Lightsaber pike/Legends
The lightsaber pike, also known as the lightsaber lance, was a unique weapon that resembled a primitive halberd or spear in many aspects. As staff weapons, they were typically considered the domain of exotic weapon specialists among the Jedi. They were notably used by all Jedi Temple Guards during the Clone Wars.
Many members of the Knights of Zakuul, the enforcers of justice in the Eternal Empire, were also users of these weapons.
Description[]
A Jedi Temple Guard wielding a double-bladed lightsaber pike
There were two different forms of lightsaber pike, with the first being much like a spear, glaive, or other, similar polearms. Its long handle was made of a lightsaber-resistant material; phrik alloy being a prime choice.[1][5] At the end of the handle was a lightsaber blade that was shorter and thicker than a normal one.[6] The blade could be activated by a switch further down the weapon's shaft. Including the blade, the weapon was almost as long as the wielder's body and could keep enemies at a distance, giving the advantage of a longer reach.[1] A similar weapon was the cortosis staff used by the Morgukai.
The second type of lightsaber pike sported another blade at the other end[3] and to all appearances seemed identical in both form and function to a double-bladed lightsaber, with which it shared a "nearly identical" combat style.[5] The most prominent examples of this model were used by the Jedi Temple Guards, which had yellow blades that appeared relatively shorter than the ones found on a double-bladed lightsaber.
History[]
Knights of Zakuul, wielding lightsaber pikes.
In the time of the Old Republic, both the Sith Empire and the Republic were overwhelmed by the sudden reveal and subsequent invasion of the Eternal Empire of the planet Zakuul. Among the forces from Zakuul were the famed Knights of Zakuul who had sworn to guard the Emperor of the Eternal Throne and his family. The knights were Force-sensitive and used a wide range of lightsaber weapons, the most prominent of which was the lightsaber pike. These pikes were often used along with a blaster bolt reflective shield.[2]
Two Arkanians, one wielding a lightsaber pike.
Millennia after the fall of Zakuul, a different model of lightsaber pike was the trademark weapons of the Jedi Temple Guards during the Clone Wars. These pikes were a variation of double-bladed lightsaber, each emitting yellow blades.[3] Following the Clone Wars and Order 66, the Jedi Kazdan Paratus wielded a lightsaber pike[6] closer in design to those used by the Knights of Zakuul[2], taking the weapon into exile with him on Raxus Prime during the Great Jedi Purge. When the Aleena Jedi built his mechanical legs to move around in haste, his lightsaber pike was the requirement for his mechanical arms to use with deadly precision. He ultimately wielded it against Darth Vader's apprentice, Starkiller, and the weapon was destroyed in the ensuing melee. After he attempted to fix it in meditation, Starkiller realized that his lightsaber focusing crystal lens were damaged, so they could not be realigned and thus the pike was discarded.[6]
During this time, lightsaber pikes were also the favored weapons of the Emperor's Shadow Guard, elite guards with minor knowledge of the Force and lightsaber-wielding skills. Starkiller fought several of these elite guards, once on Bespin as he attempted to rescue the Jedi Rahm Kota, and also on Raxus Prime when he returned to destroy an Imperial Star Destroyer shipyard so as to eliminate a source of fear and gain the confidence of others. Saber Pikes also saw occasional use by the Emperor's Royal Guard and the Imperial Senate Guard.[4]
Behind the scenes[]
Concept art by Carlos Sanchez, dated September 2011
The lightsaber pike first appeared in The Force Unleashed, a novel written by Sean Williams[7] that was released on August 19, 2008[8] as part of the Star Wars: The Force Unleashed multimedia project.[9] Kazdan Paratus wields a blue lightsaber pike in the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions of the game, but a yellow lightsaber pike in the Nintendo DS version, and a yellow double-bladed lightsaber with an elongated hilt in the Wii, PlayStation 2, and PlayStation Portable versions. The novelization also describes his lightsaber staff as having two blades, one significantly shorter than the other.
In the planning stages of "The Wrong Jedi," the lightsaber pikes carried by the Jedi Temple Guards were originally to have green blades. However, they later became yellow.[10]
It is unknown why the weapons used by the Temple Guards are called "pikes" since they are all but identical to a double-bladed lightsaber in both form and function, and the name had previously been used to refer to an actual polearm.
Sith lightsaber pike[]
Unused concept art of Darth Bane's lightsaber pike, from The Clone Wars episode "Sacrifice"
A single-bladed lightsaber pike dubbed the "Sith lightsaber pike" was designed[11] for use by Darth Bane in "Sacrifice,"[12] the thirteenth episode of the animated series Star Wars: The Clone Wars' sixth season, though it didn't appear in the episode's final cut.[13]
Appearances[]
Sources[]
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