Lightsabers are the iconic weapon wielded by the Jedi in Star Wars, characterized by their colorful electric-like blades and electronic hilt. They’re incredibly effective on land, but can actually be waterproof weapons as well under the right circumstances. Described as “laser swords” by those unfamiliar with them, lightsabers have been the symbol of the Jedi Order since the dawn of the organization. Despite their long history in the galaxy, there is still much to learn about lightsabers.

The primary element of a lightsaber is its kyber crystal, which gives each blade its unique color. Upon completing their training as a youngling, each Jedi would embark on a special mission to the planet Ilum to find the specific crystal that called to them. The Jedi would then take their crystal back to construct their hilts. There were many ways for each Jedi to personalize their hilts according to their style and lightsaber combat preferences. Some of those hilts were even capable of operating underwater.

Lightsaber Crystal Circuits Can Short-Circuit

Despite the mystical appearance of the lightsaber, there is a lot of technical work behind their operation. The kyber crystals that create the lightsaber colors are connected to the Force, but the hilts that activate the blade are very much electric. Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones shows Anakin’s lightsaber getting cut cleanly in half, resulting in an electric spark. This electricity is what powers the mechanisms that ignite the crystal’s blade.

Like all electronics, lightsaber hilts are vulnerable to water when they are exposed. Contact with water alone wouldn’t short out a lightsaber, as seen when Obi-Wan fights Jango Fett on Kamino in the rain. However, complete submergence would render the weapon unstable or useless. The companion material for Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace includes Qui-Gon Jinn warning his then-Padawan Obi-Wan Kenobi about the danger of leaving the inner workings of his lightsaber vulnerable to the water.

There Are Ways To Adjust Lightsabers To Work Underwater

However, if a lightsaber is constructed with the express intention of underwater fighting, the hilt could operate properly underwater. Most hilts are made of metal alloys, though other materials can be used as well. Gems and the sturdy wood of a Brylark tree have also been known to make good hilts. To make it waterproof, however, the hilt would need to be specially altered.

Kit Fisto, an amphibious Nautolan Jedi Master, used a method of waterproofing his saber’s hilt. He added a bifurcating cyclical-ignition pulse that utilizes a circuit created by two kyber crystals to keep the water from harming the electric components. He popularized this method throughout the fighting in the Clone Wars and taught other Jedi how to do it as well. As battles on underwater worlds were common after such a long period of peace, this new waterproofing technique would be a game changer for the Jedi of Star Wars.

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