‘Star Wars: The Acolyte’ Finale Reveals the Secrets Behind Sith Lightsaber Creation

‘Star Wars: The Acolyte’ recently wrapped up its first season. Despite the series experiencing pacing issues and a generally slow progression, it delivered some thrilling cameos and addressed long-awaited details for fans.

One such detail is the bleeding of Kyber crystals. This process is featured in one of the coolest scenes in the final episode, revealing the intense method required to corrupt the power source of a lightsaber.

In the final episode, Osha and Qimir race to Brendok to stop Mae from killing Master Sol. In a somewhat predictable twist, Mae reveals that Master Sol, not she, was responsible for their mother’s death.

Master Sol, realizing the weight of his past actions from 16 years ago, faces Osha. Overcome with grief, anger, and madness, Osha force-chokes him until he lies dead on the ground. She then picks up his lightsaber and bleeds the Kyber crystal, turning it red—the signature color of the Dark Side of the Force.

There’s a reason Sith lightsabers are traditionally red. Naturally occurring Kyber crystals are attuned to the light side of the Force. To turn a lightsaber red, you must “bleed” the crystal. This process can be intentional, as seen with Kylo Ren, or spontaneous, like with Osha. It involves channeling intense emotions associated with the Dark Side into the crystal, corrupting it.

When Osha took what was once a blue lightsaber, she infused the crystal with her grief, anger, hatred, sadness, and agony, effectively bleeding it and transforming the weapon into a Sith’s.

However, the bleeding process can be reversed, as Ahsoka Tano demonstrated with her white lightsabers. Kyber crystals are notoriously difficult to corrupt, often resisting the process. This resistance is what led to Kylo Ren’s crossguard lightsaber design, as he had to find a way to vent the excess energy caused by his cracked Kyber crystal.

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