Lightsaber construction

[Ferret]

Me and my friend were discussing, no arguing; is it the crystals or the maker of the lightsaber that decides the colour?

 

[Umbran]

I'm pretty sure that this isn't mentioned in the movies proper. So, there's no solid answer in the canon. That means the answer depends upon what particular pieces of apocrypha you hold near and dear to your heart.

 

[Hand of Evil]

Thought it was how big a star you were.

 

[KnowTheToe]

In knighs of the Old Republic video game it was the crystals, but beyond that I don't really have a clue. It might be the special effects team and the director, but that is just a guess.

 

[WayneLigon]

No canon answer I know of. The Expanded Universe topic from Starwars.com says....

Lightsabers have changed little in the thousands of years of their employ by the Jedi Knights. Those who believe the Jedi order began on the ancient world of Ossus point to the abundance of Adegan crystals in the system as proof. These crystals are ideal for the creation of lightsabers, as they focus the energy released from a saber's power cell into the tight, blade-like beam. Early lightsabers did not have self-contained power cells, and were instead connected by a conducting cable to a belt-worn power pack.
Once unleashed, the power channels through a positively charged continuous energy lens at the center of the handle. The beam then arcs circumferentially back to a negatively charged high energy flux aperture. A superconductor transfers the power from the flux aperture to the power cell. As a result, a lightsaber only expends power when its blade cuts through something. So efficient is the blade, that it does not radiate heat unless it comes into contact with something.

The blade's color depends on the nature of the jewel it springs from, and while its length is fixed in the case of a single jewel lightsaber, lightsabers equipped with multiple crystals can have their length varied by rotating a knob that allows the focusing crystal activator to subtly modify the refraction pattern between the gems.

With the Sith long believed extinct, lightsaber dueling occurred only within the practice chambers of the Jedi Temple. To a Jedi, a lightsaber is not just a weapon. It is a means of concentrating attention and becoming attuned with the Force.

 

[Hand of Evil]

http://www.thelightsaber.com/

 

[Ferret]

I'm fairly sure nothing but a quote from george lucus would satisfy him. He says that lucus might have said 'I like lightsabers' and the design crew might have made up the rest.

I've seen thelightsaber.com, that were I learned about the crystals, but do any of you know where the people at starwars.com got that info from?

 

[Planesdragon]

Me and my friend were discussing, no arguing; is it the crystals or the maker of the lightsaber that decides the colour?

The crystals. For reference:

• Watch The Clone Wars
• Read the New Jedi Academy Trilogy
• Pick up the old d6 Star Wars books.

Now, of course, the maker of the lightsaber chooses their crystals, so in a way they can choose the color--but each lightsaber has a set color, and it doesn't change throughout the years.

 

[Ferret]

The crystals. For reference:

• Watch The Clone Wars
• Read the New Jedi Academy Trilogy
• Pick up the old d6 Star Wars books.

Now, of course, the maker of the lightsaber chooses their crystals, so in a way they can choose the color--but each lightsaber has a set color, and it doesn't change throughout the years.

Clone wars doesn't work as it isn't written by george lucus, I don't know about New Jedi Academy Trilogy but the same might apply, and the d6 probably the same reason. My friend is being very picky.

He might accept it if it was in the film, maybe.

 

[Ankh-Morpork Guard]

There's a little bit of info in the third or fourth book of the Young Jedi Knights series. But it does back up the Expanded Universe idea that its the type of crystal that determines the colour.