Star Wars has finally introduced the first live-action lightsaber whip in The Acolyte, but why don’t Jedi use them more often? The original lightwhip was introduced in Star Wars #95, by Jo Duffy and Cynthia Martin, where it was used by the Dark Lady of the Sith named Lumiya. The modern version, the lightsaber whip, is subtly different.

Introduced in Justina Ireland’s A Test of Courage, the lightsaber whip is an adjustment made to an ordinary blade that allows it to be transformed into a whip. It’s used by Jedi Master Vernestra Rwoh, played by Rebecca Henderson in The Acolyte, and it made its live-action debut in The Acolyte episode 6. There, Vernestra used the lightsaber’s whip function to kill an umbramoth, immediately demonstrating that it’s a ferocious weapon. So why don’t the Jedi use it more often?

Lightsaber Whips Are Associated With The Sith, Not The Jedi

As explained by Lumiya in Marvel’s comics, the lightwhip is fundamentally similar to a standard lightsaber, producing an energy blade and being powered by a Force-imbued crystal. The difference is that lightwhips do not stabilize their blade and some use multiple crystals, making their blade longer and flexible. In combat, a lightwhip is far deadlier as an offensive weapon than a standard lightsaber, though Luke Skywalker found that using both a lightsaber and a short-bladed shoto lightsaber effectively countered a lightwhip. Defensively, a lightwhip is far more limited than a lightsaber.

The more offensive lightwhips are better suited to Sith than Jedi. Throughout the Legends continuity, most wielders of lightwhips are Sith, though some of the Nightsisters of Dathomir are known to use the weapons. Lightwhips can be constructed by Jedi and lightwhip combat training is taught at the Jedi Temple, but the weapon’s poor defensive capabilities make its rarity among Jedi unsurprising. For Sith (and the occasional Nightsister), the lightwhip also has the added advantage of being such a rare weapon. Few Jedi are familiar with lightwhips and how to counter them, making them even deadlier.

Lightsaber Whips Were Useful Against The “Forbidden Forms”

One of the first appearances of the lightwhip in the modern Star Wars canon is in the novel A Test of Courage, by Justina Ireland. The Jedi Knight Vernestra Rwoh modifies her standard lightsaber to have a secondary lightwhip mode, making the weapon extremely versatile. Rwoh notably explains that ancient Jedi would use lightwhips as countermeasures to Sith who use “Forbidden Forms.” This creates a fascinating new history for lightwhips in the newer timeline, as the origin of lightwhips was never revealed in the original Legends continuity, yet the weapons were more common among Sith than Jedi.

In the modern Star Wars canon, there has not been any mention of Sith using lightwhips thus far; A Test of Courage does note that some Nightsisters use the weapons though, just like their original Legends incarnations. The new backstory for lightwhips fascinatingly contrasts with their initial iteration. While the Legends continuity’s lightwhips were favored more by Sith due to their offensive capabilities, the modern canon reimagines them as anti-Sith weapons used by the Jedi. It’s not entirely clear what the “Forbidden Forms” of Star Wars lore are yet, but they proved dangerous enough to lead Jedi to construct primarily offensive lightsaber variants.

The Jedi Frowned On Lightsaber Whips, Even During The High Republic Era

With the seeming destruction of the Sith and the subsequent millennium of peace, however, came obsolescence for the Jedi lightwhip. Vernestra Rwoh was notably worried about how her fellow Jedi would react to her modified lightsaber’s lightwhip mode, so she kept this feature secret after she felt prompted to redesign her lightsaber by the Force. She did eventually tell the Jedi Council about it, though, and they reluctantly approved it.

Vernestra was only able to create her lightsaber whip after deep meditation in the Force, and – always studious – she recognized what she was doing from the histories. It’s unlikely many texts describing lightwhips survived the time of the Empire, meaning this knowledge has probably now been lost. This probably means there won’t be another lightsaber whip in the future of Star Wars.