, Kun’s blade remained a striking blue-white color. It’s also worth noting thatExar Kun was the first to wield a double-bladed lightsaberin the originalStar Warscontinuity. However, there were other Sith in Legends who didn’t expressly wield red lightsabers either.
It’s also worth noting that red was also used by the Jedi in Legends as well.This surprisingly includes Leia Organa who received a red-bladed lightsaber built by Lukewith a synthetic kyber crystal in the Legends continuity. However, this lightsaber was only temporarily wielded by Leia who would end up building a new lightsaber with a blue blade.
More Uniform And Tied To Sith Tradition
Fast forwarding to the establishedStar Warscanon following more movies beyond the original trilogy,all Sith would come to wield red lightsaberswith the color being synonymous with the dark side itself. Likewise, it was eventually established that prospective Sith apprentices would pour all their darkest emotions into a kyber crystal that belonged to a slain Jedi as part of their initiation. This would make the kyber “bleed”, resulting in its crimson color. That said, it’s still interesting to think back on the original Legends continuity when lightsaber colors weren’t nearly as significant as they are now in the officialStar Warscanon.
