zenbrainjam:

avenrue:

a-shipper-despite-herself:

zenbrainjam:

frozenmusings:

dauntlesssubconscious:

and-then-bam-cassiopeia:

leicsfox:

seankayos:

and-then-bam-cassiopeia:

leicsfox:

B

makes sense he’d be obsessed not just with Darth Vader but order Vader was a part of. As for Snoke, he’s Plagueis…so not a thousand years old 

Yeah, i’m all for B too, especially since he would have access to uncracked crystals. 

Although it could be that crystal has a special value to it. We don’t know how far along his training with Luke went, he might of made his saber with the Jedi, then forced the crystal to turn red, cracking it in the process.
And @

nice

and?

I CAN’T WAIT the crystal probably has a special value, but from the databank article on crystals and their colors and word of god on synth crystals i don’t think crystals can change colors. so i’m pretty sure the crystal has always been red (though maybe ren was indeed the one to crack it)

AND?

@and-then-bam-cassiopeia Crystals adopt their color when they find their Force sensitive, right? (”The wand chooses the wizard, Mr. Potter” hint hint).

Cuz if that’s the case, then I’m thinking Kylo actually settled with that cracked crystal instead of picking his own, afraid it would turn green or blue, as the Jedi’s do….

His ‘saber, in the script, is never described as just red though. Even the crystal doesn’t look like how we’ve seen red kyber crystals typically depicted.
His blade is described as yellow/red.
 
 Sith used synthetic kyber crystals to make their red blades (or Synth-crystals)
And they were a very dark red. Contrary to Kylo’s crystal, which almost makes the blade look orange, because the centre of it is yellow.

“Synthetic crystals were often red due to the forging process. Most individuals who utilized synthetic crystals were Dark siders.[…] The crystal would take on a blood red hue […] …red bladed lightsabers that utilized synth-crystals were nicknamed ‘bloodshine blades’. ”

Personally Kylo’s blade never looked purely red to me. Not like the red ones we’re familiar with anyway. But like I said, maybe it’s just me and i’m choosing to see things…

The new canon says that kyber crystals start off colourless and once it is attuned to a user’s Force signature it changes colour accordingly. Most often blue or green but in rare cases other colours and variants of shades are created.

Kylo was trained as a Jedi Padawan first so he was most likely expected to someday go and find his own crystal. I think he did, on his own. I personally don’t believe he’s using someone else’s or that he’s using a synthetic one.

We’re often told that Kylo’s lightsaber looks unfinished, as if it were made by an inexperienced hand. Knowing that, we can assume he didn’t get any help. He probably didn’t have any prior instruction on how to do it so he did what we could with what he knew. We can assume he was still young then. Perhaps rushed? Impatient? Maybe immediately before the destruction of the temple or any time after.

I’m one to believe that he found his own. He may have been desperate, rushed, under pressure to make a weapon even though, in relation to his jedi training, he may not have been ready. Hence the characteristics of the crystal itself.

 Cracked, he may have broken it somehow or he found it that way… I think the odd colouring, yellow centre surrounded by red, is a reflection of Kylo himself, inner turmoil and being torn between two sides… That whole thing about him still having light within him even though he’s surrounded by darkness… and knowing what we know about crystal colours… it works well, no? Maybe if his force signature wasn’t attuned to both light and dark his original colour would have been yellow?  After all, kyber crystals are a part of their users. And we know the Order has access to uncracked crystals as well, so why bother using it… unless he was attached to it in some way.

I also think he could have cracked it himself by accident. Since he was likely untrained in making the hilt, what if there were several attempts? Accidents? Man, what if one of the first tries just like blew up because it was crudely put together? That in the end he managed to make one that functions through trial and error alone.
Once seeing the cracked crystal did a horrible job of containing the power put through it, he probably had to improvise. It’s said that the hilt is an ancient design, but with modern components. He had to work with what he’s got.
Maybe he was totally into past things. Probably heard or read about cross-guarded sabers at some point. total fanboy
Probably thought the quillons would be perfect to double as vents to direct the energy that can’t be contained by the crystal alone so that it doesn’t blow up in his face.

I believe he’s got a cross guarded saber for the simple fact that it’s what works best with his messed up crystal, tbh. It’s already bad that the thing sounds like it’s going to blow up every time he activates it. XD (I love his ‘saber so much though holy shit)

It could also be totally possible that I’m reading WAAAAY to much into colours and failed attempts and this could just totally be his aesthetic… But I like looking deep into things. Sometimes too deep, but it’s fun. This got out of hand. it wasn’t supposed to be this long. XD

@frozenmusings I think you are pretty right. His saber IS yellowish than Vader or Maul. Maybe we will see him making his new saber using the crystal of the old one, and maybe we will see the colour or the “blade” change. Because they need to show (don’t tell) us his inner turmoil and conflict between dark and light.

