I wrote this as a psychology essay on color and the mind. Needless to say my teacher didn't quite understand my dorkdom . . .
Jedi Knights are the backbone of the Star Wars Universe, the saga just sort of falls into place around their risings and fallings, their great courage and their short comings. The only weapon they posses, besides the omniscient Force, is the lightsaber. They come in green and blue and purple and of course, the epitome of evil in the entire galaxy, red. All of them give a certain feeling about the wielder.
The most obvious is the color of the Dark Lords of the Sith, red. The bearer of this color has basically sold his or her soul to the Devil, by succumbing to the Dark Side of the Force. By traditional definitions of the color red, it is the color of hate, jealousy, and intense passion. The only thing a Jedi is permitted to feel passion about is the Jedi Order.
In order for the Force to become the center of a life, a Jedi must completely clear his or her mind of all fear. In Episode I The Phantom Menace Yoda proclaimed to the young Anakin Skywalker, “Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate leads to suffering.” Just as Yoda predicted, Anakin betrayed his teacher, best friend, and father figure as well as the entire galaxy by slaughtering the Jedi and aiding Chancellor Palpatine in obliterating the Republic.
Without even being a junkie such as I, a person seeing someone with a red lightsaber automatically knows the bearer is evil and will be vanquished by one of the other colors.
The others give a totally different impression. Blue seems to be a color of young and rash behavior. Encountering a Jedi carrying a blue lightsaber will give a feeling that the Jedi is more apt to use the lightsaber in combat and less likely to utilize the Force as a primary weapon, where as green yielders try to use the Force first then if that doesn’t work, they move to the lightsaber. Even to use the lightsaber, the Force aids and controls every stroke.
I believe this all stems from Luke Skywalker. He began with his fathers blue lightsaber, but after he lost it in the climatic duel in Episode V The Empire Strikes Back, he appeared in Episode VI with green. In between V and VI he gained more teachings from Yoda and became more in touch with the Force in order to defeat the Emperor and return his father to the light side. He was more apt to use his knowledge of the Force to save his father’s life.
It also seems, and this may be a coincidence that blue lightsabers never win in important duels but green lightsabers do. Such as Luke loosing with his blue lightsaber the first time around, then winning while in possession of his green one. In Episode I, Obi Wan Kenobi is on the brink of loosing to Darth Maul, but when he Force grabs Qui Gon Jinn’s green one he is able to defeat the Sith apprentice.
If I was encountered by a Jedi with a blue lightsaber I would automatically think of him as a person who was not so in tune with the Force and would not use if against me quickly. I would expect that he or she would attack with the lightsaber with rapid and nearly hasty strokes and I would have to be ready with a parry.
A couple prime examples of the rashness of blue lightsaber carrying Jedi are Anakin Skywalker and Obi Wan Kenobi. In Episode II Attack of the Clones, both of them exhibit their blueness perfectly. In one scene Senator Padme Amidala is under attack in her bedroom. What does Kenobi do? He jumps out the window at her attacker, a window that was probably twenty stories high. In another scene, Anakin’s mother dies at the hands of the Tusken Raiders, he is furious that he couldn’t save her so he slaughters every man, woman, and child in the camp.
If the Jedi carried a green lightsaber he or she would come in slower and would need time to fall into the Force before attacking, which I could use to my advantage. But with the Force on his or her side the Jedi would be very strong and able to anticipate my every move. This Jedi is very organically into the Force as green represents nature.
Grand Master of the Jedi Order, Yoda, carries a green lightsaber. He is very in tune with the Force and very organic himself. He looks like a little toad that popped up out of a swamp and after 800 years odd years evolved enough to pick up a lightsaber and then just so happened to be Force sensitive. All Yoda theories aside, he has a very in tune mind and he lives his life around it.
Green wielders also tend to be slightly rebellious. Yoda is a quiet rebel because of his age and position as a role model for every Jedi, apprentice, and padawan. Under the wrinkly green exterior, one can see that he once was very rebellious. He does many things without the approval of the rest of the Council and sometimes without even telling them, but as much as they disagree with him, they also trust his judgment.
Another Jedi Master wielding green, Qui Gon Jinn, is the epitome of Jedi rebellion. The Jedi Council refused to let him sit among them because he counteracted them on nearly everything, but he didn’t really care anyway. He found Anakin on Tatooine, used the Force to manipulate fate, and acquire him to be a Jedi. He believed Anakin was conceived by the Force itself; therefore, the Chosen One who would bring balance to the Force. When he got to the temple, the Council refused to let Anakin be trained, despite his remarkable talents in the Force because he was too old. Qui Gon announced he’d be training him anyway without approval. Yet, just like Yoda, he had a very quiet disposition and always looked to the Force for the final answer.
The last color is violet. It’s a very rare color and not seen very often. To me it symbolizes the diplomatic Jedi, the logical one who stays within “reality.” If I were to encounter this Jedi, I could expect that he or she would try to talk or negotiate around a battle.
The most famous violet wielder is Jedi Master Mace Windu. He always represents the Jedi Council in front of the supreme chancellor or the Senate, because of his flair in words and negotiation. He sees the Force more as a tool to enhance his mind, not his battle skills.
An instance of his negotiation first and fight if necessary tactic will portray itself well in Episode III Revenge of the Sith when while encountering Supreme Chancellor Palpatine to arrest him he attempts talk first and only attacks when he is attacked by the Chancellor/Dark Lord of the Sith first.
When a Jedi builds his or her own lightsaber they pick the color and design the hilt. Basically a lightsaber is designed to be an expression of self and individuality and a crowning achievement for ever padawan learner.
The personal and lovingly built lightsaber becomes the only possession a proper Jedi will ever own. It serves as identification and of course a devastating weapon. For the opponent; on the other, hand it provides an insight into the Jedi on the other side of the battle line.
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