Many fans have spoken about the significance of Kylo Ren’s lightsaber. Not the fact that it was red (which is obvious) but its callous and unrefined appearance.
Some have pointed out that its rough exterior and “crackling” sound comes from the fact that Kylo Ren didn’t know how to a) create the type of sabre that he was trying to make and b) didn’t know how to bleed the kyber crystal correctly which resulted in its rough appearance. It has also been noted that the kyber crystal he acquired was cracked and therefore, his lightsaber would appear unstable.
I think all of this is correct but I also think there was a more deliberate symbolism relating to his unstable lightsaber. Perhaps like the lightsaber, Kylo Ren was unrefined and extremely unstable so his weapon which was an extension of himself was also unstable.
I think this had more to do with his consistent struggle with the light and dark sides of the force. Even Luke had issues with the dark side but it wasn’t the same. Kylo Ren seemed to be fighting the light side of the force for most of his young adult life and Snoke was consistently testing Kylo Ren’s loyalty to the dark side of the force. This is most apparent in The Last Jedi when Kylo Ren tells Snoke “I’ve given everything I have to you, to the dark side”… but had he really? If Snoke could sense his struggle with the light side of the force, he would have known that Kylo Ren was lying to him about his total and absolute devotion. The light side was always there beckoning to him.
And of course, there was Rey but we’ll leave that topic for another post.
So as a result, perhaps this is why he was unable to complete the building of his lightsaber. Perhaps his tie to the dark side of the force was so incomplete, this uncertainty was mirrored in his weapon. From everything I have read about Force users and their bond with the Force, it makes total sense that he was unable to forge and then wield a completely perfect dark side weapon.
What do you think about this theory? Do you think it’s possible this was a reason why Kylo Ren’s lightsaber was forged the way that it was?
Let me know in the comments, friends and stay safe out there!
darksiderconfessions.blog 
I think CGI effects have moved on. Bigger is better. More merchandise too. ooh, I’m such an old cynic.
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Hahaha hello Neil! How are you doing my friend? I hope all is well with you and your family 🙂 And I agree lol I am also an old cynic haha but I love the merchandise a lot more than I should. I am a big kid really 🙂
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Hi there, there has always been a sort of connection between the Kyber crystal and the saber user’s character. The good guys had blue and the bad guys had red. However, originally all blades were going to be white (including the ones used by Stormtroopers!) but then as with George Lucas and the way story building works, that changed to the good = blue, bad =red. Then as Neil pointed out so well CGI improved and the money making machines behind the films decided to have multiple colours to sell more merch. Then the story tellers had to explain that increase in colours “in story” to make them canon….Then Samuel L Jackson wanted a purple blade etc…it all just got messy. But I like the idea of the blade being an extension of the user and the connection between the crystal and the Force Sensitive.
And one funny little story, I think I may have inspired Disney as in one of my very early Rey speculation inspired posts I mentioned “maybe Rey will turn to the dark side and have a saber with a red blade…because the crystal becomes damaged because she uses it for evil and it BLEEDS turning her blade red” or some quote like that. Then low and behold a few months later an update on Star Wars canon mentions “Bleeding crystals”!
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Wow that’s so awesome – I never knew that about the bleeding crystal theory. And you know what? It doesn’t surprise me one bit that that is exactly how they got the idea. I know for a fact that there has been at least one person on Tumblr that used to write fan fiction about star wars who managed to get a major contract with “the company” she couldn’t mention and part of that contract forbade her from talking on social media or from posting any star wars related fan fiction because they took her story and used it. There were heaps of rumours going around that the mirror cave scene was in her story and Disney took it. There were also rumours going around about other things such as Rian Johnson “using” someone else’s story in his movie but I am not so sure about that one. So I totally believe they have people hired just for the sole purpose of scouring the internet looking for any content that might make their own IPs more interesting.
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Well, I’m not accusing anyone but I seem to inspire quite a few folks (though I don’t get the credit!). You might want to check out a YouTube channel named “Eckhart’s Ladder” where the owner has uploaded numerous videos about Disney “borrowing” 3D models and rendered images for their visual dictionary books (most notably some Star Destroyers and a vehicle called a Juggernaut Transport built by a modeller named “FractalSponge”).
Another funny story, you know you can buy “replica” custom built lightsabers, well there is one company that made a hilt that had claws attached to make it look Sithy but the claws were positioned and shaped in such a way that it was uncomfortable to hold. I took a look at some pre release renders the manufacturer published on their forum and I noticed there was a fixture inside that appeared to hold the claws to the saber. I suggested that the claws could be prised off and rotated 180degs and reattached to the saber making it more usable…and guess what? It worked and now every Tom, Dick and Harry are posting YT videos discuusing how they “discovered” you can flip the claws! When in fact I discovered the technique!
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Wow, the more I hear about this happening the more I believe that they definitely have their “feelers” out everywhere that matters or attracts a group of people like a forum or discussion group. They can fully get away with it too because nothing is copyrighted right? That’s hilarious that so many people were doing what you suggested and claiming it as their own. I’ve experienced similar things with my GIFs and edits that I do and finding them on other forums only to discover someone else tried to take credit for it. It’s one reason why I no longer go looking on Instagram or Reddit for art relating to star wars because the chances of me finding something I’ve made being credited to someone else is quite high lol. Not meaning to boast at all, this is actually how it happens which is why I try to now add watermarks to everything I make. If I make it myself, it gets watermarked. It’s very difficult to remove watermarks from moving images such as GIFs or MP4 files so a lot of people don’t bother. But with still images, people remove the watermarks from those all the time and claim that they made them. What can you do? I just tried to ignore it and keep doing what I am doing taking as many precautions as I can. I don’t rely on what I make for a living so it doesn’t hurt me as much as it would someone who does rely on what they make for a living… people just don’t care about integrity. They only care about likes, views and money.
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I did find one of my images being used on a Star Wars role-playing site where someone liked my design and used the picture in their character’s profile – however the person left an acknowledgement link to my site which was nice (now I know when people are playing the game cos I get hits for the picture when it’s accessed!) But then I had an image taken by a wallpaper download site which prompted me to add my own watermarks. I might even have inspired a big custom saber company in the USA that started selling Super Hero themed hilts after I posted a set of designs based on Marvel and DC characters. The Admin of the comapny’s forum (the forum is now closed) sent me a private message asking about my copyright claims and would I pursue legal action if I needed!
Finally, what really sucks is that from what I have read and seen the 3D modeller named FractalSponge had worked with Lucasfilm and it’s publishers in the past but the latest works used weren’t the ones he’d licensed/agreed to be used. The publishers and Disney SEEM to have interpreted the contract to mean they can use ANY of his work and not credit him. I say “SEEM to have interpreted” as I have no proof or anything, just in case the Mouse’s lawyers don’t like the topic!
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Oh my gosh… wow that just sucks for everyone except the thieves lol… this is why I just gave up bothering to look for art online. There are so many thieves out there looking to take something and claim it so they can reap the rewards. It’s so sad for original content creators who work so hard to create what they do only to have someone steal it and make a profit of it!
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[…] directions, making it impossible for him to feel stability in anything he did. This weapon embodies all of those things to me when I look at […]
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