Ahsoka Tano’s lightsabers have evolved since her debut in the Star Wars franchise. Ahsoka made her first appearance in the Star Wars: The Clone Wars animated film, where she was introduced as Anakin Skywalker’s Padawan. Over the years, audiences have watched Ahsoka grow into the independent, strong, and unique Force-wielder she is now, most recently in The Mandalorian. Ahsoka’s popularity has grown to such an extent that she will soon lead her own live-action Star Wars show on Disney+, which is currently filming its first season.
Lightsabers are synonymous with the Jedi and are preferred by the Jedi over any other weapon. Creating a lightsaber is a rite of passage for Jedi younglings, a ritual that involves the younglings discovering their own kyber crystals on the ice planet Ilum, after which they assemble their lightsabers according to their personal preferences. Each lightsaber, therefore, is unique to its wielder, and Ahsoka Tano’s lightsabers are no exception. Ahsoka’s growth as a character is reflected in the evolution of her lightsabers. As she gained more experience under Anakin’s tutelage and by fighting in the Clone Wars, the manner in which she used her lightsabers changed.
While Ahsoka Tano’s dual white lightsabers are perhaps her most iconic lightsabers, they were preceded by other variations of the Jedi weapon. Green and blue blades are used by most Jedi (Mace Windu’s purple lightsaber is one of the few exceptions), and Ahsoka’s lightsabers have sported both colors before she went on to wielding the famous white blades. The color of one’s lightsaber denotes their character and temperament, as a kyber crystal is colorless until a Force-wielder uses it to construct their weapon. The changes in the color of Ahsoka’s lightsabers also reflect her development as a character, just as her knowledge and skill as a fighter is reflected in the changes to her lightsabers as well. Here is how Ahsoka’s lightsabers changed over the years, and how they reflected her character’s place in Star Wars canon during each period that she wields them.
Ahsoka’s First Green Lightsaber
When Ahsoka was first introduced in The Clone Wars animated film, she carried one single lightsaber with a green blade. Green blades are often synonymous with Jedi who exhibit harmony, helpfulness, cooperation, and spirituality. This was the lightsaber she made after participating in the Gathering, the ritual on Ilum that allows younglings to construct their first lightsaber. Ahsoka used this particular lightsaber during many battles in the Clone Wars, including on planets like Naboo, Felucia, and Geonosis. The way she used this lightsaber already portrayed her uniqueness among the Jedi, as she often preferred to wield it with a non-standard reverse grip.
Why Ahsoka Started Using Two Lightsabers
As her fighting prowess grew under Anakin Skywalker’s tutelage, Ahsoka’s weaponry also evolved. In The Clone Wars season 3 episode “Heroes on Both Sides”, Ahsoka is first seen wielding two lightsabers. Her second lightsaber is a shorter shoto-style blade, which she uses as a complement to her primary weapon. What’s most interesting about this second blade is its coloring. Instead of another standard green lightsaber, Ahsoka’s second weapon has a yellow-green hue, another deviation from her Jedi counterparts. In adopting Jar’Kai, otherwise known as dual lightsaber fighting, Ahsoka slowly became one of the most formidable duelers in Star Wars canon. Few other characters have been known to master this technique or use it to such an extent - Asajj Ventress is perhaps the most obvious example of another Jar’Kai practitioner in Star Wars.
How Ahsoka’s Lightsabers Became Blue
Ahsoka’s time within the Jedi Order came to end at the end of The Clone Wars season 5. The Jedi Council had accused her of an attack on the Jedi temple, as well as multiple homicides, even though she had been framed by her friend and fellow Padawan, Barris Offee. Though she was invited to return to the Jedi Order after the truth had been discovered by Anakin, Ahsoka decided to leave for good - her faith and trust in the ways of the Jedi had been fractured. They were meant to be peacekeepers, and yet all she had done since becoming a Padawan was fight in a never-ending war and be accused of heinous crimes she’d had no hand in committing. When Ahsoka decided to leave the Jedi Order, she also left her lightsabers with them, as lightsabers were the weapons of the Jedi, and she was no longer a Jedi.
The Clone Wars’ seventh season saw her reunited with Masters Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi, however, during the pivotal narrative arc of “The Siege of Mandalore.” Anakin had kept and maintained Ahsoka’s lightsabers while they were parted, and presented them to her as a gift before she would fly off to Mandalore to try and capture the former Sith Lord Darth Maul. In Anakin’s own words, he “improved” them, changing the color of the blades to blue to match his own weapon. This friendly encounter would be the last time Anakin and Ahsoka saw each other before the tragic events of Order 66 and Anakin’s turn to the dark side. After she and the clone Captain Rex managed to survive Order 66, she buried her blue lightsabers alongside dozens of clone troopers, where Darth Vader eventually finds them at a later date.
Why Ahsoka Has White Lightsabers In Star Wars Rebels And The Mandalorian
Ahsoka’s next appearance in the Star Wars timeline occurred in Star Wars Rebels. There, she is introduced as an intelligence operative within the Rebellion, working under the code name “Fulcrum”. Her appearance in Star Wars Rebels brought with it her famous white lightsaber blades, which she used in plenty of duels, including against various Inquisitors, Maul, and Darth Vader himself. Ahsoka is still seen to be wielding these white lightsabers later during her live-action debut in The Mandalorian, which takes place approximately five years after the epilogue of Star Wars Rebels. Though neither Star Wars Rebels nor The Mandalorian explicitly explains why Ahsoka’s lightsabers are now white, there are other sources of information that provide the answer. E.K. Johnston’s Ahsoka novel explained that Ahsoka had been hunted by Vader’s Inquisitors after the events of Order 66, and she was able to defeat one in the process. She took the kyber crystals from his blades and used her connection to the light side of the Force to heal and realign the crystals from the Inquisitor’s corruption. This is how she obtained her unique white-bladed lightsabers, which were constructed in the same manner as her old ones; a primary blade and a shorter secondary blade, though these new lightsabers had a distinctive curved hilt.
A lightsaber’s color in Star Wars reflects the user’s personality and temperament. Though Ahsoka has wielded both green and blue lightsabers, her white lightsabers might most accurately reflect who she truly is. Dave Filoni, who worked as the showrunner on Star Wars Rebels, has stated that Ahsoka’s white lightsabers denote the fact that she is neither Jedi nor Sith [via Lucasfilm]. She is connected to the light side of the Force, yet untethered to the strict traditions and rules of the Jedi Order.
Ahsoka’s development throughout Star Wars canon has been a joy to witness, and her most current white lightsabers perhaps most accurately reflect who she is. She is affiliated with the light side of the Force, a connection that is pure and unaffected by outdated traditions and strict codes. She can act in the ways she deems best for the galaxy and those around her, a true force of goodness. Perhaps the upcoming Ahsoka show will provide a better understanding as to how her new lightsabers were constructed, but in the meantime, it is fascinating to see how Ahsoka’s journey has been so carefully reflected in her choice of weaponry throughout the Star Wars timeline.
