Star Wars: The Last Jedi: The symbolism of the lightsaber

The Last Jedi uses an iconic item of the Star Wars franchise as a major symbol, ultimately using it to represent divergent paths.

Warning: If you have not seen Star Wars: The Last Jedi, then you’ll be very, very spoiled by the contents below.

One of the most famous parts of Star Wars as a whole has to be the lightsaber. Specifically, the sequel trilogy has placed a great deal of importance on two lightsabers: Kylo Ren’s and the one that was made by Anakin Skywalker, passed down to his son Luke, lost in Cloud City, found by Maz Kanata, given to Rey and, as of The Last Jedi, broken into two by, if you’re like me and still think Rey Skywalker is possible, Anakin’s two grandchildren.

In my defense, here’s Rian Johnson saying that Kylo “believes” what he’s saying, meaning that the door is still open for Rey to both be a Skywalker, and, in Collider’s words, “make her own mythology.” But back to the lightsabers.

For better or for worse, the relationship between Rey and Kylo is at the heart of The Last Jedi — at different times, both of them use both of those two very important lightsabers. It’s with the Skywalker family lightsaber that Kylo kills Supreme Leader Snoke. It’s the lightsaber that he and Rey have now fought twice over — but this time, she doesn’t grab a hold of it. Instead, it splits into two.

Now, where have we heard that before? Someone with two identities … and a very pointed connection to that lightsaber?

Oh, right. Anakin Skywalker and Darth Vader. Although Snoke and Kylo only appear to accept one half of that legacy, Anakin and Vader both existed. Even as Anakin, there was a war between the light and the dark within him … a split, if you will.

However, Rey’s as the inheritor of Anakin’s side of things (and his broken lightsaber) doesn’t necessarily mean she isn’t capable of “[making] her own mythology” as Collider puts it. Anakin was not the ideal Jedi by any means — willing to bend and break the rules, wear black leather, and someone who started his training in the Force quite late. Rey now has a chance to remake what it means to be a Jedi — a new way of bringing balance to the Force, if you will — both metaphorically and literally in the sense that she may find a way to repair or perhaps even build a new lightsaber now that she can see the inside of a properly functioning one.

(Wouldn’t that be cool?)

Next: The Last Jedi and the evolution of Rey

And perhaps this presages Kylo returning to the light side before he dies to mirror Vader completely. Perhaps it doesn’t. But these ideas of duality and balance echo throughout The Last Jedi, even in a broken and, for now, useless lightsaber.