Star Wars‘ lightsabers have changed a lot since 1977. Where once there were only two colors and a very standard design, there are now countless looks. Two blades? A crossguard? Spinning blades? An umbrella?! You got it. Green, yellow, or orange in color? Why the hell not. This has become not only part of movies and TV, but the wider franchise too: lightsaber customization is big business, whether it’s as part of video games or at Disney’s theme parks. And there’s a simple reason: because they’re undeniably fun and cool, even more so than George Lucas’ first entry into the saga suggested.
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A key part of that is Mace Windu’s purple weapon, which changed the game when it comes to the coolest lightsabers in Star Wars movies. The blade was immediately eye-catching and iconic, despite the fact that it went against what Lucas had previously established with Jedi only having blue and green sabers. And for that, we can all thank actor Samuel L. Jackson. In an interview on The Graham Norton Show, he explained: “We had this big arena, this fight scene with all these Jedi and they’re fightin’ or whatever. And I was like, well s**t, I wanna be able to find myself in this big ol’ scene. So I said to George, ‘You think maybe I can get a purple lightsaber?’”
What A Purple Lightsaber Means (It Was Perfect For Mace Windu)
Jackson’s reasoning, despite Lucas protestations that Jedi didn’t have purple lightsabers, is that he’s the “second baddest Jedi” behind Yoda. The actor got his way, and the rest is Star Wars history, but it does feel right for Mace Windu to have that color given his character and fighting style. Purple is a blend of red and blue, which makes a purple lightsaber a point of balance between the dark side of the Force and the light. Mace may be a Jedi Master, but he’s one who is very aware of his own inner darkness, creating his own lightsaber form variation, Vaapad, that allowed him to tap into that dark energy.
That also applies to another classic Star Wars character, (Darth) Revan. Although his story is mostly Legends rather than canon, he was a Jedi who fell to the dark side, before later being redeemed, and wielded both red and purple lightsabers. Several other Jedi in canon and Legends have also used the color without the same level of meaning, particularly in the High Republic era. That itself is notable, though, as they were Jedi with more freedom than the more dogmatic order Mace served in. The biggest of these is Vernestra Rwoh, who turned her lightsaber into a lightwhip, though even she was known to have a level of secrecy and duplicity (as seen in The Acolyte).
Purple lightsabers will also be making something of a comeback, albeit not in canon, via LEGO Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy: Pieces of the Past. That will actually include Revan himself, who’ll once again be wielding his two different colored blades. But it’ll also feature the dark side villain Solitus, who has two purple sabers joined together by a chain. That’s something of a departure from the norm, as it suggests a purely dark side user having purple weapons, but could mean there’s some light within him too. That just shows the continued legacy – and cool factor – of the purple lightsaber, which wouldn’t exist without Jackson wanting to stand out from the crowd.
All Star Wars movies are available to stream on Disney+, which is also where LEGO Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy: Pieces of the Past will be released on September 19th, 2025.
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