While Star Wars fans know lightsabers are synonymous with the Jedi, a new chapter in the life of Luke Skywalker one of the most recent additions to Star Wars canon confirms just how connected Jedi and their lightsabers truly are after witnessing the latest heroic efforts of Luke Skywalker.
Originally introduced as 'a Jedi weapon,' the Star Wars stories to follow made it clear Jedi weren’t the only ones who could use a lightsaber. Han Solo uses Luke’s lightsaber to slice open a Tauntaun on Hoth, General Grievous uses multiple lightsabers, and Finn wields Anakin Skywalker's lost lightsaber against his grandson in The Force Awakens. So while it may require a Force- to wield a lightsaber as it's intended to be used, a new Star Wars comic has gone a step further. As Luke Skywalker now proves, while anyone can use a lightsaber, it will only unleash its full power when wielded by a Force-.
In Star Wars #32 by Charles Soule and Madibek Musabekov, Luke gets a second shot at doing battle with a deadly new lightsaber-immune droid design. Despite being ineffective against the KIlldroids in their first encounter, Luke’s lightsaber works perfectly against the Killbots. Leading him to explain this apparent power-up of his lightsaber simply: “I wasn’t properly focused before. Now I am. Now… the Force is with me.”
The Force Can Amplify A Lightsaber's Power
It makes some sense that a Jedi can make their lightsaber stronger with the Force, given that the Force is required to make a lightsaber to begin with. A lightsaber is powered by a Kyber Crystal that is chosen by (or more accurately, chooses) a Jedi based on their levels of expertise in a certain area, and has to be properly assembled with the Force before they can use it. Even so, this is a huge revelation within Star Wars canon. There have been lightsaber-immune droids before, and there have also been lightsabers made more deadly or effective by wielding the Force (through Force-controlled lightsaber throws, and the like).
But nothing has ever come close to what this issue reveals possible for the actual power for devastation imbued into a lightsaber. Star Wars #32 proves a Jedi can actually make their lightsaber more powerful through attunement to the Force, in of what their lightsaber can slice through. This means that while those who aren’t Force-sensitive can absolutely use a lightsaber, they will never come close to knowing its true power.
A lightsaber is one with its Jedi from the moment it is created, and now, Luke Skywalker has shown a Jedi can actually make their lightsaber more powerful mid-combat through the Force, which is a truly groundbreaking moment in Star Wars lore.
