Star Wars: The Clone Wars famously revealed the Darksaber to Star Wars audiences but there was another rare lightsaber introduced in the series that has since been forgotten. The Darksaber has remained in viewers' minds thanks to its inclusion in Star Wars Rebels, The Mandalorian, and The Book of Boba Fett. In these shows, the history of the item and the power that it symbolizes is regularly referenced. However, in The Clone Wars, another blade that is equally as rare as the Darksaber was introduced and its reappearance has not yet occurred within the canon.
A specific arc in The Clone Wars follows a group of youngling Jedi in search of their own kyber crystals and then the formation of their lightsabers. They built these blades with the support of an ancient droid that had been helping younglings build blades for over 1,000 years, as he believes that the lightsaber is the best weapon for a Jedi. One of the younglings named Gungi was a Wookiee, a rarity among the Jedi. After finding his kyber crystal, he was told to use the Force to visualize what his hilt should look like.
Gungi decided that his Clone Wars blade would be made of wood, a rare, heat-resistant wood called Brylark. It was fitting that such a rare hilt was designed for such a rare species within the Jedi Order. Being a Wookiee, Gungi was raised on Kashyyyk, a predominantly forest-covered planet with incredibly tall trees. Presumably, Gungi made the connection with a wooden hilt to reflect his origins as a Wookiee from Kashyyyk. His hilt being made of Brylark wood also supposedly ensured that the lightsaber could not be sabotaged or malfunction as easily.
Gungi's all-wood hilt in The Clone Wars is unique in Star Wars canon. It was the first and last instance within Star Wars that a wooden lightsaber has been seen, used, or mentioned. The unexplored nature of this unusual lightsaber arguably makes this blade even rarer than the Darksaber, which is now well documented and well known within the canon. The closest example of another wooden blade is seen in the game, Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, where the user is able to customize and change their lightsaber's color and can adapt their metal hilt to have wood trimmings.
It would be great to see Star Wars: The Clone Wars' Gungi and his rare wooden lightsaber reappear in canon. The highly indestructible nature of Brylark wood could make for a good rival for The Mandalorian's beskar spear in terms of stand-out Star Wars weaponry. With future animated projects on the horizon, continued live-action adaptations, and plenty of Wookiee Jedi beginning to appear within the High Republic in Star Wars books and comics, it's likely that this fascinating and rare lightsaber cold resurface once again.
