# SW Light Sabers Colors: observations and questions **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 24, 2002, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sw-light-sabers-colors-observations-and-questions/110608 "2002-05-24T03:35:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Silentgoldfish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@Silentgoldfish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silentgoldfish)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2002, 12:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sw-light-sabers-colors-observations-and-questions/110608/21 "2002-05-26T12:27:14Z")
If you play Jedi Knight 2 some of the options for saber colors are yellow and orange – they look pretty good actually. Twould be neat if those colors were used in a movie. ---
**Author:** ![El\_Elvis\_Rojo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/898d66/32.png) [@El\_Elvis\_Rojo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Elvis_Rojo)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2002, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sw-light-sabers-colors-observations-and-questions/110608/22 "2002-05-26T12:44:33Z")
Was it just me, or did anyone else notice a few jedi in the final battle with yellow lightsabers? I could have sworn there were a few pinkish ones in there as well. I recall at least one of the female Jedi having a yellow/yellowish-green saber. I don’t think the color has anything to do with one being “light” or “dark” side jedi, it’s just a color preference. The Rebel insignia is Red, so why think that simply because the bad guy uses a red lightsaber, red=evil in the SW universe. For the movies, I think the color coordination just looks better (the baddies all wear black, and red goes best to contrast that), but I don’t think it’s impossible for a good jedi to have a red lightsaber. ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2002, 6:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sw-light-sabers-colors-observations-and-questions/110608/23 "2002-05-27T06:06:53Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Yookeroo \* > \*\* > > Think black lights. \*\* I did, and it made sense at first. But then I thought: Aren’t lightsabers just sticks (or even just handles?) on the set and the light is added in later? ---
**Author:** ![JThunder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e95f7d/32.png) [@JThunder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JThunder)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2002, 6:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sw-light-sabers-colors-observations-and-questions/110608/24 "2002-05-27T06:58:54Z")
I want a plaid lightsaber. How can I make a plaid lightsaber? ---
**Author:** ![Yookeroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yookeroo/32/323_2.png) [@Yookeroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yookeroo)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2002, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sw-light-sabers-colors-observations-and-questions/110608/25 "2002-05-27T17:43:51Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Cisco \* > \*\* > I did, and it made sense at first. But then I thought: Aren’t lightsabers just sticks (or even just handles?) on the set and the light is added in later? \*\* It was a joke. ---
**Author:** ![Supersaurus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecb155/32.png) [@Supersaurus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Supersaurus)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2002, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sw-light-sabers-colors-observations-and-questions/110608/26 "2002-05-27T19:39:37Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by MagicalSilverKey \* > \*\*I assume that blue is for “padawans” and mid-level Jedi, green is for Master Jedi, and red is always “the Dark Side.” correct? > \*\* No, that can’t be correct. There’s a scene in AOTC where Yoda is training a bunch of little kids, and they have a mixture of green and blue lightsabers. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2002, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sw-light-sabers-colors-observations-and-questions/110608/27 "2002-05-27T20:38:37Z")
Green wouldn’t be for Jedi Masters-after all, Luke’s saber in ROTJ is green, and he was no where near a Jedi Master (although in the books, he is now). ---
**Author:** ![airdisc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e19adc/32.png) [@airdisc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/airdisc)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2002, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sw-light-sabers-colors-observations-and-questions/110608/28 "2002-05-27T21:23:49Z")
I just want to know: When you turn on the light saber, what stops the blade from going on forever? What makes it only about two and a half feet long? ---
**Author:** ![Silentgoldfish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@Silentgoldfish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silentgoldfish)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2002, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sw-light-sabers-colors-observations-and-questions/110608/29 "2002-05-27T22:12:09Z")
Magical Fairies in the blade. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2002, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sw-light-sabers-colors-observations-and-questions/110608/30 "2002-05-28T00:20:11Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by JThunder \* > \*\*I want a plaid lightsaber. How can I make a plaid lightsaber? \*\* HOOT, MON! De ye nay ken ‘tha color is rrrreserved fra th’ Clan MacJedi?! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Studi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@Studi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Studi)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2002, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sw-light-sabers-colors-observations-and-questions/110608/31 "2002-05-28T04:54:55Z")
> [@](#): > > There is no replicators in the SW galaxy, so one must use the Force to hunt for the proper crystal. I don’t think this is true (the part about hunting for the crystal). Jedi use natural crystals (which I guess they have to hunt for). Sith use synthetic crystals (which require no hunting, I suppose). As a result, Jedi sabers are weaker, but more manoeuverable; Sith sabers are more powerful, but less manoeuverable. Studi ---
**Author:** ![Narile](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/71c47a/32.png) [@Narile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Narile)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2002, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sw-light-sabers-colors-observations-and-questions/110608/32 "2002-05-28T05:07:52Z")
No, Lightsaber is too little, we have to go to LudicrusSabre!!! ---
**Author:** ![JonScribe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/3be4f8/32.png) [@JonScribe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JonScribe)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2002, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sw-light-sabers-colors-observations-and-questions/110608/33 "2002-05-28T05:09:56Z")
Do they make a Swiss Army Light Saber? ---
**Author:** ![sturmhauke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e47c2d/32.png) [@sturmhauke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sturmhauke)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2002, 8:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sw-light-sabers-colors-observations-and-questions/110608/34 "2002-05-28T08:28:57Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Studi \* > \*\* > > I don’t think this is true (the part about hunting for the crystal). > > Jedi use natural crystals (which I guess they have to hunt for). Sith use synthetic crystals (which require no hunting, I suppose). As a result, Jedi sabers are weaker, but more manoeuverable; Sith sabers are more powerful, but less manoeuverable. > > Studi \*\* My reply is not directed at Studi, but at whoever came up with the idea. That doesn’t make any damn sense. Since the blade of a lightsaber is made of some kind of energy or plasma, exotic as that may be, practically all the mass is going to be in the handle. Even if Sith lightsabers are a little heavier, the difference in handling would be very slight. And since the only thing a lightsaber blade can’t cut through is another lightsaber blade, whatever power difference might exist is trivial. ---
**Author:** ![Dijon\_Warlock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a9a28c/32.png) [@Dijon\_Warlock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dijon_Warlock)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2002, 9:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sw-light-sabers-colors-observations-and-questions/110608/35 "2002-05-28T09:42:24Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by JonScribe \* > \*\*Do they make a Swiss Army Light Saber? \*\* A model was introduced early in the Empire’s history, but it proved to be a failure in the market because people kept losing the tweezers. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2002, 10:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sw-light-sabers-colors-observations-and-questions/110608/36 "2002-05-28T10:23:43Z")
Originally there were only two colours, white and not-white. When the sabres (using reflective tape and shining a light on them) did not come out looking right on film, they were enhanced by adding an animated effect composited on the film. They used blue to emphasise the one sabre, and for variety’s sake, used a reddish tint to emphasise the other. When Empire Strikes Back came along, the effects were much brighter, and the sets were designed to enhance their look. In Return of the Jedi, Luke’s sabre was originally blue, but it didn’t show up well against the Tatooine sky, so they decided on green. There is no rationale on who gets green or who gets blue. It seems to be arbitrary and not based on rank. Originally that was the only colours that were ever going to be used, and George (and Rick McCallum) said as much in an interview during preproduction of AOTC. He changed his mind for Mace Windu just because he can. Being slightly colourblind, I can’t see the purpleness of his sabre anyway, so it makes no nevermind to me. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sw-light-sabers-colors-observations-and-questions/110608.md?page=1)