Summary
One specificStar Warsstory from theStar WarsLegends continuitygave audiences an incredibly unique fate forAnakin Skywalker’s lost lightsaberafterThe Empire Strikes Back. Lightsabers are an incredibly iconic part ofStar Wars, but none more thanAnakin Skywalker’s lightsaber. Wielded by Anakin inStar Wars: Episode III -Revenge of the Sithand Luke inA New HopeandTheEmpire Strikes Back, the saber made a return to the screen in the sequel trilogy, wielded by the next Skywalker, Rey.
The lightsaber, however, was indeed lost after the duel on Cloud City, and the mystery of where it ended up was answered in several different ways besides Rey coming upon it on Takodana. In one comic story, the weapon appears again in an unlikely scenario. The famousStar WarsTalescomic series gave the legendary lightsaber a much different fate after Luke lost it with his hand at Cloud City.
All 20 Lightsaber Types In Star Wars Canon Explained
The lightsaber is the signature weapon of the Jedi and the Sith – but there have actually been many different types in Star Wars canon.
Ben Skywalker Found Anakin’s Lightsaber In Star Wars Tales
Star Wars Tales #19: The Lost Lightsaber
Anakin Skywalker’s lightsaber fell into many hands after Cloud City, according to the 2004 storyThe Lost LightsaberfromStar WarsTales#19 by Andrew Robinson, Jim Royal, and Núria Peris. The comic depicts the saber being found by a technician on Cloud City, falling into the claws of Bossk, and eventually being picked up by Boba Fett himself. AfterFett escaped the sarlacc pit, Jawas took the lightsaber, and it was eventually sold to a hopeful Padawan, training in hiding after the fall of theGalactic Empire.
This Padawan wielded the lightsaber through his adolescence, but was drawn to the dark side, and killed every master that trained him. Falling further and further into his darkness, the Dark Jedi intended on infusing the lightsaber with the dark side itself. Before he could do so,around 40 years after the Battle of Yavin, Luke Skywalker’s son Ben Skywalker arrived to claim the lightsaberand fight the Dark Jedi and his followers.
This Story Wasn’t Strictly Canon – Mara Jade Owned The Saber
Star Wars Tales Wasn’t Always Fact
The story of Ben Skywalker finding his father’s (and grandfather’s) lightsaber was not strictly canon, though. TheStar Wars Talescomic series gave authors and artists a bit of leeway when it came to canonicity of their stories, and that shows here. This was not the actual fate of the Skywalker lightsaber inStar Wars Legends– audiences got that over a decade earlier in the originalThrawntrilogy. Anakin’s lightsaber was wielded by none other than Luke’s future wife, Mara Jade.
Luke Skywalker’s Character History & Timeline, Explained
Luke Skywalker’s journey through the Star Wars universe was long and saw the celebrated Jedi Knight battle deadly foes and seek wisdom.
What Happened To Anakin’s Lightsaber In Legends?
The Saber Was Passed To Mara Jade
While Rey Skywalker wielded the lightsaber in the sequel trilogy before burying it with Anakin’s mother on Tatooine, and Ben Skywalker reclaimed his family’s saber inStar Wars Tales,the lightsaber was given to Mara Jade inStar WarsLegends. This was after the events of the Thrawn trilogy by Timothy Zahn, where Mara is introduced as an antagonist, but eventually saves Luke’s life in the final book,The Last Command. It turns out, like in canon, the Skywalker lightsaber was carried by an unrelated woman who would eventually take the name Skywalker, though in a very different way.
Luke began his relationship with Mara in these books, and at their end, gave Mara the saber as a token of good will. For the next decade or so, Luke and Mara continued to see each other, and eventually fell in love, got married, and had a son named Ben. Years later, however, Mara was killed, and the lightsaber was officially retired at Luke’s Jedi Temple. This all goes to show the number of fates and alternate stories that are possible within theStar Warsgalaxy, and how there are always multiple options for what could be canon.
