History of the Yellow Lightsaber

Try and guess what all these things have in common?

The sun.

School buses.

Rain coats.

Older headlights.

If you guessed "things that are yellow", you'd be correct. But what if I told you that one more thing could be added to the list. That would be "The first lightsaber".

I know what you're thinking. You're thinking "Doug, lightsabers are blue, red and green" and that's how it's always been. Then you might go into the story about how Samuel L. Jackson ended up with his purple saber. Some of you might even say something about Temple Guards. But generally when you think about lightsabers those are the colors that come to mind.

While all that might be true, the yellow saber has much deeper roots in the Star Wars universe. Or perhaps I should say the "Star Wars merchandise-iverse". 

Toy Lightsabers

In today's lightsaber filled world, it might be hard to imagine a time before laser swords were readily available. I'm a firm believer that any generation if given the chance would love to swing around a sword imbued with the power of the sun. The first generation to even be aware of the distinct lack of energy blades in their life were the people around for the release of Star Wars.

*a graph showing the number of people who pretended to use a lightsaber starting with May 1977

It seemed like an impossible dream. You could no more train Jedi swordsmanship than you could literally fly the Falcon, or shoot an alien at a bar. Sure there were those of you that misused broom sticks and bent carboard tubes. So many kids lowered their expectations and resigned themselves to playing with the toys.

Or at least many tried. The "lucky ones" sent in a certificate guaranteeing that they'd receive the toys eventually. But the box promised something else; mild space fantasy swordplay with your own personal hero ---LUKE SKYWALKER.

wait a minute.

Something seemed off.

Just to make sure, let's compare this to a poster.

well crap

Well it's been awhile since you've seen the movie. Maybe Luke's lightsaber WAS yellow and you just missed it. Or perhaps you went color blind because it was the 70's and they still haven't taken the lead out of everything.

OK, so his lightsaber WAS blue. Then why did he come with a yellow saber? Ben Kenobi came with a blue saber, why didn't they give Luke one? 

Ok, this is just getting ridiculous. Does nothing in this world even matter? What was Kenner doing?

The short answer----making money.

The long answer---- While there is no definitive answer to these questions. I'm sure the reality of it all is that they were working from production stills and concept images. A lot of the designers only got so much time with the models, scenes from the movies and really anything else. George Lucas was also very much afraid of his work being plagiarized. So a lot of things were withheld from the Kenner team.

So anyway, after kids long stopped caring about WHY Luke has a yellow saber. The wait for a real life, true blue lightsaber was finally over. Kenner released the 35'' LIGHT SABER.

Join the "Force"

Hmmmm....well it's a lightsaber. So that's something.

There are so many things to like about the box though. I mean, look at all those yellow sabers. They literally couldn't have reasonably included any more additional yellow lightsabers. Plus the back of the box calls a spade a spade and says to "Put blade over flashlight".

The TOYS Strike Back

The story continues into 1980. Kids were 3 years older, a little wiser, and probably completely blind from the lead exposure they suffered from in the 70s. But it was the 80s now and the next Star Wars movie was coming out. *cracks knuckles* ---- time for more Star Wars toys. Surely kids will be able to grab that iconic blue bladed flash tube now!

we've all tried it

I mean just look at how cool Luke looks in this movie.

This scene alone

That saber definitely isn't yellow, so SURELY they'll make his saber accordingly with the toys.

Yellow stick Luke in Bespin Fatigues

Well darn. Still a cool figure though. Maybe they'll release a better full sized lightsaber that's blue (and hopefully not inflatable). 

a step up to be sure

You know the old saying "The first time is a mistake. The second time is a choice. And the third time is a habit". Well someone at Kenner really doubled down on the yellow lightsaber thing. I mean, don't get me wrong. I LOVE me some yellow sabers. I really do. But if you were a kid during the original releases of the movie, this had to have been a point of frustration. That and all the lead poisoning you acquired during the 70s.

So not surprisingly the whole saber color thing didn't really get fixed until the Return of the Jedi. Now you could finally get your hands on Luke's lightsaber! Just not the blue one.

dedication to the yellow

Well if nothing else at least Kenner finally got their stuff together and released a Luke Skywalker toy with the appropriate saber.

*there was one with a green saber stick*

THE MOVIES

According to George Lucas, the Jedi were allowed to have any lightsaber color they wanted. As long as it was blue or green. Or if you were into evil stuff then your only option was red. And so it was for a long, long time.

Until the prequels that is. 

This next part of the story is my favorite piece of yellow lightsber lore. Way back in the early 2000s the Star Wars universe expanded by way of 3 new movies. Set during the "height" of the Jedi order, we got to see all kinds of karate space monk action. The man behind all this crazy solar system wizardry was the new stunt coordinator Nick Gillard.

"So how's your PURPLE saber Sam??"

Along with Darth Maul actor Ray Park, they revolutionized lightsaber combat whether you liked it or not. Fast forward to the shooting of Episode II, Nick Gillard had a chance to make his cameo debut as one of the Jedi during the Geonosis scene.

According to several sources, Nick Gillard wanted to have his character wield a yellow saber. But George Lucas firmly shut him down and ended up with a green saber. Just like all the other Jedi.

From interviews and statements made since, it would seem this was one of many disagreements between the director and stunt coordinator. As back in 2013 someone asked if Nick Gillard was returning as stunt coordinator for the Sequel Trilogy. He said  "unlikely".

But hey, I'm not saying that George Lucas was against yellow sabers.  Nor am I implying that the toys had anything to do with that.

Something you'll never see

Conclusion to the Saga

And now we reach the end of the yellow saber saga. Almost. 

The story was thought to be over. That was until The Rise of Skywalker. Throughout the movie we see Rey use the traditional blue saber. In fact the only saber colors are still blue, green and red. But at the end Rey ignites her newly constructed lightsaber.

I'd be disappointed if this scene didn't get a standing ovation from the former stunt director. So if you can find nothing else to like from this movie. At least take solace that this scene ended a 40 year moratorium on yellow sabers and essentially blew a kind-hearted raspberry at Lucas.

The FUTURE

We now live in a world where combat ready sabers of any color are available. Even yellow. And it's no secret that I'm a fan of the yellow saber. Not because anything discussed in this blog. But I've always just felt there was something elemental about it. Jedi were meant to be calm and peaceful, thus they received "cool colors" (blue and green). Where as the Sith and such were given red sabers, which have the opposite effect. And yellow just falls somewhere in the middle.

just a few of my yellow sabers

And now even Disney has embraced the yellow saber. Granted it's not the standard option at Galaxy's Edge, but it is available to buy.

So there you have it. The history of the yellow lightsaber. It went from being a misfit toy accessory to banned Jedi weapon, and ended up as the bookend to the trilogy. What will be the next chapter in the yellow lightsaber saga? 

Until next time people. 

Join the Force!