Summary

The lightsaber may be the most illustrious weapon inStar Wars , but even the greatest tool of Jedi and Sith has some pretty celebrated weaknesses . Nobody really sleep together the history of the lightsaber ; there ’s some grounds it may have predated even the Jedi Order itself , meaning the first lightsaber was forge over 25,000 years ago . sure enough themural of the first Jedi on Ahch - Toshows him exert what is recognizably a lightsaber .

No doubt the lightsabers have commute a lot over the millennia . The lightsabers ofThe Acolyteare noticeably thicker than those of the Skywalker saga , suggesting there was a lot of miniaturisation over the century between these result , and it ’s potential combat form were accommodate to take advantage of raw opportunity . But the lightsabers do have many important weaknesses , and the Jedi have been forced to work around them .

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Liam Neeson as Qui-Gon Jinn from Star Wars The Phantom Menace, Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker from Star Wars A New Hope, Daisy Ridley as Rey from Star Wars The Force Awakens

8Lightsabers Are Strictly Close-Quarter Weapons

The most notable helplessness , of course , is thatthe lightsaber is strictly a airless - quartern weapon . It ’s design for combat that is up close-fitting and personal , but modern Jedi often receive themselves take on enemy who favor prospicient - ambit plan of attack . The firstlightsaber formswere badly - suited to deal with blasters , imply Jedi suddenly find themselves a lot more vulnerable after the technology was break . This may explain why there were also light - shields in ancient times , although there ’s some evidence these too did not spring up with the Jedi .

The prevalence of chargeman eventually led to the creation of Form III , Soresu , which focuses on using the lightsaber to freeze blasters injection and even ricochet them back at an attacker . By the metre of the prequels , all Jedi were prepare in Soresu , which call for a being unfold themselves up to the Force and sensing an incoming attack moments before it comes so it is potential to avoid it . More belligerent form - commit by the ilk of Anakin Skywalker - focused on weaponize the ricochet , turning them into counter - attacks .

7Lightsabers Are Vulnerable To Slugs

Mandalorians in special are famed for using slug - thrower against Jedi . slug - theStar Warsword for bullets - are basically metal projectiles , and lightsabers do n’t block them perfectly . In fact , there ’s a danger the metal will simply be turn into a superheated vapor that blasts at the face of the Jedi trying to block them . Only the most skilled Jedi are capable to take on type slug - thrower without peril .

This approach was used by a lot of Jedi - hunter inStar WarsLegends , although there ’s some grounds the most skilled Jedi could still deflect them effectively . This can be seen in Matt Stover ’s phenomenal novelShatterpoint , where Mace Windu effortlessly blocks unnumerable onset from poke - throwers . Mace was unco open to the Force ’s guidance , so it makes sense he ’d be able to block slug with sufficient preciseness to prevent a deadly splashback .

6Some Materials, Like Beskar, Are Lightsaber-Resistant

TheMandalorians and the Jedi have waged many war , and it ’s unsurprising to mention they have developed many counters for lightsabers . Their biggest reward lies in the rarified metal key beskar , found only on their homeworld of Mandalore , which is unambiguously lightsaber - resistant . Beskar allow a Mandalorian to take blows from a lightsaber that would be fateful for any other foe , while beskar spears and brand allow them to go toe - to - toe with Jedi . As seen inThe Mandalorianseason 2 , Lady Morgan could use a beskar spear very effectively indeed .

Beskar is far from the only lightsaber - resistant textile in the extragalactic nebula , although it is the most noted . sure energy fields can be used to block up a lightsaber too ; during the Clone Wars , many of the Battle Droids used force - field that resisted them , while General Grievous ' Magna Guards were equipped with artillery that used energy battlefield to match them . This served as something of a harsh wakeup call for the Jedi , who were fresh to this variety of technology .

5Cortosis Can Make A Lightsaber Short-Circuit

For many spectator , The Acolyteepisode 5 was as much a jounce to the system as it was to the Jedi dueling the Stranger . There , in an escapade set a 100 before the Skywalker saga , the Jedi dueled a Sith Lord who wore cortosis armour . Cortosis is a massive lightsaber weakness , a uncommon stuff that shorts a lightsaber on shock . The issue is only impermanent , and cortosis is a delicate material , but it hand the Stranger a dread edge .

