When Kylo Ren was unveiled in the first trailer for The Force Awakens, a lot of the discussion centred on his unusual lightsaber. This was a crossguard design, with vents on the hilt blasting excess energy on either side of the blade. It was a striking look and a cool visual reflection of the rage burning inside the character. But though it fit Kylo Ren to have a dangerous and unstable weapon, it didn’t seem practical and appeared to have been an anomaly among Star Wars lightsabers.
Now, it’s not quite so unique, as a new lightsaber from upcoming transmedia project Star Wars: The High Republic shows a more refined take on the same crossguard concept, which you can see below:
This belongs to Jedi Master Stellan Gios, whose weapon the new book Star Wars: The Lightsaber Collection describes thusly:
“Gios’ lightsaber is an elegant weapon with a crossguard and a longer hilt that allows him to easily wield it in two hands like a broadsword. … When the saber ignites, the crossguard blades push the quillions forward, forming caps to the blades and creating a secondary guard.”
The broadsword design fits nicely with The High Republic featuring a ‘Jedi Knights of the Round Table,’Â with Gios presumably sitting on it. He’s described as a voice of reason who’s dedicated to upholding the Jedi traditions and customs, which sounds to me like he’s being set up for a fall. Right now, it’s not confirmed where he’ll appear, though I think it’s a safe bet that he’ll feature in the first book The High Republic: Light of the Jedi, due to be published on January 5th, 2021.
With the period from The Phantom Menace to The Rise of Skywalker very busy plotwise, I’m looking forward to some talented writers working with a blank slate of continuity. The High Republic looks set to bring a ton of new ideas to Star Wars and despite assurances that there aren’t movies planned, if it becomes extremely popular, I’m betting that will change.
