We have plenty of thoughts on that mind-blowing shot of a very Dark Side-esque Rey (and her Force cave dream/vision) in the closing sequence of D23’s Rise of the Skywalker sizzle reel. But one thing we keep coming back to is Rey’s double-bladed, folding lightsaber, which looks like some weapons we’ve seen before in the vast and wonderful animated Star Wars canon.
Star Wars has long used the animated series to introduce new concepts and ideas before they eventually make it to the big screen. For example, Force Projection and Force Flight, which was first seen in the likes of Star Wars: Clone Wars before it was demonstrated by Leia in The Last Jedi. In the same vein, Rey’s lightsaber looking awfully similar to a weapon used in both The Clone Wars and Rebels. Here’s a quick rundown of the two times we’ve seen a weapon like this before and what this connection could mean for the hero of the sequel trilogy.
Pong Krell (Star Wars: The Clone Wars)
Disney/Cartoon Network
This disgraced Jedi Master Pong Krell was a Besalisk Force User who was once a Jedi General in the last days of the Republic. His recognizable weapons were just like the one we saw in the sizzle reel, but where Rey’s is red, Pong’s dual double-ended folding blades were green and blue. Despite his high rank in the Jedi army, Krell turned to the Dark Side, betraying both the Jedi and the Republic. Krell was driven by a disillusionment with the governing bodies and a desire to become an apprentice of the Sith Lord Count Dooku, an ambition that was never fulfilled as Krell was killed when his betrayal was revealed.
Jedi Temple Guard (Star Wars: The Clone Wars / Star Wars: Rebels)
Disney XD
Star Wars is all about duality. While Krell’s path was one of a Jedi who became corrupted by the Dark Side, the second time that we saw the folding lightsaber was under a completely different circumstance. The rare order of the Temple Guard was an anonymous sect of Jedi selected to become faceless sentinels tasked to protect the Jedi Temples. The lesser-seen yellow-bladed weapons they wielded were known as “lightsaber pikes.” Though it seems like the Jedi Guard are an infallible force, their story once again includes a betrayal of the Jedi Order, as one of their number eventually defected to the Dark Side and became the Grand Inquisitor turning on their fellow Jedi to become the leader of the elite Jedi hunting organization.
So What Does it All Mean?
Disney
Though we can hardly make concrete predictions about The Rise of Skywalker, Star Wars is a franchise that is filled with echoes of what has come before. Our hero, Rey, wielding a model of lightsaber that has previously been held only by two Jedi who later turned to the Dark Side seems like too much of a coincidence to ignore. We’ll have to wait and see whether this apparent vision turns out to be the real thing and whether Rey’s journey will be reflected in the shiny silver hilt of the fateful weapon.
Feature image: Disney/Lucasfilm