Lightsaber hilt

Lightsaber hilts were the basic, all-encompassing part of a lightsaber. A combination handgrip, blade emitter, activator switch and power source, it held within the inner workings of the weapon that allowed it to produce its distinctive energy-based blade. The first hilts were produced as early as the advent of the lightsaber itself, approximately 15,500 BBY; though cumbersome and requiring a backpack-mounted power source, the Jedi Order nonetheless began to embrace the technology. Eventually these hilts evolved to only require a small belt-mounted pack, and again to a fully self-contained weapon system; such designs saw service as early as 5000 BBY at the start of the Great Hyperspace War. Over the thousands of years that followed, power technology and indeed the construction of lightsaber hilts continued to evolve, eventually encompassing shotos, shorter hilts used in the off-hand, as well as double-bladed, curved-hilt, and dual-phase designs. There are many unique hilts, such as the lightsaber hilt of Gungi, a Jedi Initiate. His hilt was made from the wood of a Brylark tree, which is as strong as metal.

Both the Jedi and the Sith Order used lightsaber hilts; the former regarding them as tools rather than weapons, while the latter sought to use their sabers to fuel their quest for power. Both Orders saw the construction of a lightsaber hilt to be one of the primary stages of a being's development within their ranks, mostly signifying that a Padawan or apprentice was ready to ascend to the next level. Though double-bladed hilts were typically associated with the Sith, practitioners of the dark side of the Force, those who followed the light side occasionally preferred these over the commonly-accepted use of single hilts in battle. Despite two attempts to eradicate the Jedi, the technology of lightsaber hilts continued to live on as the Order that had originally supported them rose anew. In addition, other Force-using traditions, such as the Jensaarai, constructed lightsaber hilts.

Text and facts from the “Lightsaber hilt/Legends” article on Wookieepedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0. Modified for this site.