Star Wars #43 finally settles debate about Luke’s lightsaber that’s raged for 30 years

After a year-long arc, Marvel’s Star Wars comic has finally offered a canon explanation for how Luke got his green lightsaber crystal.

Part of the thrill of Star Wars for fans is the rich lore behind the series. Digging into the story through Legends and the expanded universe, there are decades of stories that expand the world, the characters, and the technology beyond what is seen in the films.

But some things still slip through the cracks. Chief among these is Luke’s second lightsaber. It’s a surprise for first-time viewers the first time he ignites it in Return of the Jedi. While a deleted scene showed Luke building it, one aspect has often been debated: where, exactly, Luke got the green crystal.

While an on-screen explanation is still missing, the Star Wars comics published by Marvel have now offered their explanation, and it involves Luke’s final step on the path to becoming a true Jedi.

Warning, spoilers for Star Wars #43 to follow.

Star Wars #43 offers the canon explanation for Luke’s green lightsaber

Star Wars #35 had previously shown Luke receiving a red kyber crystal and a blank one. Upon using the blank crystal to speak to Yoda, it turned green; however, the process nearly killed Luke. He tried to enter the red crystal as well, where he believed he encountered a vision of his father, Darth Vader.

In Star Wars #43 by Charles Soule, Steven Cummings, Jethro Morales, Wayne Faucher, Rachelle Rosenberg, & Clayton Cowles, Luke has returned to the red kyber crystal in an effort to purify it so he can learn more about his connection to the force. The crystal pushes Luke to embrace his pain, tempting him to ignore the suffering of others and lean into his pain.

Luke doesn’t give in, though, even when faced with another vision of Vader. In a moment that surely highlights Luke’s ascension to Jedi Knight, Luke declares that healing from his trauma doesn’t make him weak.

Once Luke embraces the need for healing and forgiveness, his lightsaber inside the crystal’s world begins to glow green. Back in the real world, Luke emerges with the kyber crystal purified but declares he doesn’t need it anymore. His connection to the green crystal is now strengthened, and Luke resolves to use it for his new lightsaber.

How Star Wars previously explained Luke’s green lightsaber

The Marvel Comics explanation is a bit of a shift from previous ones, which have been the source of fan contention for years. In the now-defunct Legends continuity, a one-off story implies the crystal was synthesized by Luke after he found instructions left behind by Obi-Wan, but it never was explored much in stories and most fans

A more popular fan theory tied it again to Obi-Wan Kenobi, stating Luke likely returned to Tattooine for guidance after The Empire Strikes Back, where he may have been drawn to the remains of Qui-Gon Jinn’s lightsaber, using its crystal and components to build his own.

Marvel Comics

Given the Star Wars series is published by Marvel, it’s safe to assume this is, for now, the canon explanation for the origins of Luke’s lightsaber. Interestingly, the new story does tie him to another unique corner of Star Wars.

In modern canon, red crystals are considered impure, the result of a Dark Side user cracking them and bending them to their will, resulting in the crystal “bleeding.” Luke is now one of only a few individuals to have purified a red kyber crystal. Fans first saw the process being done by Ahsoka Tano, but it has since been accomplished by others, most often in stories set during The High Republic.

Star Wars #43 is available now from Marvel Comics.

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