One of the rarest colors in the Star Wars canon is the black lightsaber. The only known black lightsaber to exist in canon lore is the Darksaber, which belongs to neither the Jedi nor the Sith.
Belonging to the Mandalorians, and unlike most lightsabers, the Darksaber has a flat blade, much like a sword. Outside of canon lore, there are some characters within Star Wars Legends who have been seen with a black lightsaber, as well as options to pick a black lightsaber in some Star Wars video games.
This article will cover the lore of black lightsabers, as well as the characters that have been seen to use a black lightsaber and what black means in the greater Star Wars universe.
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The Meaning of Black
In color theory, black can mean absence, darkness, death, power, and mystery. Such a color might be expected to be seen with the Sith, certainly not the Jedi. However, there is only one example of the Sith having a black lightsaber.
The most common black lightsaber is the Darksaber, which belongs to the warrior group known as the Mandalorians.
Star Wars Canon
The only black lightsaber to exist in Star Wars canon is the Darksaber. The Darksaber was created by the legendary Mandalorian Tarre Vizsla. Tarre was the first Mandalorian to be included in the Jedi order. As a Jedi, he created the Darksaber to have a wide flat blade, much like a traditional sword.
The blade itself is black, swallowing any light it might emit. The only light the Darksaber gives off is a faint white electric light around the edge of the blade. After Tarre’s death, the Darksaber was kept in the Jedi Temple until it was raided by the Mandalorians of House Vizsla years later.
The house of Vizsla used the Darksaber to rule Mandalore for many years after.
During the Clone Wars, the Darksaber fell into the possession of Pre Vizsla. Pre Vizsla was the leader of the Death Watch. Death Watch was a terrorist group that split off from the pacifist Mandalorian government as led by Duchess Satine Kryze.
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It is the tradition of the Mandalorian that the Darksaber is earned only when the previous owner is defeated in battle. For this reason, the Darksaber has traded many hands since Tarre Vizsla, even being in possession of the Jedi, and Darth Maul for a time.
Star Wars Legends
The black lightsaber only exists in video games since the Star Wars Legends. The main example is Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, and Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II.
In the game, the player can use a black kyber crystal to change the lightsaber color of Galen Marek, also known as Starkiller. Galen is the son of two Jedi Knights and was the secret apprentice of Darth Vader.
Another video game with a black lightsaber is Star Wars: The Old Republic, where players may create a lightsaber with a black core rather than the standard white core.
List of Black Lightsaber Users
Star Wars Canon
Tarre Vizsla
Darth Maul
Pre Vizsla
Kanan Jarrus
Sabine Wren
Bo-Katan Kryze
Moff Gideon
Din Djarin
Star Wars Legends
Galen Marek/Starkiller
Learn about all lightsaber colors in the Star Wars universe.