Star Wars has revealed how a Jedi can block Force Lightning with a lightsaber. The Star Wars movies have consistently shown Force Lightning as the most powerful weapon in a Sith Lord’s Force arsenal. This was particularly notable in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, when Palpatine unleashed a Force Storm that threatened to destroy the entire Resistance fleet.
Amusingly, Force Lightning also appears to be Palpatine’s greatest weakness. Releasing this destructive power seems to be almost an addictive experience to the Emperor, to the extent he’s incapable of shutting it off when he’d be wise to take a very different approach. In Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, Mace Windu deflected Palpatine’s Force Lightning right back at him, causing serious damage to his body. Rey ultimately defeated Palpatine once and for all by blasting the power back at him once again, using two lightsabers to deadly effect. Just how did these Jedi turn the Force Lightning against the Emperor with such apparent ease?
The latest Star Wars reference book, Secrets of the Jedi, lifts the lid on this. It turns out it isn’t quite so easy as it seems; rather, this is a skill that only the most potent Jedi Masters can pull off. The book is supposedly compiled from the journals of Luke Skywalker, collected shortly before his death in Star Wars: The Last Jedi, and in a section devoted to a lightsaber’s defensive capability Luke explains:
“The blade of a lightsaber can be used to block attacks from another lightsaber or to repel incoming blaster fire. In the hands of a skilled master, a lightsaber blade can also be used to redirect that barrage of blasts right back at the enemy who fired them. Seasoned Jedi can even use their lightsabers to block attacks of Force lightning generated by Sith Lords.”
According to Luke Skywalker, there’s a sense of progression to this; only the most seasoned and capable Jedi Masters can deflect Force Lightning. This feat is probably all the rarer because Jedi don’t normally train for combat against Force Lightning, so it would have to be figured out on the spot. It’s likely a Jedi needs to be as familiar with the dark side as with the light in order to pull it off. In the sequel trilogy, Mace Windu’s unique purple blade symbolized how close he trod to the dark side; this was emphasized even more in Matt Stover’s excellent novelization of Revenge of the Sith. Rey, meanwhile, appears to stand as an agent of balance, aware of her own inner darkness – and even generating Force Lightning herself during Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.
Secrets of the Jedi does provide a subtle hint why a lightsaber can be used so effectively against Force Lightning. As Luke notes, a lightsaber generates an electrical charge; “wielding a lightsaber is less like swinging a sword and more like directing a current of power,” he notes. When a Jedi becomes attuned to the Force, their thoughts and actions all become part of that same flow of energy. Thus when a lightsaber blade catches Force Lightning, the electrical power is absorbed into its own current. If this interpretation is correct, Mace Windu and Rey aren’t technically deflecting the Force Lightning back at Palpatine; rather, their lightsabers are absorbing it, and they are then discharging it. This explains why the Emperor was unable to stop his Force Lightning attacks; he no longer had control of the flow of energy. It also means Rey really is demonstrating great skill in the Force when she blocks the attack with two blades, rather than one; she is intimately bonded to both blades, controlling the discharge to a remarkable degree.
