Lightsabers are the most incredible weapon in all of Star Wars, maybe in all of science fiction, but they also have a weakness that the franchise has never noticed. Lightsabers have had limitations in Star Wars before: they can’t fire like blasters, penetrate force fields, and can only be wielded properly by Force users. There are also materials that lightsabers can’t cut through, such as Mandalorian beskar and cortosis. However, major lightsaber weaknesses are rare, making them valuable tools for Jedi and Sith.
Unfortunately, the nature of a lightsaber reveals a weakness that could be exploited in future Star Wars stories. While the franchise has never directly addressed this weakness, there have been occasions that strongly support the possibility. Remarkably, Star Wars has never noticed this weakness before, as it would be interesting to see enemies use this against the Jedi. It would also be one of the most creatively unusual ways to defeat a Jedi, adding more depth to the strengths and weaknesses of a lightsaber.
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A Lightsaber’s Temperature Gives It One Major Weakness – Water
Lightsabers are super-hot – which means the enemies of Jedi and Sith could take them by surprise with (of all things) a water cannon. A jet of water blasted at a lightsaber would generate a surge of hot steam around a Jedi, so swiftly they’d be badly injured. Enemies could even lace the water with substances that are toxic in the air, killing the Jedi. Surprisingly, we’ve never seen this technique used against Jedi, even by Mandalorians, whose weapons are supposedly designed to kill Jedi.
Asajj Ventress has demonstrated on two occasions how this technique could work. In the 2003 micro-series Star Wars: Clone Wars, Ventress duels Anakin Skywalker on Yavin 4, and when it rains a cloud of steam evaporates from their lightsabers. In Star Wars: The Clone Wars season 1, episode 9 “Cloak of Darkness,” Ventress surprises Jedi Master Luminara Unduli by cutting a pipe and releasing a burst of hot steam in her face. If an enemy were to blast a lightsaber with water, a Jedi would be blinded by a sudden cloud of steam.
Jedi Could Adapt Their Lightsabers To Work Underwater
At the same time, both Clone Wars and The Clone Wars showed that Jedi could adapt their lightsabers to work underwater. Master Kit Fisto, Ahsoka Tano, and Anakin fought underwater to defend the Mon Calamari from the Separatists, and their lightsabers were unaffected by the water. Even so, the blades were completely immersed, so there’s no telling what would happen to lightsabers on land when blasted by water. Star Wars may never have noticed that water is a lightsaber’s weakness, but an enemy of the Jedi or the Sith can easily exploit it in future stories.
