Warning: Contains SPOILERS for Doctor Aphra #28In terms of Star Wars iconography, few artifacts from the Galaxy Far Far Away can hold a candle to the lightsaber. A sacred weapon for both Jedi and Sith alike, this fan-favorite tool has been replicated countless times both in pop culture and more importantly within its home franchise. And the Marvel Comics corner of the Star Wars universe seems to be maintaining that trend.
With weapon variations like the Darksaber becoming more and more widely known, fans are becoming increasingly familiar with all sorts of alternate lightsabers. Doctor Aphra #28 gives readers an up-close look at one of these knock-offs in action. But this secondhand copy proves just how much innovation can still be found in a Galaxy Far Far away by providing a major threat to the lightsabers that fans know and love.
Star Wars Lightsabers Have Met Their (Latest) Match
Doctor Aphra #28 by Alyssa Wong and Minkyu Jung finds the one and only Domina Tagge unleashing a Protoblade weapon on a group of attackers – including Han Solo’s ‘wife’ Sana Starros – sent by her nephew Ronen. With the Protoblade, she makes short work of her would-be killers. Not requiring the same Force sensitivity and raw materials to manufacture, the Protoblade is designed to stand as a counterpoint to the more traditional weapons used by Force-wielders. And with a core made of cortosis – a mineral that essentially functions as a lightsaber’s kryptonite – instead of kyber, a direct clash between the Protoblade and a lightsaber would in all likelihood temporarily deactivate the latter – making it a massive threat to any unfortunate Jedi that crosses its path.
Luckily for Force-users, the Protoblade has more than a few drawbacks. During the conflict, Domina notes that the off-brand lightsaber's plasma blade can hold a charge for little more than a minute, also mentioning that the weapon itself threatens to detonate her arm once the plasma blade itself burns out. Such limitations – as well as the fact that it cannot be mass-produced – make the weapon as dangerous to its wielder as it would be to a foe using a traditional lightsaber. And with all these factors working against it, there’s very little chance it could ever truly replace lightsabers as a staple of the franchise.
Nothing Can Truly Replace LIghtsabers
Ultimately, Star Wars would never truly replace the lightsaber as the core weapon of the franchise - it’s simply too iconic and too beloved. Even so, the very existence of the Protoblade and the limitations that come with it demonstrates the ingenius ways in which creators can keep coming up with new things to do with the lightsaber concept without threatening to permanently alter the iteration that fans already know. For all intents and purposes, the only way for any sort of new lightsaber variation to stick around is to differentiate it from the original, while devising certain limitations to maintain the lightsabers’ iconic status.
Star Wars is known for a lot of things, and near the top of that list would be lightsabers. While there may be countless variations on the fan-favorite tool, there are none that can truly match its impact or versatility. And even if the Protoblade manages to stick around for a while longer, Star Wars’ both Jedi and Sith alike can rest easy knowing that their signature weapon will never be surpassed.
Doctor Aphra #28 is available now from Marvel Comics.