Blastsword The blastsword was a melee weapon favored by the Adumari noblemen for use in their frequent honor duels . The weapon closely resembled a conventional sword , except for one significant difference . The end of the sword contained an energy outlet which , when turned on , emitted a blaster shot upon contact being made with the tip . This emitter also left light trail s in the air where it traveled , an effect which was used for comic purposes by New Republic pilot Wes Janson , who took a fancy to the weapon while on a diplomatic mission to Adumar . The Adumari had several variants of the weapon , including a polearm version used by guards of the " perator " , or ruler , of the nation of Cartann . The weapons were considered fit for polite company , and Adumari duelists , such as Cheriss ke Hanadi , often wielded them single - handedly while holding a shorter knife or dagger in the off hand . Adumari culture afforded a certain significance to the blastsword , and they were carried by nobility and commoners alike . Over the years , Adumari nobility developed a stylized form for use of the weapon , which included lowering the lethality of the blaster charge to only stun instead of kill , as well as make certain blows illegal for use , though some fighters ignored those rules . Successful competitive blastsword fighters could even make a living off of endorsements from manufacturers of blastswords , such as Ghephaenne Deeper - Craters Weaponmakers . Though most honor duels fought on Adumar were lethal before the Adumari Civil War , there was a growing trend toward nonlethal blastsword duels after the Adumar joined the New Republic . The blastsword eventually found its way offworld and became popular on several other worlds as well . Description . The blastsword was a long metal sword that was about as long as a Human man ' s arm and featured a blade about a meter long . The weapon was extremely well - balanced , allowing a proficient user to wield it in one hand with ease . The hilt featured a pommel and was covered by a curved metal guard to protect the hand of the user , while the blade ' s edge began a few centimeters above the guard . The guard was also described by New Republic pilot Wes Janson as useful for bludgeoning . Unlike other sword designs , which featured a sharp tip , the blastsword had a flared nozzle at its tip . The tip was connected to a blaster mechanism powered by a cell located in the hilt that , when activated by means of a switch at the pommel , would discharge an energy blast upon contact with a solid object . When the blaster was activated , the blastsword ' s tip made a humming noise and glowed with energy , leaving behind colorful lines as it was moved . Because of its exotic design and function , a user required training to wield the weapon proficiently . While many Adumari carried standard blastswords , polearm versions of the weapon did exist . These were used on at least one occasion by the honor guard protecting the " perator " , or ruler , of the nation of Cartann . History . The blastsword was native to the world of Adumar . By the New Republic era , the weapon had been in existence for centuries and was considered more prestigious in previous years . In 13 ABY , the weapon was commonly carried among the Adumari , principally among the world ' s aristocracy , but also by commoners . It was often wielded one - handed , with the other hand grasping a knife or dagger . Over the years , the Adumari nobility developed their use of the weapon into a stylized form , lowering the lethality of the blaster charge and prohibiting certain moves and strikes with the weapon . As piloting and starfighter combat rose to prowess among the Adumari , the stature of blastsword duelists was lessened , though the blastsword was still considered the weapon of choice for settling personal disputes in Cartann . The traditional Cartann salute used by pilots was also the hand motion of saluting with a blastsword , even if the individual was not carrying one at the moment . Furthermore , successful blastsword fighters such as Cheriss ke Hanadi were able to make a living via endorsements from the manufacturers of blastswords , such as Ghephaenne Deeper - Craters Weaponmakers . By 13 ABY , Hanadi was the Cartann Ground Champion of blastsword dueling . She practiced styles from the blastsword ' s prominence in years past , enabling her to defeat bigger , stronger opponents using contemporary styles . Her duels were sometimes fought for entertainment , although some of her challengers also had personal reasons for fighting her . As a popular and successful duelist , she received many challenges . The weapons were practically ubiquitous in Cartann , and were considered fit for polite society by that time . One of their main uses was in honor duels , where an Adumari , upon feeling slighted or offended , could challenge another to a duel to the death over the offense . In Cartann society , a challenge to a duel could be refused in the case that only one side could possibly benefit from the outcome of the duel . Once a challenge was accepted , the blastsword fighter could not back down from the fight without incredible loss of face . It was considered an insult to apply conditions to a blastsword duel , as it indicated the challenger was not interested in the honor to be won from winning the duel , only in the conditions . In some duels , where the outcome was not immediately decided and the loser was defeated but still alive , the victor could choose an onlooker to decide the fate of the duel via means of a hand signal . A hand held with the palm up meant the loser would spared ; a hand held with palm down indicated that the defeated combatant would forfeit his or her life . This occurred in duels that were held over a title , as well as more informal duels . However , the weapons were not entirely used only for dueling and competition . While the New Republic pilots of Red Flight were on Adumar on a diplomatic mission , six Adumari men accosted them with blastswords in an assassination attempt that was defeated by the New Republic