One long-forgotten Sithlightsaber typewould have been the perfect weapon forObi-Wan Kenobi- but there’s a good reason he’d never use it. Most Jedi choose alightsaber formthat compensates for their weakness; Mace Windu’s Vaapad is designed to channel his inner rage and anger, while Yoda chose the agile Ataru to compensate for his small stature. Obi-Wan Kenobi is an exception, however; he chose Form III, Soresu, simply because its defensive nature appealed to his character.
Matt Stover’s novelization ofStar Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sithwas written in close consultation with George Lucas, and it features quite a few scenes and notes that didn’t make the final cut. In one, the Jedi tell Obi-Wan that they consider him the true master of Soresu.He has perfected Soresu to an art form, and this was the reason the Jedi were confident he was the right one to take on General Grievous. And yet, for all the Jedi praise Obi-Wan for his skill, there is one way he could have been even better - with a somewhat unique lightsaber.
Darth Zannah’s Unique Lightsaber Was Designed To Boost Soresu’s Effectiveness
Darth Zannah was a Sith Lord who lived nearly a thousand years before the Skywalker saga. The apprentice of Darth Bane, she was the first Sith to operate under theRule of Twothat her master had established, and she proved her power and skill when she defeated Bane in combat - likely one of themost powerful Sith Lordsof all time. Zannah has been mentioned in canon, but her story was fleshed out much more in the oldStar WarsExpanded Universe.
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Zannah was a Force powerhouse in her own right, but she stands out among the Sith for choosing the lightsaber form Soresu - a defensive form that is very unusual for a Sith.Zannah redesigned her lightsaber to maximize the efficiency of Soresu, and she chose adouble-bladed lightsaber- similar to the one used by Darth Maul inStar Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace. Zannah’s blades were a little shorter than standard, at 0.75m in length rather than a full meter. Her lightsaber became known as Bane’s Heart, after one legendary crystal that powered it.
Zannah’s unique lightsaber really was perfectly suited to defensive Soresu, which focuses on swatting back attacks. She didn’t need the longer blade lengths typically associated with aggressive practitioners;the two shorter blades were perfect for maximizing her own area of protection. Using Bane’s Heart, she was even able to defeat Bane himself. It’s easy to see why this fantastic double-bladed lightsaber was the perfect tool for a Force-user who had mastered Soresu.
Why Obi-Wan Would Never Use A Lightsaber Like Darth Zannah’s
Double-bladed lightsabers had largely fallen out of fashion by the time of theStar Warsprequel trilogy.This is why Obi-Wan Kenobi and Qui-Gon Jinn were so surprised to see one inThe Phantom Menace, and it is why they struggled to adapt their own forms to match an unfamiliar weapon. There were a handful of Jedi who used variations of these iconic weapons, but they were few and far between.
In any case, the simple truth is thatObi-Wan probably wouldn’t have chosen to modify his lightsaber even if he’d realized it would benefit his form. Obi-Wan never saw himself as the master of Soresu; he was naturally too humble to ever entertain such an idea, and was taken aback when he learned how highly he was thought of. Other Jedi deliberately chose lightsaber types to accentuate their forms, but Obi-Wan would consider any weaknesses to his form to be his own, explaining why he became such a master of Soresu as he sought to overcome his limitations.
The very idea ofObi-Wan Kenobiusing adouble-bladedlightsaber is even more amusing. This was the very weapon that had cut down his beloved master, Qui-Gon Jinn, and he’s never have considered imitating Darth Maul by copying it. Instead, Obi-Wan focused on learning to defend himself and others from double-bladed lightsabers, and he proved his success in his final duel with Maul - when he simply ignored the blades and used his lightsaber to cut down the middle of Maul’s hilt, slicing the weapon apart and killing its master with a single stroke.
Obi-Wan Kenobi
The Padawan of Qui-Gon Jinn, Obi-Wan Kenobi became a Jedi Knight after his master’s death. Obi-Wan trained Anakin Skywalker as a Jedi, with his own apprentice knighted after the Battle of Geonosis. The Jedi Master became a key player in the Jedi during the Clone Wars, and was heartbroken when Anakin turned to the dark side; Obi-Wan critically wounded Anakin before taking to the shadows, watching over the young Luke and Leia for years. He sacrificed himself for his two charges, becoming a Force Ghost and continuing to mentor them.
