Summary
- Red lightsabers in Star Wars are not only wielded by Sith, but also by other characters with different backgrounds and motivations.
- The origin of red lightsabers can differ between the canon and Legends timelines, from synthetic crystals to bleeding kyber crystals intentionally.
- Characters like Inquisitors, bounty hunters, and fallen Jedi have also used red lightsabers in interesting ways throughout the Star Wars universe.
Red lightsabers in powerful Sith – but many characters who aren't Sith (or aren't even evil) also wield red-colored lightsabers. These range from Jedi who had red lightsabers before the declaration that they were always evil and those who are evil in nature, but simply aren't Sith. Across Star Wars' long history, there have been many who have wielded such a blade, no matter what category they have fallen into.
It's important to there are two Star Wars timelines; one that began in 2014 and has coincided with the newer movies and TV shows, and the original one that ended in 2014, now branded Legends. Red lightsabers can differ greatly depending on which timeline they originate in, and that can also explain exactly why these characters have them. In Legends, red lightsabers often come from synthetic kyber crystals, whereas in canon, they come from a dark side intentionally bleeding a kyber crystal. Here's each non-Sith person or group who has used these lightsabers thus far in Star Wars.
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.
26 The Inquisitors
Darth Vader's Jedi Hunters
Iconic to the new Star Wars canon, the Inquisitorius was a group of spinning double-bladed lightsabers. These lightsabers signified them as adepts of the dark side, but as far as viewers know, they didn't contain kyber crystals bled by the Inquisitors themselves. These spinning lightsabers fascinatingly also allowed the Inquisitors to fly, somewhat.
25 Aurra Sing
Former Jedi Bounty Hunter
Viewers might recognize Aurra Sing from Star Wars: The Clone Wars or even her brief cameo in Star Wars: Episode II - The Phantom Menace, but the character has a much longer history in Star Wars comics. In the Legends timeline, she was a Jedi apprentice who left the order to become a bounty hunter. As a bounty hunter, Aurra Sing assassinated many Jedi and politicians, oftentimes using a red lightsaber she stole from a fallen Jedi – as during the period before Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones, it was believed in comics that Jedi could have red lightsabers.
24 Sheyvan
Dark Jedi & Emperor's Hand
Only appearing in one story, Sheyvan was a Dark Jedi who took the role of "Emperor's Hand." Emperor's Hand was a role given to dark side individuals who served the Emperor as assassins. Sheyvan was a talented duelist and military leader who trained a group of cloned Jedi and planned to kill the Emperor, though he was stopped by Darth Vader – who regretted killing Sheyvan because of how talented of a fighter he actually was.
23 Dagan Gera
The Fallen High Republic Jedi
Appearing in Jedi: Survivor, Dagan Gera is a Jedi hailing from the High Republic Era. Gera was sealed away for over 200 years on the planet Koboh, where he was awoken by Cal Kestis. Upon realizing the Jedi and Republic had fallen, Gera felt immense rage and bled his kyber crystal inside his lightsaber. This gave him a red saber to use as he fought Cal Kestis on a rampage towards his treasured planet Tanalorr during the Imperial Era.
Upon realizing the Jedi and Republic had fallen, Gera felt immense rage and bled his kyber crystal inside his lightsaber.
22 Adi Gallia
Jedi Council Member
Tholothian Jedi Council member from The Phantom Menace and The Clone Wars, Adi Gallia, is mostly depicted with a blue lightsaber. In Legends comics released before Attack of the Clones, however, Gallia actually wields a red-bladed lightsaber. This is unaddressed and not any sign of the dark side, being simply the result of the lore about red sabers not being fully established at this point. In Legends, her shift to blue was explained as being because she didn't want to be associated with the recently revealed Sith, Darth Maul, in The Phantom Menace.
Every Member Of The Jedi Council During Order 66 (& What Happened To Them)
At the time of Order 66 and the Great Jedi Purge, there were several major of the High Jedi Council. This is what you need to know about them.
21 Even Piell
Jedi Council Member
Also appearing in The Phantom Menace and The Clone Wars, Even Piell's situation is remarkably similar to Adi Gallia's. The Lannik Jedi Master wielded a red lightsaber simply because the lore surrounding them wasn't properly established. This was also changed in later appearances, where he mostly wielded a green lightsaber.
20 Rieve
Force-Sensitive Gladiator
The game Star Wars: Hunters is a free-to-play arena battle video game that has not yet been released worldwide – despite being released in a few countries in late 2021. The game's canonicity involves an arena on the planet Vespaara, where fighters battle for an audience. One of the fighters is a Force-sensitive young woman named Rieve, who wields a red lightsaber to play the role of a Sith for audiences' entertainment, while she was actually using the arena as an outlet for her Force powers.
19 Xanatos
Failed Jedi Padawan Of Qui-Gon Jinn
In Star Wars Legends, Qui-Gon Jinn actually had three Padawans, not just Obi-Wan. One of these Padawans was Xanatos, a young man from the planet Telos IV. He fell to the dark side due to his immense personal connections to his manipulative father on a mission to his homeworld, where his father was governor. Xanatos then reappeared years later with a synthetic crystal making his lightsaber red, as he challenged Qui-Gon and his new apprentice.
18 Aralina Silk
Galaxies' Emperor's Hand
Introduced in the MMORPG Star Wars Galaxies, Aralina Silk is another one of the Emperor's Hands. Present at the large battle on the planet Restuss in the Legends timeline, Silk is killed, leaving her red lightsaber behind. Not much else is known about Aralina Silk other than she possessed a rare lightsaber hilt and served the Empire until shortly after the events of A New Hope.
17 Sa Cuis
Emperor's Hand
Falling to the dark side after Order 66, Sa Cuis was a Dark Jedi who commanded a unit of Imperial Commandos during the early days of the Empire. He was another one of the Emperor's Hands and wielded two lightsabers – one red and one white. After challenging Darth Vader's authority in a duel, Cuis was killed by the Sith Lord – but not before his DNA samples were taken for cloning purposes.
After challenging Darth Vader's authority in a duel, Cuis was killed by the Sith Lord.