pilots , who were aided by ke Hanadi . While one pilot , Major Wes Janson , took to carrying the weapon shortly after arriving on Adumar , the others thereafter armed themselves with blastswords in case of further assassination attempts . Later , upon learning of the " perator " of Cartann ' s intention to unite all of Adumar by force , the leader of Red Flight , General Wedge Antilles ordered his pilots to abandon use of the blastsword before they announced their refusal to aid the " perator " . Antilles ' reasoning for doing so was that carrying the weapon was lending credence to what he viewed as a disrespect for the value of life held by the Adumari . Shortly afterward , upon learning that he and his men had been condemned to run the gauntlet of an armed mob through the streets of the city of Cartann , Antilles changed his mind regarding the Adumari weapon . He asked for and was given four blastswords by several onlookers . They later used those blastswords when using flatcam recording devices to create a decoy trail to lure away some of their pursuit by filming Janson attacking the camera holder with his blaster and showing out which direction the pilots were headed , while they actually headed another way . Upon the conclusion of the Adumari Civil War , the new perator of Cartann , Balass ke Rassa demanded a blastsword and pistol before honor would allow him to accept his father ' s abdication and claim the rule of Cartann . After Adumar joined the New Republic , the weapon ' s use spread to other worlds , becoming popular on several planets that already had established dueling traditions . On Adumar itself , the planet began a growing trend of nonlethal honor duels as a result of New Republic influences on their culture . Users . The blastsword was carried by many Adumari , including a majority of the nobility . Some , such as Thanaer ke Sekae and Jeapird ke Fanax , were skilled in its use , though according to Cheriss ke Hanadi , the majority of Adumari pilots were not proficient in fighting with the weapon . Wes Janson . Wes Janson was a New Republic fighter pilot and a member of Red Flight in 13 ABY . He , along with Antilles , Celchu and Klivian , was part of a delegation of starfighter pilots sent on a diplomatic mission to Adumar . Janson , upon learning about blastswords , was eager to carry one and adopted the carrying of a blastsword as part of his daily costume . He also used his blastsword briefly when Red Flight came under attack . However , as he later bragged in an interview with documentarian Hallis Saper , Janson ' s one honor duel was responsible for encouraging the Adumari to switch towards nonlethal duels . After ke Hanadi had fallen to Thanaer ke Sekae , Janson challenged ke Sekae to a duel , insulting the Adumari noble by proclaiming that he was only worth fighting if ke Hanadi ' s life was spared . The offended aristocrat was eager to claim the honor of killing Janson , especially after Janson ' s ribald remarks , and accepted the challenge . However , Janson proceeded to first distract and anger ke Sekae by drawing patterns in the air with the glowing tip of his blastsword , including a crude caricature of ke Sekae himself . The enraged Adumari charged Janson , who proceeded to disarm him and beat him with his fists and feet before slapping ke Sekae unconscious . Janson later claimed that this duel had opened the Adumari ' s collective eyes and caused them to change from their culture of lethal honor killings , a claim which other members of Red Flight disputed . Cheriss ke Hanadi . In 13 ABY , shortly before the Adumari Civil War , Cheriss ke Hanadi , a young Adumari woman , was the Cartann Ground Champion and considered one of the best blastsword duelists in Cartann . Due to vertigo , she was unable to serve as a pilot , so she escaped from a life of drudgery living in underground warrens and working in Adumar ' s subterranean industries to become a freelance duelist . ke Hanadi studied older blastsword techniques , researching topics such as using the environment and alternate offhand weapons . She had a particular disdain for Cartann swordsmen , who she claimed were too dedicated to style over practicality . However , her style was considered impolite and low by Adumari nobility , according to New Republic diplomat Tomer Darpen . ke Hanadi was assigned by the " perator " of Cartann to serve as the local guide for the members of Red Flight during their stay on Adumar , and displayed her prowess with the blastsword to them on numerous occasions , both in duels and by helping defend them against a group of would - be assassins . During one set of duels which ke Hanadi undertook while exhausted and emotionally jarred , she was defeated and received a blast from her opponent ' s blastsword in the upper left pectoral . Thanks to Red Flight , her life was saved , as Red Two and Red Four , Tycho Celchu and Derek Klivian , saw that she received medical attention , while Red Three , Wes Janson , dealt with her opponent , Thanaer ke Sekae . After she recovered , ke Hanadi joined the New Republic and , with her vertigo cured by modern galactic medicine , became a starfighter pilot . She was trained in A - wing fighters by Celchu and joined Moonlight Squadron aboard the Mon Calamari Star Cruiser " Mon Casima " . She was also granted a special dispensation that allowed her to wear her knife and blastsword while on duty and was one point the head vibroblade instructor for all of Starfighter Command . She later served in Rakehell Squadron and flew in the Battle of Centerpoint Station . Behind the scenes . The Adumari blastsword first appeared in " " by Aaron Allston . The weapon was later mentioned in the online roleplaying game supplement " " and in the reference books " Hero ' s Guide " and " The Unknown Regions " . While " Adumar : Pilots Wanted " describes the weight of a blastsword as twenty - two kilograms , this article assumes that 2 . 1 kilograms , a number given in " Hero ' s Guide " and " The Unknown Regions " , is the correct figure , as a twenty - two kilogram weapon would be far too heavy to wield quickly .