The Jedi and the Sith alike carry lightsabers as extensions of themselves. However, for both of these religions, lightsabers are not simple weapons.
They are wielded as limbs more than knives or swords. This also indicates a close link between a Force-sensitive person and their lightsabers, as if the weapon has a mind and soul of its own.
The tight connection can also bring us some questions we will be answering. How different are the lightsabers wielded by the Sith and the Jedi? Can one replace the other and be just as lethal?
Let’s dig deeper into the canon and Legends to satisfy our hunger for these questions.
Why Don’t Jedi Use Red Lightsabers?
This weapon is your life — perfectly said by the Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi. I’ve always thought of lightsabers as symbols of the Light and Dark Sides of the Force because that’s what they are.
These weapons can give us more information about people who wield them than dialogues. As such, the fans can always tell the difference between a Sith and a Jedi. One wields a blood-red blade, whilst the other embraces calmer hues of blue, green, yellow, white, and purple.
Why is it so?
We rarely saw Jedi masters using red lightsabers. Naturally, there must be a reason behind it and not only a simplified way to differentiate protagonists and antagonists.
#1 Colours and the Meaning Behind Them
The first thing I wanted to bring up concerns a colour theory behind lightsabers. I know; it’s a rather touchy subject for Star Wars fans, yet a crucial one nonetheless.
I can’t entirely disagree with those who believe that colours are used for the aesthetics of films and shows. However, disregarding other options wouldn’t be fair.
From the Legends, I have learned that the original Jedi used lightsaber colours to indicate their positions and strengths.
Blue was mainly used by the Jedi Guardians like Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi. They were meant to serve as the first line of defence against evil. The green sabre was meant for a Jedi Consular (Grand Master Yoda and Luke Skywalker), whilst yellow indicated a Jedi Sentinel like Rey.
What about red, though?
Apart from being a signature colour of the Sith, red is closely linked to aggression and hatred. At least, that’s what I have gathered through a basic colour theory. It does have the potential to be accurate, as the Sith are driven by passion and malice.
Not going to lie; red does look quite menacing in the hands of a mighty Sith Lord!
#2 Artificial Crystals vs. Ilum Mines
The Sith use lightsabers just like the Jedi because they were once peacekeepers themselves. The Sith were originally a group of Dark Jedi who broke away from the Jedi Order during the First Great Schism on Tython.
Only later have they changed their teaching. It was then that the Dark Jedi coined the “Sith” name to go with their obsession with power and eros.
However, the colour of the Sith lightsaber is peculiar not only because of the primary colour theory. The origins of the Jedi and the Sith kyber crystals are entirely different.
The Jedi get their kyber crystals from the mines of Ilum. It is an ice-covered planet, sacred to the Jedi. Through the “Gathering,” the younglings venture into the depths of local mines, go through several challenges, and earn their crystals.It is an intricate and perilous process.
Ilum has corrupted many minds with Force visions!
The Sith have found another way — artificial or synthetic crystals.
The Sith use “raw elements cooked in a brood of furnace” to get a synthetic crystal, hence the red colour. This also allows them to insert an essence of their will and the Dark side directly into the crystal.
The Sith believed that losing a lightsaber should feel as if one’s limb was severed!
This is how deep their connection was with their weapon. Naturally, the Jedi wholly committed to the Light Side couldn’t use red sabres, forged and bled with Darkness.
#3 Power of the Blade
Another primary reason why the Jedi couldn’t use the Sith blade is the actual power behind them. I will not dare to say that the Sith lightsabers were more potent.
However, the Legends say that a red blade was able to break the Jedi weapons of blue, green, and purple. This was done by overloading the energy matrix.
#4 Corrupting Kyber Crystals
Considering that the Sith originated from the Jedi, they could also use natural crystals. Not all Sith forged synthetic power sources. Here’s when the ‘bleeding” comes to mind.
“A red sabre is no different than any other except… it has been made to bleed.”
―Darth Sidious from Darth Vader (2017) 1
The actual process of bleeding one’s Kyber Crystals appeared several times in canon and Legends alike. The first time we saw the actual process was in the Darth Vader comic book.
The process itself is everything you would expect from a true Sith.
It’s not like we expected them to fly all the way to the ice planet and do all the digging in the mines themselves!
