The Star Wars sequel trilogy delivered some memorable lightsaber combat and a few of the coolest weapons we’ve seen in the franchise’s movies. Unfortunately, it also had several swings and misses with its lightsabers (and several other things) along the way. Things started well in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, which gave us Kylo Ren’s awesome-looking crossguard saber, an intense duel, and the undeniable hero moment of the Skywalker lightsaber flying into Rey’s hand.
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Things continued going well in Star Wars: The Last Jedi, despite the backlash to the movie as a whole. The lightsaber fight with Rey and Kylo teaming up against the Praetorian Guards is one of the saga’s most creative, perfectly combining style with emotional substance. The movie also took the bold move of destroying the Skywalker lightsaber. This should’ve been an opportunity to move beyond it, but The Rise of Skywalker walked it back, rather than giving Rey a Jedi weapon that was entirely hers. When it did finally do that, with her yellow lightsaber in The Rise of Skywalker’s ending, it was ignited for all of 10 seconds.
Rey’s New Movie Can Improve On The Rise of Skywalker’s Yellow Lightsaber
The good news is that Rey will be getting a new movie, with Daisy Ridley returning for a New Jedi Order film (assuming, fingers crossed, that it actually sees the light of day). With that, there’s a golden opportunity to right the wrong of wasting her yellow lightsaber, as it should be a key part of her on-screen story. That means finally getting to see it in action, being used for training, and how it looks in real combat, whether the movie’s foes wield their own lightsabers or not.
Even more importantly, it can add greater meaning to the lightsaber. The Rise of Skywalker cut scenes of Rey building the weapon, which was a missed opportunity. It’d be redundant for the New Jedi Order to do that, but it can still convey a deeper sense of understanding about the color. How she wields it will say a lot about who she is and what she’s now like as a Jedi. The yellow saber can become a physical extension of her character’s development, her agency, her legacy.
That legacy is important, too. She might have chosen the surname “Skywalker,” but it’s “Rey” who should really matter in the New Jedi Order movie. The yellow lightsaber, with its unique color (compared to other Skywalkers) and a handle made from her staff, speaks to her identities: scavenger and Jedi; Skywalker, Palpatine, and nobody. The yellow offers a sense of balance, something Rey could come to utilize as a mentor to a new generation of Jedi. And with her lightsaber, she can lead them forward into a different age, as a New Jedi Order that leaves behind the more dogmatic teachings of the past, her blade lighting the way.
Rey’s New Jedi Order movie does not yet have a release date. The next Star Wars movie will be The Mandalorian and Grogu on May 22nd, 2026, followed by Star Wars: Starfighter on May 28th, 2027.
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