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 . Technology and construction . Components . A lightsaber hilt contained many components , all of which were hand - selected by the Force - user who constructed it and tuned to be in harmony with each other at the completion of the weapon ' s creation . From focusing lens to pommel cap , such components typically included a blade emitter shroud , magnetic stabilizing loop followed by a ring tuning flange to ensure that the activated blade did not in turn burn through the hilt . Immediately below and mounted internally lay the blade arc tip , followed on the outside by the blade power adjustment and blade length adjustment knobs . Following the arc tip were mounted the blade energy channel which was nested amongst the cycling field energizers . Within the crystal energy chamber below this lay the focusing crystals , the focusing crystal activator and the primary crystal which was attached to the primary crystal mount and situated between the lightsaber energy gate . The primary crystal mount was in turn connected to the diatium power cell , which served as the primary power source of the weapon . The power cell was in turn wrapped beneath the power field conductor , power vortex ring and an inert power insulator . Rounding out the components that went into a typical hilt were the handgrip connector and a sturdy belt ring . Gathering the various components to construct a lightsaber was relatively simple , given the utilitarian nature of the materials involved ; typically , these were readily available commercially , with the exception of the crystals . In the pre - Ruusan Jedi Order , such crystals could be found within Force - sensitive locations from across the galaxy ; these were typically places that resonated with a powerful dark or light - side presence in the Force . In the wake of the New Sith Wars , however , the Jedi chose to limit their crystal harvesting to the frigid world of Ilum , which brimmed with Adegan crystal s that only produced blue and green blades . In the New Jedi Order this restriction was not carried through , and Jedi of that era once again used a wide variety of gemstones that produced different - colored blades . Assembly . Nearly every lightsaber hilt was unique in its construction , born of the Force - user who created it and using whatever materials were at hand ; typically , such weapons were created over a span of months . Ideally , the Jedi or Sith who created it would go into deep Meditation , poring over each individual component to be added and thus forging a connection with it through the Force . While the individual components of a lightsaber were relatively common and could be mass - produced , aligning them and the crystals required a supernaturally - steady hand guided by the Force . No attempt to mass - produce lightsabers ever succeeded . Types of hilts . Though each hilt was unique to the Force - user who created it , a number of basic designs evolved over the millennia . Included among these were the shoto , a shorter design that was balanced to allow a Jedi or Sith to use it comfortably in the off - hand ; the curved - hilt lightsaber , which was developed to accommodate the needs of Form II : Makashi ; the double - bladed lightsaber , also known as the saberstaff , which projected a beam from each end of the hilt ; and , least common of all , the dual - phase lightsaber . Dual - phase hilts were unique in that they allowed the person who had created them to adjust the beam length of their weapon ; one setting typically used a standard blade length of approximately a meter or more , while the other setting could extend the blade out to three full meters . Such weapons were rare because there was no known style or practical use for the extended beam , beyond a startling surprise for an opponent . Shotos and short lightsabers . Shotos , or short lightsabers as they were known during the Old Sith Wars , were secondary weapons that served much the same purpose as a in the off - hand of a combatant . They typically utilized the same components of regular lightsaber hilts , however both the hilt itself and the blade it produced were significantly shorter . Some Jedi or Sith , rather than using a normal - style lightsaber and a shoto , would instead use two shotos , one in each hand . Another style of short lightsaber , called a guard shoto , utilized a rare perpendicular grip on the hilt . Many years later , shotos would see a resurgence as another form of energy - based weapon similar to the lightsaber , the lightwhip , came to be developed . Luke Skywalker constructed and utilized his own shoto after confronting the whip utilized by Lumiya for the first time , using it to great effect the next time the pair met in combat . Behind the scenes . Lightsaber hilts appear , either directly or indirectly , in every work within the " Star Wars " library that also features lightsabers themselves . Their first reference was in the novelization of , when Obi - Wan Kenobi presents Luke Skywalker with his father ' s lightsaber in the farmer ' s hut on Tatooine . Since then they have persisted as one of the most iconic symbols of the " Star Wars " saga , including the films themselves and the litany of canon ical and non - canonical works . In early drafts of the script for " A New Hope " , however , these weapons were intended to be commonplace , in that common Imperial and Rebel troopers alike used them . Though most works that reference lightsaber construction use a more complicated method , within " " , much like , the process is markedly simplified . For instance , lightsaber construction is confined to a few simple parts and takes only " a few hours " to accomplish . However , most other canon ical sources state that construction can take up to a few months , with many more parts needed besides . Lightsaber hilts can be seen in the real world through a number of different series of " Star Wars " - licensed toys . Ranging from cheap plastic hilts that " grow " a segmented , fitted blade when a button is pressed and the hilt is " drawn " , to hilts with blades lit from within by that also emit sounds and other features , to high - quality metal hilts that mount a blade with in - built lights . These hilts , manufactured and marketed by companies such as , are sometimes used in fan - organized sparring matches , such as those seen at various " Star Wars " conventions . In addition , more mechanically - inclined fans produce their own hilts through the use of a metalworking and inner wiring to produce lights , etc . for use in costumes . These hilts are sometimes fitted with custom " blades " that also emit a colored light and can be used in mock lightsaber duels .