Luke Skywalker's Lightsaber: Blue, Yellow and Green Explained
Luke Skywalker used two lightsabers in the original trilogy. The blue one was his father's, and he lost it on Bespin. The green one he built himself, and it first appears in Return of the Jedi (1983). This reference covers each saber, the blue to green colour change, canon and Legends, the film props and real replicas.
Short answer
Luke Skywalker used two lightsabers in the original trilogy. The blue one was his father's, and he lost it on Bespin. The green one he built himself, and it first appears in Return of the Jedi (1983). This reference covers each saber, the blue to green colour change, canon and Legends, the film props and real replicas.
On this page11 sections
Luke Skywalker has two lightsabers in the original trilogy, and a third stopgap in canon comics. The first is blue and was his father’s: Obi-Wan Kenobi gave it to him in A New Hope (1977), and he lost it with his hand on Bespin in The Empire Strikes Back (1980) [1]. The second is green. Luke built it himself, and it first appears in Return of the Jedi (1983) [2][3]. The blue lightsaber and green lightsaber pages cover each colour. This page follows the one story that connects them.
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Quick answers
- First saber: blue, built by Anakin Skywalker, given to Luke in A New Hope [1][3].
- Fate of the first saber: lost with Luke’s right hand in the duel with Darth Vader on Cloud City [1].
- Second saber: green, built by Luke after Bespin, modelled on Obi-Wan’s last saber [2][4].
- Why green: in the story, the crystal turned green; on the production side, the colour was changed from blue after test screenings [2][5].
- Legends: Luke’s green saber has a different back story and a synthetic crystal [6].
Every lightsaber Luke used
The table runs in story order. “ABY” means after the Battle of Yavin, the calendar the stories use.
| Saber | Blade | Continuity | Where it appears | What happened to it |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anakin’s saber (the Skywalker lightsaber) | Blue | Canon | A New Hope (1977), The Empire Strikes Back (1980) [1] | Lost on Cloud City, later found by Maz Kanata [1] |
| A lightsaber found in a High Republic Jedi outpost | Yellow | Canon, comics | Comics only, as far as the sources say [1][2] | Damaged by droids, then replaced [2] |
| Luke’s own saber | Green | Canon | Return of the Jedi (1983) and later [2][3] | Kept on Ahch-To, then stored by the island’s Caretakers [2] |
| Luke’s own saber | Green, briefly red | Legends | Legends books and comics [6] | Built from a synthetic crystal in the Legends story [6] |
The yellow stopgap is a minor detail. Wookieepedia says Luke used it for a time after Bespin and that it later broke [1][2]. It is not part of the films, so this page treats it as a footnote.
Anakin’s blue saber in A New Hope
In canon, the saber Luke first carries was built by his father, Anakin Skywalker, near the end of the Clone Wars [1]. Wookieepedia says Anakin built it as a replacement for his first saber, which was destroyed in a droid foundry on Geonosis [1][7]. After Anakin’s fall, Obi-Wan took it on Mustafar and kept it for about nineteen years before giving it to Luke on Tatooine [1].
Luke trains with it aboard the Millennium Falcon and uses it in the Death Star rescue and in the fights of the first two films [1]. Wookieepedia calls it a single, blue blade on a straight metal hilt, 28 centimetres long, and says the Star Wars Lightsabers guide book gave it the name “Skywalker lightsaber” [1].
The hilt in the films was built from a camera flash. Wookieepedia says the A New Hope prop used the flash attachment of a Graflex unit with ridged plastic track glued on for the grip [1]. Wikipedia credits Roger Christian with the Graflex based hilts [8]. The Empire Strikes Back used a revised version [1].
Why Luke lost it on Bespin
At the end of the Cloud City duel, Vader cuts off Luke’s right hand, and the saber falls with it into the depths of the city [1]. Wookieepedia adds that Luke later went back to look for it and gave up, deciding a Jedi is more than his weapon, and that an Ugnaught worker found it afterwards [1]. That scene comes from a comic or novel, not from the films, and the page does not say which one, so treat it as a detail from tie in material.
The saber then passes to Maz Kanata and reaches Rey in The Force Awakens (2015) [1]. After that, the sequel films belong to a different story, so this page stops there. For Rey’s and the later sabers, see every lightsaber by film.
The green lightsaber Luke built
Luke made his second saber after Bespin. Wookieepedia dates it to 4 ABY and says he used notes and materials from Obi-Wan’s home on Tatooine, with a kyber crystal that turned green after a vision of Yoda [2]. The official Databank agrees on the main points: a green plasma blade, a hilt similar to Obi-Wan Kenobi’s, and a replacement for the one lost on Cloud City [4].
The Databank also gives two plot details. Luke hides the saber in R2-D2’s dome for the rescue of Han Solo at Jabba’s palace, and he surrenders it to Darth Vader in his effort to reach Anakin [4]. Wookieepedia lists the same saber in the duel on the second Death Star, where Luke throws it away and declares himself a Jedi [2].
Where the green saber appears
| Title | Year | Role of the saber | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Return of the Jedi | 1983 | First appearance; Jabba’s palace and the Death Star duel | [2][3] |
| The Last Jedi | 2017 | Luke wields a green saber as a projection on Crait; the original prop was rebuilt for the film | [2][9] |
| The Mandalorian, season 2 | 2020 | Luke uses it to rescue Grogu | [2][9] |
| The Book of Boba Fett | 2021 | Listed by an internal handbook card only, not confirmed from a source for this page (unverified) | [10] |
Why the colour changed from blue to green
There are two answers, and they are both true.
