Luke Skywalker wields both green and red-bladed lightsabers on the cover of an upcoming Star Wars comic, with fascinating implications. In Marvel’s Star Wars comics - canonically set between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi - Luke Skywalker has been growing as a person and a Jedi. Currently, Luke is using a yellow-bladed 'saber as a weapon before inevitably building his famous green-bladed lightsaber. However, his yellow lightsaber is about to be badly damaged, and it seems he'll have a major choice to make about how to replace it.
The cover of the upcoming Star Wars #35 - by Charles Soule, Madibek Musabekov, and cover artist Stephen Segovia - features Luke Skywalker dual-wielding a red lightsaber (held in front of Darth Vader) and green lightsaber (held in front of Yoda). In Star Wars: Revelations, it was already shown that Luke will soon acquire red and green kyber crystals, but this image suggests he may actually construct lightsabers with each. Indeed, Luke notably wielded his iconic green-bladed lightsaber alongside a red-bladed shoto in the Legends timeline, suggesting this may be a reclamation of that moment in current canon.
Luke's Red Lightsaber Sets Up His Dark-Side Temptation
In current Star Wars canon, the Kyber crystals that power lightsabers are colorless until they bond with a Force user, though there is only one way they turn red. A dark side user must bend a Kyber to their will, turning it red by 'bleeding' it in the process. In Legends, lightsaber crystals were always a specific color, and while Jedi traditionally used natural crystals (which are often blue, green, or purple), Sith synthesized theirs with the dark side, nearly always resulting in red gems. In Legends, Luke notably used the Force to synthesize his crystal, and the meticulous process resulted in a green gem. In contrast, his red shoto was the result of Luke rushing to prepare for a second duel with the Dark Lady of the Sith Lumiya.
Luke Skywalker Has a Long History with Red Kyber Crystals
Currently in Star Wars canon, Qi'ra's use of the ancient Fermata Cage has thrown the Force into disorder. Luke is struggling to draw on its energies, while Darth Vader has become a malestrom of uncontrolled power. Fans know Luke is going in search of Kyber to reconnect to the Force and that his yellow 'saber will be damaged, hinting he will soon construct his final green 'saber. However, the Force is inherently balanced, and so reclaiming his abilities may not be as simple as building a new weapon. This may explain why Luke was shown with both a green and red crystal in Revelations - it's possible he'll need to access both the light and dark sides to restore his personal balance. Indeed, he may even go so far as building red and green 'sabers to achieve this, and be tempted by the dark in the process.
Luke potentially using a red lightsaber at this time is fitting, as his internal struggle with the dark side’s temptation and his unwillingness to kill his father are key components of his Return of the Jedi character arc. Luke has, notably, used a red lightsaber in Star Wars canon before, as shown with one of Darth Atrius' weapons, with Luke struggling to resist the weapon’s corrupting power. Luke Skywalker could have another chance to resist the power of the dark side by wielding both a green and red-bladed lightsaber in this upcoming Star Wars comic.
Star Wars #35 is available from Marvel Comics June 7.