‘Star Wars’: Pablo Hidalgo On The Future Of Anakin’s Lightsaber

While Rey may have offered Anakin Skywalker’s lightsaber to his son Luke after she finally found him on the planet Ahch-To, the first trailer for Star Wars: The Last Jedi revealed that the resourceful young heroine will be holding on to the weapon for at least the duration of her training in the next film. The lightsaber itself has a long and complicated history with the Skywalker family, first belonging to Anakin before being handed down to Luke decades after his father turned to dark side and helped The Empire rise to power but yesterday it was revealed that the weapon has officially been dubbed ‘Rey’s Lightsaber’ moving forward.

In an interview with Vanity Fair, Lucasfilm Story Group creative executive Pablo Hidalgo discussed the behind-the-scenes history of the Skywalkers’ lightsaber and it’s future with Rey. Although Anakin’s lightsaber may have been given to Luke by Obi-Wan Kenobi, Hidalgo reveals that Luke considers his true weapon to be the green lightsaber constructed in Star Wars: Return of the Jedi. The green Kyber crystal itself indicates a Jedi Consular — a special kind of Jedi that focuses more on cerebral Force skills rather than their skills as a warrior, Hidalgo explained that the decision to make Lukes blade green in Return of the Jedi made was a more practical reason to ensure that the blade would stand out against the blue skies of Tatooine during the exterior scenes shot in Death Valley, California:

“The intent was the lightsaber was going to be blue. In that universe, at that time, as far as anyone knew, lightsabers were red or they were blue. As much as we like to mythologize why it’s green and what that all signifies. Sometimes there are very pragmatic filmmaking reasons behind these things.”

While some fans theorize that Rey is a member of the Skywalker family based on the fact that Anakin’s lightsaber has allegedly called to her, Hidalgo hinted that the truth may be more complicated:

“In general, a lightsaber belongs to the person who constructed it. In The Force Awakens, Maz says that the saber is calling to Rey now. Whether or not it’s literally calling to her to become hers or it’s calling to her because she knows it will be taken back to Luke—we’ll see.”

As for whether or not Luke’s own green lightsaber will return in The Last Jedi, Hidalgo offered a potentially reassuring if not cryptic comment:

“We take to heart the lesson that Obi-Wan tried to impart to Anakin: ‘This weapon is your life.’ We’re not ones to lose track of lightsabers.”

What do you think of Hidalgo’s cryptic comments? Does Rey’s possession of Anakin’s lightsaber indicate that she is a member of the Skywalker family? Share your thoughts below!

Written and directed by Rian Johnson, Star Wars: The Last Jedi stars Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Adam Driver, Oscar Isaac, Lupita Nyong’o, Domhnall Gleeson, Anthony Daniels, Gwendoline Christie, Andy Serkis, Laura Dern, Kelly Marie Tran and Benicio del Toro.

Star Wars: The Last Jedi will be released in theaters on December 15, 2017.

Source: Vanity Fair