David Bridges
In the twirl of a lightsaber hilt and the flick of a wrist on The Acolyte pretty final week, Jedi Discover Vernestra Rwoh brought to monitor a Star Wars notion virtually 40 yrs in the constructing: the Lightwhip. It is far from Star Wars‘ weirdest lightsaber, and even with its surprising on-show screen visual appeal, it is not an fully new a single each.
How Does a Lightwhip Carry out?
In current continuity, we only have just one particular instance of a Lightwhip: Vernestra’s lightsaber, in which it is presented as a modification to her conventional lightsaber pretty than its possess explicit weapon. Minor is acknowledged how Vernestra’s whip is successful in most recent continuity, but in the Expanded Universe, Lightwhips operated by working with a collection of smaller sized sized emitters and crystals that featured no cells close to the plasma vitality they fashioned, enabling for a versatile beam of vitality that could be operated like a traditional whip, in excess of a longer differ than a standard lightsaber. Investing some of the coherent beam strength of a traditional lightsaber for that flexibility and get to, lightwhips typically lacked some of the chopping strength of a lightsaber, in a position to be rebuffed by a lot more types of armor that a lightsaber would or else slice. They could also be broken considerably a lot more just, and simply because of to the unstable mother nature of the blade, ended up vulnerable to shorting out.
The unconventional nature of the lightwhip was as considerably an asset as its adaptable blade. Uncommon and difficult to find out in comparison to a lightsaber (also one particular of the weapon’s downsides, foremost to its rarity), the lightwhip preyed on an opponent’s unfamiliarity—especially Jedi, who had been mainly educated in combat in opposition to common martial weapons. Lightwhips could assault a lightsaber wielder from a lengthier assortment, flex all more than blocks and parries but a further lightsaber couldn’t, and in some configurations with a number of tassels, could overwhelm an opponent with strikes from various angles at at the time.
Specifically exactly where Did the Lightwhip Come From?
In the Expanded Universe, the Lightwhip was introduced as the weapon of the Dim Girl Lumiya, a Sith and one particular certain of the Emperor’s Palms (an elite order of the Empire’s top rated agents and top rated secret operatives) from Marvel’s ongoing Star Wars comic. To commence with appearing in 1985’s Star Wars #95, Lumiya’s lightwhip operated a tiny differently to what the weapon would ultimately develop to be in additional a lot more interpretations—as nicely as a singular, prolonged energy beam, Lumiya’s whip had numerous added tassels made from leather and studded with lightsaber-resistant Mandalorian Iron (enhanced identified in the two existing continuity and the EU by its name in the Mandalorian language, beskar).
Lumiya’s weapon guide to Luke Skywalker crafting but a further type of Lightsaber that would go on to have its private storied heritage in the Expanded Universe and beyond: the Shoto Lightsaber, a secondary weapon with a shortened blade that could counter the lightwhip’s various tassels, wrapping them up all-about his big saber’s blade although employing the shoto to sever the bodily extensions.
Correct following Lumiya’s weapon birthed the existence of the Lightwhip, considerably a lot more traditional varieties have been codified as ancient and exceptionally uncommon weapons wielded by the Sith all through the time of the New Sith Wars, numerous numbers of yrs ahead of the scenarios of the films. Contrary to Lumiya’s weapon nonetheless, further normally than not just before lightwhips had a singular electrical energy beam, like the lightwhip wielded by the Sith Lord Githany.
Was the Lightwhip Canon Before The Acolyte?
As is the case in The Acolyte itself, Vernestra is the only recognized wielder of a lightwhip in current Star Wars continuity. Her saber’s alternate type was introduced in the 2021 Higher Republic center grade novel A Test of Braveness. There, the lightwhip modifcation came to Vernestra as a eyesight in the Force though she was continue to a somewhat clean Jedi Knight. When full, she retained the modification a secret from her former master and other senior Jedi, fearing that the Lightwhip’s history as an unorthodox weapon—and their historical association with the Nightsisters of Dathomir—could be appeared down on.
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Brandon Fletcher
