Star Wars Rebelsintroduced one of the coolest lightsabers in all ofStar Wars, butEzra Bridgerditched it halfway through the show’s run.Rebelsintroduced new Jedi inKanan Jarrusand his Padawan, Ezra Bridger, who were not only struggling with their duty and purpose as Jedi, but also navigating how to be Jedi during the age of the Empire. Part of this was the Jedi’s increased reliance on blasters. There were many moments where Kanan and Ezra did not want to reveal they were Jedi, meaning they couldn’t use their lightsabers.
Ezra Bridger in particular had a unique solution to this problem. After receiving hiskyber crystaland building his lightsaber, it was clear that Ezra’s lightsaber was different from anything audiences had ever seen before. Not only did the lightsaber have an interesting hilt, but it also doubled as a blaster. This meant that Ezra didn’t have to carry both a lightsaber and a blaster when going on missions.
There’s A Simple Reason Ezra Needed Such A Unique Lightsaber
Dark Times Call For Unique Solutions
The Jedi were constantly under attack from the Empire andImperial InquisitorsinRebels, so it’s no wonder why Ezra constantly had to defend himself.Rebelscreator and Lucasfilm’s Chief Creative Officer,Dave Filoni, has said that one of the reasons why Ezra has such a unique lightsaber is to keep him from constantly getting beaten in battle.Filoni explained that since Ezra grew up on the street, he was sneaky and not battle-tested, meaning he’d likely lose any contest against more experienced characters.
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With this in mind, it’s clear why Ezra necessitated a unique lightsaber.If the creators of the show wanted real stakes where characters went up against Inquisitors and even Darth Vader, there needed to be a realness to the character’s abilities, or lack thereof.Ezra’s lightsaber being unique isn’t a character quirk, or to introduce a newlightsaber type, but instead, it was to ensure the character could survive in the time of the Empire.
Ezra Got To A Point Where He No Longer Needed The Blaster
He Outgrew The Blade
In theRebelsseason 2 finale, “Twilight of the Apprentice,” Ezra faced off against Darth Vader on the Sith planet Malachor. Though the duel was quickly interrupted by Ahsoka Tano, the duel lasted long enough for Darth Vader to strip Ezra of his lightsaber. Not only that, butVader ensured that Ezra wouldn’t be able to recover the blade, as he destroyed it with his own blade.
Dave Filoni has said that Ezra needed his lightsaber-blaster hybrid in the first two seasons so he could survive, but it was seemingly always meant to be temporary.
WhenRebelsseason 3 premiered, audiences saw that Ezra donned a new, more traditional lightsaber. Dave Filoni has said that Ezra needed his lightsaber-blaster hybrid in the first two seasons so he could survive, but it was seemingly always meant to be temporary. As the character became more in tune with the Force and his abilities grew,it was clear that he didn’t need the blaster.Because of the Empire, Ezra didn’t have the chance to practice with training lightsabers, so Ezra’s lightsaber-blaster hybrid can be seen as his training blade.
Ezra’s Latest Lightsaber Is Made In Honor Of Kanan Jarrus
Ahsoka Found a Way To Honor Ezra’s Master
In theRebelsseries finale, Ezra Bridger left his lightsaber in the care ofSabine Wren, who adopted the blade as her own while Ezra was missing on Peridea for nine years. When Sabine and Ahsoka found Ezra, it was clear that the Jedi would need a lightsaber if he wanted to help his friends escape and make it back to the mainStar Warsgalaxy. With the help ofHuyang,Ezra made a new, blue lightsaber that used his master’s identical emitter piece.Kanan’s lightsaber was lost in the explosion that killed him, but this was a wonderful tribute.
Ahsokaseason 2 is currently in development.
ThoughRebelsended, it’s clear thatStar Warshas much more in store for these characters. It’s possible that with Ezra’s return to the main galaxy, he will begin training Kanan and Hera Syndulla’s sonJacen Syndulla. Ezra has had such a storied past with his lightsabers, so it will be great to see where he goes next afterRebelsandAhsoka.
