Here’s Why Lucasfilm Made Luke Skywalker’s Lightsaber Green

In the Star Wars universe, a Jedi’s lightsaber says a lot about a person. Darth Maul’s deadly […]

September 5, 2017, 4:58pm

In the Star Wars universe, a Jedi’s lightsaber says a lot about a person. Darth Maul’s deadly duel-sided blade speaks to the character and his sly nature. Mace Windu stunned audiences in the prequel with his one-of-a-kind purple saber. However, it was Luke Skywalker who first deviated from the norm back in Star Wars: Return of the Jedi. When the protagonist lit up his weapon for the first time, its green blade caught fans everywhere off-guard.

Since the saber debuted, fans have come up with plenty of theories as to why Luke’s weapon took on a green hue rather than blue. Now, a member of Lucasfilm’s story team is speaking out about the decision, and it has rather surprising basis.

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Pablo Hidalgo recently spoke with Vanity Fair in celebration of the 40th anniversary of Star Wars. It was there the executive confirmed Luke’s lightsaber took on a green hue because of a simple filmmaking concern. Here is what Hidalgo had to say about the lightsaber’s color:

“The intent was the lightsaber was going to be blue. In that universe, at that time, as far as anyone knew, lightsabers were red or they were blue. As much as we like to mythologize why it’s green and what that all signifies, sometimes there are very pragmatic filmmaking reasons behind these things.”

The reasoning behind Luke’s lightsaber shift is an understandable one. With the weapon being the Jedi’s go-to offense, it makes sense that Lucasfilm would want to the blade to show up well on-screen. The trick worked well enough that green lightsabers became a norm in the franchise, leaving Obi-Wan Kenobi’s saber as the odd weapon out.

Still, some fans will be sad to hear there isn’t a funny origin story behind the blade. When Samuel L. Jackson pitched his purple saber, the actor’s story doubled fans over with laughter.

“We had this big arena, this fight scene with all these Jedi and they’re fightin’ or whatever. And I was like, well s*it, 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?’” Samuel has recalled previously.

When George Lucas reminded Jackson that sabers were traditionally green or red in the prequels, the star swayed him with some convincing logic. “Yeah, but I want a purple one. I’m like the second baddest Jedi in the universe next to Yoda,” Jackson said.

And boom! That’s how Mace Windu got his special purple lightsaber.

Star Wars: The Last Jedi is the second film in the new Star Wars sequel trilogy that began with Star Wars: The Force Awakens in 2015. The film will deal with Luke training Rey to become a, and possibly the last, Jedi. Meanwhile, the Resistance, including Poe Dameron and First Order defector Finn, continues to fight against the First Order, led by General Hux, while Supreme Leader Snoke and his Dark Side follower Kylo Ren continue their mysterious plot.

Star Wars: The Last Jedi is written and directed by Rian Johnson and stars Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Lupita Nyong’o, Domhnall Gleeson, Anthony Daniels, Gwendoline Christie, Andy Serkis, Benicio Del Toro, Laura Dern, and Kelly Marie Tran.