Yep – the saber is described as yellow-red and it crackles like fire. If the crystal weren’t cracked, it might even be orange? 😛

I wonder if it’s something like a lava crystal, though:

http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Lava_crystal

Reblogging for the great commentary and also to add-

So no one’s mentioned the design as far as it relates to historical designs. This lightsaber is said to be based on an antiquated design that goes back to the Great Scourge of Malacor. Aforementioned ‘scourge’ has yet to be described in canon thoroughly – I find it very similar to GRRM’s ASOIAF epics where Asshai by the Shadow and the Doom of Valyria are ominous places or cataclysmic events yet to be thoroughly described to the reader through the narrative. 

In the Legends ‘verse KOTOR II (@ohtze I AM LOOKING AT YOU), we play as the Jedi Exile who was directly involved in the cataclysmic events that lead to the fall of Malacor V during the Mandalorian Wars. In this continuity Malacor was another name for Malacor V. Anyone that has played this game will know how heavily FUCKED UP that planet became after the Mandalorian Wars came to a close. It was practically a dark side nexus.

Malachor V, or simply Malachor, was an Outer Rim planet located in the Malachor system. Prior to the final battle of the Mandalorian Wars, the planet was fertile and hospitable. After the cataclysm caused by the Mass Shadow Generator, it became a cracked and twisted wasteland covered with jagged cliffs and plagued by constant lightning storms. It was inhabited by monstrous storm beasts. The gravity of the planet was unstable, which made it dangerous for starships to stay there for very long.

And as Kreia or Darth Traya said of the planet: 

“And because Malachor, like Korriban, is on the fringes of the ancient Sith Empire, where the Sith wait for us, in the dark.”

In the canon verse, Malacor is known as both a place and used as an expletive – interchangeable to express strong discontent with something. In Star Wars Rebels, it’s mentioned:

ohtze:

I’ve seen a bunch of theories on why Kylo Ren would have a lightsaber dating back a thousand years, and they range from:

A) Kylo is a Hipster and just likes collecting old things

B) Kylo is ideologically very big on the past (I like this theory, and it makes sense, considering his obsession with iconography and his grandfather’s era)

C) The lightsaber was gifted to him (I guess Snoke would fall under this)

D He’s Revan (I LOVE this, but honestly this is personal preference and not really theorizing).

Either way, we won’t really know why Kylo’s sporting an ancient lightsaber design until Episode VIII or IX hits theaters. Same goes for your theory on Snoke (although I must admit I have my doubts about this).

@avenrue, @leicsfox, @and-then-bam-cassiopeia or @seankayos, any of you want to chime in?

In a vision to Ezra Bridger, Yoda urged him and his Jedi compatriots to seek answers to their questions on Malachor. After being questioned on its significance, Ahsoka Tano and Kanan Jarrus appeared apprehensive.

So the place is definitely bad juju enough to make even Kanan and Ashoka extremely apprehensive, but it holds a particular significance enough to make even Yoda compel Ezra to seek answers about the nebulous event.

The only person I can think of that wielded a cross guard lightsaber even close to 30 ABY is former Jedi General Roblio Darté. He exists in the Legends as a survivor of the Great Jedi Purge before his death at the Conclave on Kessel at the hands of Darth Vader. Even then, its design was very dissimilar from Kylo’s.

So why is this antiquated design so hot a couple of thousand years ago? Why is Kylo Ren bringing it back? Who or what inspired him to carry a blade with a design that significantly represents this Great Scourge of Malacor? What was the Great Scourge of Malacor and what happened there to make it carry on in living memory as such a horrible happening?

@avenrue The design is due to the crystal, so or in ancient times on Malacor there were force users so fucked up that their sabers need desperately the lateral vents, or something very big happened on Malacor and due to this specific very peculiar highly instable crystals were created. Minerals crystalize in all sort of environment, from lava, from water rich of ions, and modifying pre existing minerals using very high pressure and temperatures. In a huge cataclismic event you can bet your ass that temperatures and pressures go high and rocks (a rock is made of a mix of mineral crystals born in every possible way, lava water and so on..) undergo on a process of metamorphosis and/or simply crack. Crystals into that rocks can crack too of course.

Reblogging for the amazing meta and cuz I can’t not reblog things that make my jaw drop.