Ironically , in ancient times various religious order sought to use cortosis as a weapon against the Sith themselves . One group actually created the so - called " Sith Killer , " a cortosis leaf blade designed to dispute a Sith Lord in combat ; it would deactivate any lightsaber it clash with , allowing its wielder to press an attack . Unfortunately , of course , the Sith Killer was n’t proof against the Force powers used by the Sith themselves .

4Some Energy Fields Can Disrupt Lightsabers

Cavan Scott’sThe arise Storm , a novel limit during theHigh Republic Era , introduces a Modern lightsaber weakness that ’s pretty chilling too . One of the many sub - plots introduces a character name Manteesa Chekkat , who utilize an illegal recainium substance to flood a roofy 10 meters in diameter with radiation that disrupts any energy artillery . This work for everything from the humble blaster to the lightsaber itself . The prototype is bulky , but space pirates call the Nihil presently develop portable version .

In theory , this would be a great equalizer , a way of level off the playing theatre because no weapons work . In reality , of course , it ’s a very powerful tool to use against the Jedi , who would have no warning before their lightsabers short break work . It ’s also loose to imagine scenario where lightsabers were neutralized so snipers could open fire from a distance , taking advantage of the of a sudden - disarmed - and likely very confused - Jedi .

3Lightsabers Short-Circuit Underwater If They Haven’t Been Modified

Vewers who are conversant with the Clone Wars - geological era Jedi Master Kit Fisto can be forgive for assuming it was easy for a lightsaber to work underwater . In world , not everylightsaber can exploit underwater;complete immersion in water redress the electronics , effectively rendering the weapon system useless . A Jedi does n’t have anything to fear from elementary raindrops , but if their blade gets whole soaked , they ’re in real trouble .

Kit Fisto , an amphibian Nautolan Jedi Master , used a " bifurcating cyclical - ignition pulse " to allow his lightsaber to work underwater . It ’s not entirely clean what that is , but it distinctly did the magic . Other Jedi work around this trouble by constructing their lightsabers out of pee - insubordinate textile , meaning their weapon work underwater . That said , it ’s reasonable to assume Kylo Ren ’s lightsaber was simply destroyed when he threw into the water supply of Kef Bir .

2Water Could Be Used As A Weapon Against A Jedi

Water is an even bigger lightsaber weakness , though , in another agency ; it ’s wanton to guess scenario where foe of the Jedi use jet of water to have topsy-turvyness . The stream of H2O would strike the superheated leaf blade , immediately transforming into a searing cloud of steam that would deal terrible injury . The smartest enemy could even lace the water with toxins that would be respire in when the water evaporates , kill the Jedi in a flash .

astonishingly , this technique has never been used - even by Mandalorians . The secretive we ’ve come to it was inStar Wars : Clone state of war , when Asajj Ventress duels Anakin Skywalker on Yavin 4 . In this ( non - canon ) narrative , Ventress ' lightsabers get pull of steam whenever raindrop hit them . That ’s incisively what you ’d expect to happen , and it points to this unusual but never - used weakness .

1Lightsaber Hilts Are A Massive Point Of Weakness

One final lightsaber helplessness has never really been properly shown inStar Wars ; the factthe lightsaber hilt is a massive zona of exposure . Occasionally a Sith will deal with an foe by chopping their blade - as watch when the Stranger dueled multiple Jedi at once inThe Acolyteepisode 5 - but even this proficiency is pretty uncommon . It ’s potential to ideate more spectacular scheme , though , where a Sith merely slides their blade down their opposer ’s while they are locked , until they give the hilt - and destruct it .

sure lightsabers are perfectly design for this tactic . Kylo Ren ’s crossguard , for example , could be used to pin an opposer down while he slither his blade down their own … and a simple tress would pierce their twist with the quillon . as luck would have it for Rey , Kylo Ren never seems to have really interpret just how formidable his crossguard lightsaber could have been , because otherwise theStar Warssequel trilogy would have come to a very different - and far coloured - close .

Sidious, Tyranus, Maul, and Vader.

Emperor Palpatine laughing maniacally in Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith.

Luke Skywallker and Darth Vader, plus Kylo Ren and Rey

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Star Wars The Rising Storm Cover

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