Every time a lightsaber is dropped, it instantly shuts off. Why is that? Furthermore, why do lightsabers stay ignited when they’re thrown, but not dropped? Here’s what you need to know.
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Why do lightsabers turn off when dropped?
While no two lightsaber designs are the same, many of them share an ignition switch that is activated from pressure, known as a pressure grip. When the pressure is taken off, the lightsaber will unignite. This is also known as a Dead-Man’s Switch. The sensor can also be kept on by using the Force to control it.
How do lightsabers really work?
Before I can cover what happens when lightsabers are dropped, I first need to go over how they work.
I proudly admit that I was one of those kids (as were all of you, don’t kid yourself!) imitating a stick as a lightsaber. Making the whoosh noise as I would pretend I was in a galaxy, far far away. Even then, when my sticksaber was dropped, it unignited (although I was unaware as to why).
The interior of a lightsaber is rather complex, which we will not be covering here. However, it obviously plays an important role in what makes a lightsaber a lightsaber.
The ignition switch will always be different on every lightsaber. However, it will generally be in the middle of the hilt. When you press the ignition switch, the kyber crystal buzzes into action, and you are greeted by the warm, soft hue of the blade.
Once the lightsaber is ignited, the user will shift their hand into a more comfortable grip around the hilt. They will always keep at least one hand on the hilt at all times, to ensure the lightsaber stays ignited.
Although pressure is needed to keep the blade ignited, you can also shut off the lightsaber manually. To do this, you simply just need to switch the ignition off.
Lightsaber ignition and retraction
From The Original Trilogy to The Clone Wars, and to even the Expanded Universe, just about every common lightsaber we’ve seen has had an ignition switch that incorporates pressure.
It was standard for the Jedi Order to have Padawans incorporate pressure grips into their hilts. This is evident in The Clone Wars TV show and in all of the Order 66 scenes.
If I had to go through the pain again, then so do you.
Dropped or tossed away
Now that you’re familiar with how lightsabers ignite and retract, let’s put the knowledge you’ve just gained into practice. The lightsabers turn off when dropped simply due to the fact that there is no more pressure on the hilt.
Once they are dropped (or tossed, like when Obi-Wan tosses Anakin his lightsaber), the pressure is relieved from the hilt which will unignite the blade. In order for the blade to retract, it will need to first be on.
This pressure grip allows Jedi (or anyone using a lightsaber) to toss their weapon along to anyone else without fear of any unnecessary damage.
Death
The main cause for a lightsaber being unignited, besides simply being turned off, is due to death during battle. Countless examples of this are shown throughout Canon, from Ima-Gun Di’s (ironic) tragic death in The Clone Wars to Maul’s death in Rebels.
Once your body has gone limp, it will let go of the hilt.
Although it is a small detail, you can notice every Jedi death scene includes them either dropping the lightsaber, or it rolling out of their hands. In some scenes, the blade will even stay ignited up until it’s left a majority of their grip!
At first glance, it may seem like a problem for non-human Jedi like Ima-Gun Di who may not share the same hand structure as us. However, The Clone Wars has shown that it does not discriminate when it comes to the details of all Jedi death shown.
The hilt will then trigger its pressure grip and unignite, retracting the blade.
This explains why lightsabers don’t cut into the floor and stay ignited while in the hands of a dead Jedi.
Too soon?
Why do lightsabers stay ignited when thrown?
When a Jedi throws a lightsaber as an attack, they will use the Force to mimic pressure on the hilt, so the pressure grip will not unignite the blade. If a pressure grip is not being used, then they will use a blade lock to keep the ignition switch in place during their attack.
Throwing lightsabers during combat
In order to be skilled with throwing a lightsaber during combat, one must have a considerably strong connection with the Force. Due to the difficulty of this feat, not many lightsaber wielders were able to accomplish this task.
When I’m talking about throwing a lightsaber, I don’t mean this kind of throw.
Instead, I’m talking about this!
The impracticality of throwing away your weapon and leaving yourself defenseless during combat may be another reason why this form of attack is not popular.
Form VI (Niman) users, like Darth Maul, were notorious for lightsaber throws.
Conclusion
Lightsabers turn off when dropped because the pressure needed to keep the blade ignited is gone. This triggers the pressure grip to turn off and the blade to retract.
If the lightsaber is thrown, the user is able to mimic the pressure on the hilt with the Force.
You can find out more about whether Jedi can use red lightsabers here.
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