Star Wars: 10 Secrets Of The Lightsaber You Need To Know

10. How Do Lightsabers Work?

Star Wars started as a movie franchise but quickly branched out into tv shows, comics, novels, video games, and animated series. But if your knowledge of the series stems purely from the films, you probably don't know the first thing about lightsabers. Although it is explained how they are constructed in other mediums, such details are entirely absent from the trilogies and spin-offs.

The light that emanates from the hilt is powered by a kyber crystal, which is a Force-attuned gem found across the cosmos. Jedi in training were sent to the ice planet of Ilum to mine kyber and use it forge their own weapons. A cracked crystal will work in a lightsaber but runs the risk of malfunctioning or exploding. Kylo Ren's weapon uses a cracked kyber but is still able to function since the hilt diverts excess energy from the sides, creating a light-based cross guard.

One would presume the hilt must be metallic to withstand the searing heat of the blade but this isn't always the case. Some hilts are fashioned out of jewels, tree bark, ore, bone, and even whale hide.