WHY IS OBI-WAN KENOBI’S LIGHTSABER BLUE?

In the original Star Wars trilogy, George Lucas’s intention was that Jedi would have blue lightsabers and Sith would have red lightsabers. As simple as that. End of story.

However, in Return of the Jedi, Luke’s lightsaber is green (and totally the coolest thing ever, in my personal opinion). So why did Lucas change his mind?

The reason is really practical and has to do with the final duel between Luke and Vader. The set was completely black, Vader’s costume was completely black, and Luke’s costume was completely black. The only colors on the set were blue highlights. The designers needed a lightsaber color that would really pop and contrast with all the black and blue. They decided green was the best, most vivid option.

So, as disappointing as it may seem, when the original trilogy was made lightsaber colors meant nothing. They were designed with practicality in mind.

Jedi who had blue lightsabers were considered warriors. They valued combat skills and were usually used by the Council and the Senate to defend the Republic.

Jedi who had green lightsabers were considered meditative and spent a great deal of time studying the mysteries of the Force. They made good diplomats and favored contemplation over combat.

I know Jedi Consular sounds more like Obi-Wan at first glance, but I really think he’s better suited as a Jedi Guardian. Though he is diplomatic and is known as “The Negotiator,” Obi-Wan has always been a skilled warrior, alway keen to leap into action. Just think of his first duel with Darth Maul!!

PLUS!!!!!! Think of it this way, if Jedi, according to Legends, chose their own lightsaber color, then that should tell you something about how Obi-Wan sees himself. He chose a blue crystal, he valued martial skill, he wanted to protect what he loved by defending it. Compare that to Luke and his duel with Vader. Luke wanted to protect what he loved by sacrificing himself passively.

I find this really interesting because Luke seems like a hothead always looking for action while Obi-Wan seems like a quiet introspective student. But I think they are both meditative students AND hotheads at the same time. I think both Luke and Obi-Wan thrive in action; their power grows sharper and more precise the more pressure they’re under. However, they both would rather not fight because they’ve taken the time to study and they both understand that their actions have dire consequences. In fact, I would argue that Luke has more in common with Obi-Wan than he does with Anankin.