PT Was making a lightsaber a “master technique”

As we all know Vader in Return of the Jedi comments on Luke finally building his own lightsaber and saying his skills are now complete.

In Revenge of the Sith we see Zett Juckassa wielding a lightsaber and at most he is only 13.


So my question is this (without taking the clone wars into mind) is creating a lightsaber a master technique or is it a skill that Jedi are taught at a young age and Luke just didn’t know how to do so until 4 ABY?

Also of note both Obi Wan and Anakin have made their own lightsabers before they became fully fledged Jedi.

 

I think it's part of the young age training. There was a Clone Wars episode that showed young Jedi making their lightsabers on Ilum, if I recall correctly.

 

the second option.

Though gotta admit never really thought about it.

 

Yep. It was discussed in the clone wars I just wanted to look at it from a film only angle as I know there are some who only consider the films when discussing.

 

I always felt that Jedi were taught at a young age how to build it. Luke didn't have the same type of Jedi training Anakin or Obi Wan did not to mention he started his training at 19 with two old Masters and one of them handed him his father's lightsaber so there was no immediate need for him to build one.

 

I believe Anakin made his first lightsaber at 13 if I'm not mistaken in Legends. I also know he gained his first non-droid direct kill at that age too.

I assume younglings pre-adolescence (like in Episode II) use practice sabers given their age and height.

 

I don't know what you mean with "master technique", both what's established in the movies is that the ability to build a lightsaber is something a true Jedi has to know. I would assume that, in ideal conditions, this is taught to Jedi who are ready to become Padawans and go out in the field.

 

I mean, Luke spent the time in-between TESB and ROTJ training for something people spent their whole lives mastering, so I don't think this is an instance where something changed in the universe (ah-la George Lucas rewriting something) where you only got a Lightsaber as a "Jedi Master" (if that's what you were inferring with the "master technique"?), but Vader acknowledging the expedited nature of Luke's circumstances didn't hinder the skill he was clearly recognizing in him (both technically and spiritually).

There definitely was a time where I thought Lightsabers were something you didn't get until you were like in your late teens or twenties (like Anakin and Obi-Wan were), but that's largely because I was operating off of the parental pretense that, "Well, they wouldn't give a bunch of energetic kids a deadly laser sword!" But Attack of the Clones, Revenge of the Sith, and The Clone Wars says the Jedi trust the children under their care are lot more responsible than the kid who had their Nerf gun taken away after trying to exact vengeance on their siblings.

 

Well, Ray got her lightsaber after some training, but I still believe that a real Jedi gets the lightsaber after whole set of training.

 

My understanding is that it takes a lot of Force power to make a lightsaber, but padawans are given a lightsaber (to keep as their own) to use. So Zett's lightsaber could be his own lightsaber, even if he didn't make it himself.

 

The Legends book Jedi Quest: Path to Truth uses the idea that younglings (and Padawans, before they make their own lightsabre, which should be pretty early in their Padawanhood) use training sabres which are given to them and which are not full-powered (which makes sense because they may not have mastered the techniques to control a full-powered lightsabre carefully yet). When Padawans make their own lightsabre, it is a full-powered sabre, and presumably at that time they return the training sabre to the Temple. So a training sabre might be one's own in the sense that one might keep it with oneself all the time, but at the same time not really one's own in the sense that one would eventually return it.

In the video that Jedi Knight Fett linked to, the sabre would probably be a full-powered lightsabre if it can cut down clone troopers. Zett Jukassa is a Padawan, but a fairly young one, so honestly it could be before or after he made his own lightsabre, although I guess it's more likely that it was his own lightsabre if he's using it with such familiarity to cut down clone troopers.

 

Rebels introduces the notion that full powered sabers can be set on training mode. While that's not in the movies, I'd say it makes sense. The odd colours of Luke's lightsaber in the Falcon scene could be retconned from being "blooper" into being "this is because it's on training mode."

As people have pointed out in the past - if Luke botched it, he could slice through the hull of the Falcon.

So I headcanon that Ben put the saber on training mode first.

 

Yes, I had the same headcanon from the very start. (Actually, if Luke really botched it, he could have seriously harmed himself the very first time he activated Anakin's lightsabre.) In fact, one would think that Jedi Knights would set their lightsabres on training mode every time they spar with an acquaintance. It would be too inconvenient to have to use a different lightsabre to practise. On the other hand, there are good safety-related reasons not to let younglings use lightsabres that can be set to full power. (Though, maybe the point you're trying to make is that not being on full power is due to locking a setting as opposed to not building it into younglings' training sabres?)

 

I think the key idea for Luke is that his training was extremely unorthodox, and Vader knew that.
As far as Vader knew Luke had no Master after he killed Obi-Wan, and the fact that he was able to build his own lightsaber is an indication that he has come far in his training despite lacking the guidance that is a traditional for a Jedi.
Furthermore I took Vaders comment to be more than just about the lightsaber, it is just my interpretation, but to me that scene implies he can sense Lukes power in the force and how far he has come.

Building a lightsaber isn't a Master level technique in itself (Even as it is very dangerous), but overcoming such adversity and staying true to the Jedi's path is an indication of conviction.

 

Well said.

And I am of the opinion that sabers have a training mode, they are just far too dangerous to all and sundry to train with without one.

 

It has to mean something that Vader says that Luke's skills are complete, and that he is indeed powerful as the Emperor has forseen. He says this prompted by the recognition that Luke constructed his own lightsaber. So this not only implies complete "skills" it also implies that Luke is powerful.

Any explication about this topic should reflect what Luke's achievement meant to Darth Vader, although one might be able to wiggle through some headcanon creativity in light of the fact that Luke did all this without access to the institutional framework of the Jedi Order. Vader never seems to think anyone but Obi-Wan taught Luke anything, even though we find that in his Jedi days he did know Yoda personally--as did the Emperor. It's a side topic but they must have figured that Yoda went off and died somewhere. In any case, Vader is clearly impressed.

 

In The Clone Wars, there is an arc about younglings, who are about to become padawans, going to Ilum to get their kyber crustal for constructing their own lightsabers. This would imply it is part of the Jedi's connection to the force as they individual searches the caves on Ilum until their crystal speaks to them. The arc also shows a level of skill needed for each of the younglings to construct their lightsabers. I don't think it's a master level technique, but it is a necessary part of becoming a Jedi.

In Luke's case, his first lightsaber was passed on from his father, so he never had the experience of going to Ilum. So when Vader makes the comments about Luke constructing his own lightsaber makes his skills complete, I take it as being the last step Luke needed to take in becoming a Jedi. As far as Vader's comment about Luke being powerful, it speaks to Vader knowing what it took as a padawan to construct his own, so if Luke did this all on his own, he indeed must be powerful.

 

I would think they would make their own upon becoming a Padawan, even if they were taught about them before that, otherwise there would be younglings who never became Padawans owning lightsabers.