Instead of taking a trip to the mines, the Sith would hunt the Jedi and steal their crystals. Later, they would bleed them with the power of the Dark Side and emotions forbidden by the Jedi. Hatred, passion, loathing, and many others come to mind.
Bled kyber crystals also turn into signature red blades, just like artificial ones.
#5 Instability of Red Blades
The Jedi are all about control and balance. They are focused on being at peace with their emotions and the world around them.
The Sith, on the other hand, draws power from raw passion and other strong emotions. They are constantly engaged in the push and pull of the Force. As such, conflict is the best word that defines them.
Red crystals are just as unstable as the Sith!
An excellent example of such representation is Kylo Ren, aka Ben Solo, and his highly unstable blade.
I would dare say that it perfectly symbolises Kylo and his character…
“To harness the damaged crystal’s full energy, Kylo Ren modified his weapon’s hilt, adding quillon emitters to emulate an ancient crossguard design once used by the Sith Lord Darth Atrius.”
―Darth Sidious from Star Wars: The Secrets of the Sith
It is hardly a weapon that we would see from composed and stoic Jedi. They don’t seek to work against the Force. They are not taking without giving back.
As such, cracked or bled, crystals would simply not be their style!
#6 Corruption of the Dark Side
As I have mentioned before, red crystals are physical representations of the Dark Side. They are either bled, corrupted, or created to serve the Dark Side of the Force unconditionally.
The Jedi have always believed that the Darkness can call for Force users.
It corrupts, breaks, seduces, and takes everything it wishes!
Being in close proximity to the dark crystals would likely expose the Jedi to the dark power.
Moreover, bled crystals possess the power of a person who wields them and their history. The Jedi could be able to feel all the hatred, fear, and death located within the crystal.
“Dark crystals were made, too, but not in that holy place. They were plundered from their rightful bearers and corrupted by the hands that stole them. Even rock could be changed by the power of the Force, bleeding alterations until their colour was the deepest red. The balance was finely staged between the two, light and dark, and it took very little to upset it.”
―Credit to Star Wars Ahsoka, Novel by E. K. Johnston
It is no wonder why Ahsoka Tano had to heal the red crystals to create her own white lightsabers. It was the only way to get rid of corrupt power and heal the tear of the Force within the core element of the weapon.
“I’ve never seen white ones before,” Bail mused.
“They used to be red,” Ahsoka said. “When the creature had them, they were red. But I heard them before I ever saw him on Raada, and knew that they were meant for me.”
“You changed their nature?” he asked.
“I restored them,” Ahsoka replied. “I freed them. The red crystals were corrupted by the dark side when those who wielded them bent them to their will. They call it making the crystal bleed. That’s why the blade is red.”
―Credit to Star Wars Ahsoka, Novel by E. K. Johnston
The Jedi Who Wielded Red Blades
Even though red is definitely not a Jedi colour, it doesn’t mean that the Jedi can’t use such sabres. Occasionally.
They can, but they choose not to!
An excellent example of this statement is Obi-Wan Kenobi himself. When the Jedi Master was kidnapped and tortured, he was forced to team up with Asajj Ventress.
The former Sith shared one of her signature lightsabers with the Jedi. Although General Kenobi was hardly happy about it, he accepted the blade and wielded it perfectly.
However, I would still say that proficiency with the blade is affected when a person doesn’t use their own weapon. As such, Obi-Wan didn’t share a bond with Asajj’s crystal.
In this case, a lightsaber was a simple laser sword and not a weapon of his life!
Conclusion
Overall, red lightsabers are undeniable signature weapons of the Sith.
They are too uncontrollable, powerful, corrupt, and dark to be wielded by a Jedi.
Besides, the Jedi prefer to find their own kyber crystals in the mines of Ilum. It is the most natural way to connect with a Force-sensitive crystal without torturing the Force in the process.
On the other hand, the Sith gain the signature red colour of their blades through bleeding of negative emotions into the crystal. This is hardly a Jedi technique.
Can the Jedi technically use a red sabre? Yes, they can.
Would they be able to do so in the long run? No, the Dark side would likely be too strong to control the crystals fully.
You can find out more about why lightsabers turn off when dropped here.
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