Lightwhip A lightwhip , also known as an energy whip or a laser whip , was a rare variation of the lightsaber . Specifications . Lightwhips generally functioned on the same principles and mechanics as lightsabers , emitting a coherent beam of energy that was used as a weapon . However , rather than the straight , meter - long blades emitted by standard lightsabers , lightwhips featured long , flexible blades that often exceeded several meters in length . Instead of one large crystal , they contained multiple small crystals , and the plasma in the blade had no cell barriers to keep it straight . It appeared standard for these weapons to emit only single blades , though " cat o ' nine tails - style " lightwhips with multiple tassels were not unheard of , as the Sith Lumiya owned one . Like lightsabers , lightwhips came in a variety of colors and shades , including red , orange , pink , yellow , and green . Wielded in the same manner as a conventional whip , the lightwhip was a rare and exotic weapon , an unfamiliar occurrence among traditional duelists . Due to this , lightwhip wielders enjoyed considerable leverage over opponents . Along with its rarity , lightwhips also featured copious range , the long , flexible energy strand allowing the wielder to attack from a range of several meters . The weapon was also difficult to defend against , as it could simply flex around an opponent ' s blade when he attempted to parry . When multiple tassels were included , the whip was able to overwhelm the defenses of enemies by attacking them from all sides . However , lightwhips featured just as many drawbacks as advantages . Unless the wielder was already a master with ordinary whips , a lightwhip blade was difficult to control , able to just as easily maim an untrained wielder as an opponent , and was weaker than the standard lightsaber blade as it could not always penetrate durasteel armor or walls , and many substances could survive from a direct hit . It needed to be swung wide to gain momentum for attack , and it was difficult to use defensively as flexible tassels are not well suited for parrying , leaving the wielder vulnerable to both great speed and brute force . In fact , lightwhip blades were even known to short out violently when struck with enough force . Efforts to compensate for the inherent weaknesses of lightwhips included the addition of tassels composed of solid matter , as Lumiya did with her weapon . These variations in composition also allowed her to attack her opponent on two fronts , as the different behaviors of the energy beams and the solid strands left the weapon highly unpredictable , as well as taking advantage of flaws in Jedi training , which only prepared combatants for a weapon that was one or the other . However , this innovation was not a complete solution , as the weapon still possessed the weaknesses . Also , the inclusion of the solid strands could be countered through the use of the Jar ' Kai dual - blade technique , the method being to ensnare the energy strand with one blade while shredding the solid tassels with the second . History . One of the earliest known wielders of the lightwhip was the Sith Lady Githany , who was active approximately a millennium before the Battle of Yavin . According to the Sith Blademaster of the day , Kas ' im , she wielded the weapon not out of any advantages it presented in combat , but to exploit its rarity and unfamiliarity with most duelists . Githany wielded the weapon up until her death in the final battle of Ruusan . Lightwhip wielders active prior to and during the Clone Wars include Ona Nobis and Vianna D ' Pow . During their mission to Ord Cestus during the Clone Wars , Obi - Wan Kenobi fabricated a lightwhip for use by both himself and Kit Fisto . This weapon was based on the one wielded by Ona Nobis , and first saw use during a mock duel between himself and Fisto , with Fisto masquerading as a member of Count Dooku ' s Dark Acolyte s in order to fool the Cestus government into believing that the Separatists were interfering in their affairs . Towards the end of the same mission , Kenobi led the charge into the Cestus Cybernetics factory , wielding the lightwhip as a secondary weapon alongside his lightsaber . During the battle , the lightwhips power cell burned out , and Kenobi discarded the weapon . A lightwhip fell into the possession of smuggler Drach Coven and his partner , Mok . The whip was found by Nick Rostu when he was given their ship , and he later presented it to the Jedi Jax Pavan . Pavan wielded the weapon against the Falleen Xizor , who wielded the Jedi ' s own lightsaber against him . Another lightwhip wielder active at the time was the Nightsister Silri , who worked for the Zann Consortium . One of the most notable lightwhip wielders was the Imperial agent turned Emperor ' s Hand turned Sith Lady Lumiya . Constructing her weapon from Mandalorian iron and utilizing a shard of the Kaiburr crystal provided by Darth Vader , she also added on numerous tassels composed of leather knots studded with Mandalorian iron and flexible , gem speckled metal . Created by Lumiya shortly before the close of her training under Vader , she wielded the weapon against such notables as Luke Skywalker and Mara Jade , and she used it to torture her captive on Kinooine . The weapon was ultimately lost during her final battle with Skywalker , falling into a gorge beneath them , along with her headless body . The lightwhip was also used by a former prison guard while pursuing Ania Solo . This lightwhip was functional only if held in a specific prosthetic arm . The prison guard proved her lightwhip skills especially by killing an Imperial Knight . Behind the scenes . In " " , Aayla Secura states that Xist uses a vibrowhip . However , his weapon has some characteristics of a lightwhip — namely , its blue glow and the inability of Obi - Wan ' s lightsaber to sever it . A vibrowhip layered in cortosis , phrik , or some other lightsaber - resistant material would explain the latter but not the former . Furthermore , the whip did not sever Kenobi ' s leg when it wrapped around it , as a lightwhip would have .