In the story, the crystal Luke used bonded to him and glowed green. Wookieepedia says it turned green after a vision of Yoda [2].
In production, the blade was blue in early editing. Wikipedia says the saber appeared blue in an early trailer and the theatrical posters, and the filmmakers changed it to green after test screenings because it stood out better against the blue sky of Tatooine [5]. Wookieepedia dates the blue teaser to 1982 and gives the same reason [2]. If you saw a blue Luke on an old poster, that is why.
A deleted scene of Luke first igniting his green saber was shown at Celebration V in 2010, and Wookieepedia says it was later included in the saga Blu-ray set [2].
What happened to the green saber
After the war, Luke kept it while rebuilding the Jedi Order. Wookieepedia says he took it with him into exile on Ahch-To, and after his death the island’s Caretakers stored it with his other possessions [2]. The Last Jedi prop was a full recreation of the original, as most props from the earlier films were [2].
Canon and Legends
Canon is the story Disney has told since 2014. Legends is the older material that was moved out of canon. The two disagree about Luke’s saber.
In Legends, Luke’s green saber was his first self built weapon and his second saber overall. Wookieepedia says he built it on Tatooine around 3 ABY from schematics in a book Ben Kenobi left, and had to make a synthetic crystal himself because Imperial rules had banned real ones [6]. Its page lists the colour as green, and briefly red [6]. Wookieepedia’s Legends page for Anakin’s second saber lists later Skywalker family owners, but I did not read the Legends fate of the blue saber in full (unverified).
Do not mix the two. In canon the crystal is kyber, and the build follows Bespin. In Legends it is synthetic, and the build comes before the rescue of Han.
Real world replicas
Replicas based on Luke’s hilts exist. Hasbro’s page for the Star Wars The Black Series Luke Skywalker Force FX Elite lightsaber describes an adult collectible based on the green saber, rated for ages 14 and up, powered by three AA batteries that are not included, with an epilepsy warning [11]. Its price was not confirmed on a store page, so check a retailer.
Because the original hilts were camera flashes, many fan builds use Graflex style parts. For the real world side of that, see the Black Series Force FX guide, the replica guide and the conversions and replicas guide. For costumes, see Jedi costume.
Sources
- Wookieepedia, Skywalker lightsaber (canon), https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Skywalker_lightsaber (read through the public API, accessed 2026-11-09)
- Wookieepedia, Luke Skywalker’s green lightsaber (canon), https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Luke_Skywalker%27s_green_lightsaber (accessed 2026-11-09)
- Handbook cards handbook/sabers/luke-skywalker-blue.md and handbook/sabers/luke-skywalker-green.md (internal, partly unverified; only colours and first appearance years used, matched against the sources above)
- Star Wars Databank, Luke Skywalker’s lightsaber, https://www.starwars.com/databank/luke-skywalkers-lightsaber (accessed 2026-11-09)
- Wikipedia, Lightsaber, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lightsaber (accessed 2026-11-09)
- Wookieepedia, Luke Skywalker’s green lightsaber (Legends), https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Luke_Skywalker%27s_green_lightsaber/Legends (accessed 2026-11-09)
- Wookieepedia, Anakin Skywalker’s first lightsaber, https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Anakin_Skywalker%27s_first_lightsaber (accessed 2026-11-09)
- Wikipedia, Lightsaber, props section (same page as 5), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lightsaber (accessed 2026-11-09)
- Editorial list of lightsabers by film, this site, every lightsaber by film, resting on Wikipedia and the handbook
- Handbook card handbook/sabers/luke-skywalker-green.md, appearances list (internal, marked unverified)
- Hasbro, Star Wars The Black Series Luke Skywalker Force FX Elite Electronic Lightsaber, https://consumercare.hasbro.com/en-us/product/star-wars-the-black-series-luke-skywalker-force-fx-elite-electronic-lightsaber/49ED161F-5CC7-49D9-8252-1545B8CE4815 (accessed 2026-11-09 via search result summary)
FAQ
What lightsaber does Luke Skywalker use?
Two in the original trilogy: his father’s blue saber in A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back, then a green saber he built in Return of the Jedi [1][2].
What color is Luke Skywalker’s lightsaber?
Blue at first, then green. Canon also has a yellow saber he used briefly, in comics [1][2].
Why is Luke’s lightsaber green?
In the story, his crystal turned green. In production, the blade was changed from blue so it stood out against the sky [2][5].
What happened to Luke’s first lightsaber?
He lost it with his hand to Darth Vader on Cloud City. It later passed to Maz Kanata and then to Rey [1].
Was Luke’s lightsaber his father’s?
His first one was, built by Anakin and kept by Obi-Wan for years. His second he made himself [1][2].
Is Luke’s lightsaber blue in Return of the Jedi?
In the finished film it is green. It was blue in early editing, in an early trailer and on the posters [5].
Did Luke have a yellow lightsaber?
In canon comics, yes, for a short time between the two [1][2]. It is not in the films.
Does Luke have a lightsaber in The Mandalorian?
Yes, the green saber, in the season 2 finale [2][9].
Editorial team
Writes for Saber Forge Forum. Every guide is checked against the maker's specs and dated, so you know how fresh it is.
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