In the final scene of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, the character Rey is shown holding Anakin Skywalker’s original blue lightsaber, the one Luke lost in his duel with Darth Vader in The Empire Strikes Back. This lightsaber has a long history and symbolic meaning in the Star Wars saga. Let’s break down the details of who this lightsaber belonged to and how Rey ended up with it at the end of The Force Awakens.
What lightsaber did Rey find?
The lightsaber that Rey finds in the basement of Maz Kanata’s castle on Takodana is Anakin Skywalker’s first lightsaber. This is confirmed to be the same lightsaber that Anakin used as a Jedi Knight in the prequel trilogy starting with Attack of the Clones. It is the lightsaber that Obi-Wan Kenobi took from Anakin after defeating him on Mustafar in Revenge of the Sith and kept for nearly two decades before giving it to Luke Skywalker in A New Hope.
This blue-bladed lightsaber then became Luke’s primary weapon through the original Star Wars trilogy. He wielded it when dueling Darth Vader in The Empire Strikes Back. In their fierce duel in Cloud City, Vader struck the lightsaber out of Luke’s hand and it fell down a shaft. Luke then constructed a new green-bladed lightsaber that he used in Return of the Jedi.
It seemed the original blue lightsaber was lost for good when Luke lost it in Cloud City. But somehow, it came into Maz Kanata’s possession and she kept it stored in her castle vaults until the events of The Force Awakens decades later.
How did Maz Kanata get the lightsaber?
The details of how Maz Kanata acquired Luke’s lost lightsaber are not fully explained in The Force Awakens. As she tells Rey, that is a “good story for another time.” The visual dictionary for The Force Awakens contains some hints about the lightsaber’s journey though.
According to the visual dictionary, the lightsaber may have been recovered from Cloud City and eventually made its way to Maz Kanata through the black market via the smugglers and pirates she had connections with. As a pirate queen and underworld figure herself, Maz would have had the resources and channels to obtain such a unique and high profile weapon. She kept the Jedi relic safely hidden in her castle on Takodana until Rey came along.
How did Rey find the lightsaber?
Rey discovers Luke’s old lightsaber calling to her when she goes down into a basement vault in Maz Kanata’s castle. She touches the lightsaber and has a Force vision showing her glimpses of its past, including Luke dueling Vader, being trained by Obi-Wan, and R2-D2 on Bespin. The vision overwhelmed Rey, but Maz helped explain to her the lightsaber’s history and her own newly awakened Force powers.
After Rey flees into the Takodana forest, Maz ultimately entrusts the lightsaber to Finn so he can give it to Rey when she’s ready. Finn later tries to wield it against Kylo Ren during the First Order’s attack on Takodana but is defeated.
How did Rey get the lightsaber from Finn?
After the showdown on Takodana, Rey was captured by the First Order and taken to Starkiller Base. Finn infiltrated the base to rescue her. After they reunite, Finn told Rey how he tried to wield the lightsaber to fight Kylo Ren but failed. Finn returned the lightsaber to Rey, finally placing it back in her possession.
Rey then used the Skywalker lightsaber to duel Kylo Ren, discovering her natural fighting skills with the weapon and ultimate ability to overpower Ren, despite his stronger Force powers. After their duel, Rey and Finn escape Starkiller Base with the lightsaber just before the First Order superweapon is destroyed.
Why did Rey choose that specific lightsaber?
When Rey arrives on Ahch-To and climbs the steps of the Jedi temple to meet Luke Skywalker, she holds out the lightsaber as a symbolic gesture. This represents bringing Luke back into the fight and passing on the Jedi legacy to a new generation. Rey offering him this specific lightsaber is deeply meaningful.
The reasons Rey chooses this lightsaber to present to Luke include:
- It was the lightsaber of both Anakin and Luke Skywalker, connecting all three generations of the family.
- Rey feels a Force connection to it after her vision with the weapon on Takodana.
- Finn entrusted her with returning it to Luke.
- She used it herself in battle, proving her ability as a Force user.
By bringing this Skywalker heirloom lightsaber to Luke, Rey is signaling her intent to be trained as a Jedi and restart the legacy he abandoned. What was once his rejected weapon is now in her hopeful hands.
Did the lightsaber originally call to Rey?
Yes, Rey seems to imply that Luke’s blue-bladed lightsaber called out to her through the Force when she first discovered it in Maz Kanata’s castle basement. As she descend the stairs, Rey hears a mysterious voice whispering, which draws her towards the particular chest where the lightsaber is kept. When she opens the chest, the lightsaber’s energy physically shakes her and floods her mind with a Force vision.
This indicates Rey feels an innate connection to the Skywalker lightsaber, even without knowing its history or who it belonged to. Touching the lightsaber triggers her dormant Force abilities. It is seemingly the will of the Force that the lightsaber specifically calls to Rey as the next rightful owner who will carry on the Jedi legacy. The lightsaber forges a bond with Rey that Kylo Ren is later unable to break, even through telekinesis.
How is the lightsaber connected to Rey?
Beyond just generally calling to Rey through the Force, the lightsaber has some specific connections to her origins:
- It represents the Skywalker lineage, which Rey is revealed to be part of in The Rise of Skywalker as Palpatine’s granddaughter.
- The original owner was Anakin Skywalker, who as Darth Vader was the former master of Rey’s initial teacher Kylo Ren.
- Luke Skywalker lost it when Rey was abandoned as a child, linking the weapon to her childhood trauma.
The lightsaber’s last owner, Luke, hid away on Ahch-To, from where Rey takes the weapon. She draws many parallels to Luke and eventually proves worthy of inheriting the Skywalker legacy and lightsaber through her actions and abilities.
What is the lightsaber’s further significance?
Beyond its deep symbolic ties to the Skywalker saga and Rey’s quest to become a Jedi, Luke’s blue lightsaber that Rey wields has additional lore significance:
- It is the last known surviving lightsaber that belonged to a Jedi from the age of the Republic.
- Kylo Ren sees it as a relic from the “old wars” and the Jedi Order he seeks to destroy.
- The lightsaber is a reminder of Anakin’s fall to the dark side as much as Luke’s path towards becoming a Jedi.
- Rey keeping the lightsaber links her to the future of the Jedi rather than the past or the dark side.
Based on these connections, Rey wielding this specific lightsaber in the closing scene represents her destiny to rebuild the Jedi Order and restore hope to the galaxy as the new central hero of the saga.
Conclusion
In summary, the lightsaber Rey holds at the end of The Force Awakens has a rich history going back to Anakin Skywalker in the prequels and being passed down to Luke Skywalker in the original trilogy. After being lost by Luke on Cloud City, it eventually found its way to Maz Kanata before calling to Rey as the next generation Force user destined to inherit the Skywalker legacy. Through her strength of character, innate skill, and courage in battle against Kylo Ren, Rey proves herself worthy of this iconic weapon. When she finds Luke on Ahch-To and presents him with his old lightsaber, it symbolizes Rey taking up the cause of the Jedi where Luke left off and brings the epic saga full circle.