For all of Star Wars‘ many lightsaber types, the Soulsaber, an ancient dark side lightsaber, may have been the most powerful. Since its inception, Star Wars’s Expanded Universe material – now known as Legends – has explored much of the galaxy’s history, from the Dawn of the Jedi to the Old Republic and the High Republic alike. These eras have shown a clear development and shift in technology, particularly lightsabers, and those who wield them – Jedi, Sith, or otherwise.
In all the Star Wars movies and series, lightsabers have appeared many times and of many designs, but nothing has been as unique as what is seen in a lot of the Star Wars books and comics. Lightsaber colors haven’t even been seen in that much of a variety when compared to Legends. Mostly consisting of red, blue, and green single bladed lightsabers, Star Wars could use a little more creativity on the lightsaber front. A great example of this is found in a role-playing game story from 2001, the Soulsaber.
How Lightsabers Work In Star Wars
The lightsaber is easily the most iconic weapon in all of Star Wars, and here’s how the Jedi and Sith make their unforgettable laser swords.
The Soulsaber Is The Most Dangerous Lightsaber Ever Seen
This Dark Side Saber Was Made To Destroy The Light
The legendary weapon called the Soulsaber has powers that are unrivaled in any other lightsaber. Though never illustrated, the Soulsaber is described as having a relatively long black and bronze hilt resembling the head of a dragon. When ignited, a black blade that glowed purple extended out of the dragon’s mouth, surrounded by blood-red spots of energy. Right away, this conjures up images of the Mandalorian Jedi Darksaber, but it goes much further than just the added colors of purple and red. The Soulsaber also has many dark Force powers of its own.
The scariest thing about the Soulsaber is what it does to those who wield it. The ancient artifact is not just a weapon, it’s a nexus of dark side energy, radiating darkness and death in a tangible way for all around to feel. Even those who weren’t Force-sensitive felt unwell when around the weapon. Terrifyingly, sometimes use of this weapon alone could turn Force-sensitive individuals firmly to the dark side, and if it was in possession of a group of dark side wielders, it would often turn them all against each other out of a desire to possess the blade.
Star Wars: Every Member Of the Dark Side, Ranked By Lightsaber Skill
Dark side Force users constantly impress fans with their badassery, which is often on full display when they wield their iconic red lightsabers.
The Soulsaber even granted special abilities when fighting, different from any of the Jedi lightsaber combat forms. Anyone who was struck by the Soulsaber was said to experience an immense and painful cold that pushed them towards the dark side, while pushing the user in that direction as well. The Soulsaber gave users access to the Star Wars Legends technique “Battlemind”, which strategically enhanced their concentration in a fight. The horrific blade could even absorb Force energy from its targets and channel them into the user for their own use.
The Soulsaber Predates Even The Sith
An Ancient Weapon From The Early Old Republic
Despite channeling so much of the dark side of the Force, the Soulsaber actually predates the Sith – the dark side’s most iconic wielders. The blade represents the raw and terrifying levels the dark side could reach even before the establishment of the Sith. While the Sith species existed for millennia, dark side Jedi exiles didn’t arrive and establish the Sith Order on the Sith homeworld of Korriban until 6900 BBY in Legends.
The Soulsaber meanwhile, was created in at least 20,000 BBY. That places the Soulsaber’s creation further from the creation of the Sith than the creation of the Sith was from Luke Skywalker. A truly ancient weapon, and one of the most powerful ever created in the galaxy, the Soulsaber would be a fascinating lightsaber to see show up in an upcoming Star Wars movie or series.
