Rahm Kota ' s lightsaber This lightsaber was the chosen weapon of Jedi Master Rahm Kota , and was a heavy - duty model that saw frequent use . During the Dark Times , Kota ' s lightsaber was wielded by the Jedi General during his personal insurrection against the Galactic Empire . In 2 BBY , Starkiller was dispatched by Darth Vader to kill Kota and bring the lightsaber to Vader . Starkiller blinded Kota with his own weapon , and though the Jedi escaped , Starkiller turned it over to Darth Vader . Darth Vader later gave the lightsaber to Starkiller to replace his original weapon after its loss . Masquerading as a Rebel , Starkiller wielded the lightsaber against various Imperial agents while assembling the Rebel Alliance and modified it to suit his own needs . After Starkiller was betrayed by Darth Vader , he wielded the lightsaber in combat against his former master and bested him . Starkiller perished in a subsequent confrontation with Galactic Emperor Palpatine , and the lightsaber was destroyed by Vader . Specifications . Kota ' s lightsaber was a heavy - duty model , with a solid hilt and an emitter shroud . The hilt was covered with an interwoven fabric wrapping that acted as the grip of the lightsaber . Kota ' s lightsaber evidently saw frequent use , as by 2 BBY , the metal casing was heavily scratched and pitted . The blade originally featured a green crystal , and was perfectly servicable . Uniquely , Kota kept his lightsaber in a custom made sheath on his back , rather than hanging from his belt as was the norm among Jedi . When Galen Marek took possession of the lightsaber , he found it to be perfectly adequate to his needs , but remained uncomfortable with the bold green blade . He was largely troubled by the issue of ownership , as he felt that it still belonged to Kota . He solved this issue by removing the green crystal and replacing it with the blue crystal from his father ' s lightsaber , and concluded that this customization made the weapon " his " . He noted that with this new crystal , the lightsaber handled more easily and possessed superior optical properties . History . It is unknown when Rahm Kota constructed this weapon , but he wielded it frequently during his personal guerrilla war against the Galactic Empire . When Darth Vader dispatched Galen Marek to hunt down Kota , he ordered Marek to bring back Kota ' s lightsaber as proof of kill . In the ensuing duel aboard the TIE Fighter Construction Facility above Nar Shaddaa , Marek won when he forced Kota ' s own blade into the Jedi ' s eyes , blinding him . Kota dropped his lightsaber before falling through a shattered viewport into Nar Shaddaa ' s upper atmosphere . Marek claimed the weapon before escaping himself . Returning to Darth Vader , Marek presented the weapon to his master . While Vader was pleased with his student ' s success , he felt that Marek was still unfocused and easily distracted , drawing the lightsaber on him to prove his point . The lightsaber remained in Vader ' s possession until he dispatched Marek on a new mission . As Marek ' s own Sith lightsaber had been lost in the vacuum when he was spaced , Vader provided him with Kota ' s lightsaber . While Marek was able to wield the weapon effectively in combat , he had difficulty using it in his meditations , his favorite exercise being to stare into his lightsaber blade to focus his fury . He overcame this when he replaced the green crystal used by Kota with the blue crystal from his father ' s lightsaber , retrieved on Kashyyyk . He found that the weapon performed better with this new crystal , though he noted that the aqua hue made him think more of oceans and rain rather than the blood and fire fostered by his original , red lightsaber . The blue blade saw first use during his second mission to Raxus Prime . When Galen Marek was ultimately betrayed by Darth Vader , he rejected the Sith and fought back . Assaulting the Death Star in a bid to rescue the captured leaders of the Rebel Alliance , Marek wielded the lightsaber against various divisions of the Imperial Military . Ultimately , the weapon saw use against Darth Vader , and Marek proved himself the superior duelist , bashing off the Sith Lord ' s helmet . Galen Marek even attacked Galactic Emperor Palpatine himself , using the lightsaber to absorb his Force lightning attacks while countering with telekinesis . Galen Marek ultimately perished in the engagement , the lightsaber found with his corpse . Darth Vader destroyed the weapon , crushing it underneath his prosthetic heel . Backups / Replacement . Kota ' s loss of the weapon would not prove debilitating for him , as he would quickly gain possession of a replacement . While hiding out on Bespin , he carried a blue lightsaber , wielding it during his escape . He took up a new green blade , possibly the same lightsaber with new crystals , during the Corellian Treaty , unsuccessfully wielding it against Darth Vader . This weapon was cosmetically identical to his original lightsaber , and it , or a similar replacement , likely saw continued use during the Galactic Civil War . Kota wielded his weapon during his tenure in the Tarko - se Arena , slaying numerous beasts and Gladiators with it . He also used it during the Battle near the Itani Nebula and the Assault on Kamino . At the conclusion of the latter , Kota would hold a captured Darth Vader at bladepoint with the lightsaber while the Sith Lord was detained . Behind the scenes . The loss of Galen Marek ' s lightsaber , and his subsequent use of Kota ' s lightsaber , is a plot element exclusive to the novelization of , with the various game versions and the depicting Marek continuing to use his original lightsaber , albeit with a blue blade . However , due to the inconsistencies between the various game versions of the story on numerous plot points , the novelization is generally accepted as the final word , so the replacement of Marek ' s lightsaber with Kota ' s is considered part of the canon . The fabric wrapping around the handle of Kota ' s lightsaber makes it resemble the grip of a traditional Japanese sword , such as a katana . This is presumably to bring it in line with Kota ' s general design theme of a ronin , or wandering samurai .