The first trailer for the series The Acolyte features lightsabers with a particular shade. While some Jedi wield blue or green blades, others wield sabers with a yellow glow. This is not the first time we have seen this in Star Wars. And there is a convincing explanation.
The first trailer for the series Star Wars The Acolyte was therefore released on the afternoon of March 19, 2024. We can already guess that two shots in particular will attract the public’s attention, since they feature unusual lightsabers. Indeed, instead of glowing blue, green or red, their hue is yellow.
Viewers certainly remember the presence of a yellow lightsaber at the very end of Episode IX of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. Rey lights her weapon and a yellow blade emerges from the hilt. We could consider that the young Jedi had then found a form of balance, between the light side and the dark side of the Force.
A yellow lightsaber in the trailer for The Acolyte
In Star Wars, it is customary to say that the color of lightsabers is associated with a certain symbolism. Red is for bad guys, green and blue represent good guys (these were the three colors used in the first trilogy). Now, what does the mixture of red and green give? Yellow. An allegory of good and evil combined?
With the release of the prelogy and the development of the expanded universe, a greater variety of colors arrived. We saw it with the character of Mace Windu, played by actor Samuel Lee Jackson. He was given a purple lightsaber. As for the yellow lightsaber, we found it in the hands of characters like Asajj Ventress or Ahsoka Tano.
This greater diversity in the glow of sabers has often given rise to interpretations and a quest for meaning. For example, the orange-colored lightsabers seen in Ahsoka were seen as a clue to the alignment of the two characters: renegade Jedis, Dark Jedis. The adventures of the series reinforced this reading.
Who uses yellow lightsabers in Star Wars ?
Regarding yellow lightsabers, they are traditionally associated with Jedi Sentinels. This is confirmed by specialized encyclopedias like HoloNet and Wookiepedia. “ Yellow was that of the Jedi Sentinels who used gifts other than those for combat », indicates the first. “ Sentinel lightsabers, rarely ignited, usually produced a yellow blade », adds the second.
A character like Bastila Shan, who is one of the most important in video games Knights of the Old Republic, released in 2003, also used a double lightsaber with a yellow blade (same when the Jedi previously wielded a single-bladed saber). The official Star Wars website also mentions these yellow weapons, concerning the guards of the Jedi Temple.
“ The role of the Jedi Temple Guard is an ancient and honored legacy within the hallowed halls of the Jedi Temple. […] Temple guards carried imposing lightsaber pikes, thick, two-bladed weapons that produced a rare and distinctive yellow blade ”, it is indicated. These blades appear in the official canon of Star Wars.
Considering all these elements, it’s a safe bet that the Jedis we see in The Acolyte belong to this category of Jedi Sentinels (the guards of the Jedi temple are generally helmeted and wear a particular outfit). This is consistent with the era where the plot of the series takes place: the Old Republic.
Series The Acolyte will be broadcast on Disney+ from June 4, 2024.
Subscribe to Numerama on Google News so you don’t miss any news!
Some links in this article are affiliated. We’ll explaine everything here.