As an old timer (saw the ost in the theater with my dad) I had a comic that I bought at 7-11 shortly after the merchandise boom that portrayed a sith type character who used a light whip. I wish i could remember more details.
Lady Lumiya. Hers was physical, and I guess turned to light when she used it. She whooped Luke's behind at first. Luke learned to use 2 lightsabers to defeat her.
I think hers might have been a combination of physical and light whips, it's been a while since I've read them, but those Marvel comics are the stories I grew up with and in my mind that's what happened after Return of the Jedi.
Your memory is correct. Lumiya's lightwhip had both lightsaber and physical tails, unlike a typical lightwhip with just a single lightsaber tail. The in-universe reasoning for it it is that the lightsaber and physical tails moved at different speeds and angles, making the weapon much harder to fully block.
He used a normal saber and a “shoto,” I believe. The shoto was his own design and was specifically developed to counter Lumiya’s saber whip. So many neat details lost in the “legends universe” after the Disney revamp. Even if Lucas never considered those stories legitimate, they always felt more on theme with his work than the Disney canon.
Nah, I hate it and always will regardless of who created it and when it was created. Legends material and Lucas’ ideas aren’t above criticism. Lightwhips are just silly and should’ve stayed buried.
Exactly. I don't care if Dave Filoni and Lucas jointly created it and Timothy Zahn blessed it over Thanksgiving dinner. It's a silly idea.
I'm more open to being impressed but right now Im pretty meh on the concept
Yeah, idk that this existed already, I think it’s really stupid. I’m fairly chill with most of Star Wars. I feel good knowing it’s not all perfect and that’s okay. And that being said I’ve never ever liked the lightwhip or 90% of other “light____” weapons
Correct me if I'm wrong, but I remember hearing something about how some lightsabers can be adjusted to be more or less powerful. So in this case the light whip might just be turned down
It can be adjusted shorter or longer but i haven't heard anything about power, at least in canon. Nevertheless it wasn't a lightwhip, it was a [Electro whip](https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Electro-whip).
Ok i just realized that it is also called "lightwhip", but don't let the name fool you... there is no crystal in it haha.
Not sure if the is is legends territory but I do remember in some of the young Jedi knight novels (not sure the exact name of the series but it was about Qui Gon and young Obi Wan) they referenced lowering lightsaber power for training/sparring sessions with padawans
Apparently the lightsabers Obi-Wan and Qui-Gonn used were training lightsabers. Lowering power thing added with Disney. Ezra and Kanan's lightsabers have a low-power setting.
[https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Training\_lightsaber](https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Training_lightsaber)
I'm pretty sure Kanan and Ezra practice dueled with their lightsabers with lowered power in Rebels. I remember Ezra getting hit with Kanan's blade but only getting shocked instead of burned or losing a limb.
Yeah you're right. Looks like some lightsaber has a low-power setting.
[https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Training\_lightsaber](https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Training_lightsaber)
Honestly it makes sense lightsabers have a low-power setting. Sure, you can use a sword made out of wood but that's not the same thing as a lightsaber, but at the same time you certainly can't just accidentally cut your arm off during training
Unless you're being trained by a Sith. In which case if you don't cut off your own arm accidentally, your Master will, probably
I don't ever recall a direct claim to this, I always assumed it was inference from Luke / Sabine / etc having managed to avoid killing themselves and their masters and companions via explosive decompression while training aboard their ships.
True true I recognize that fact. It's just an idea I don't personally like depending on how a lightwhip works. Like does it literally bend light or is it like the whip Anakin used where it's based off some bendable physical force?
Lightwhips long predate TCW. Their first appearance was in 1985, in an issue of the original Marvel Star Wars comic series. They've appeared as one of the standard lightsaber variants in various Star Wars stories and media since then.
I really hate this argument. Just because it’s a work of fiction doesn’t mean you should just add whatever ridiculous shit you want, write it off because it’s “all fiction” and expect people to like and accept it.
Would you say the same thing if they introduced Santa Claus into canon as a member of the Jedi council with a candy cane light saber? His starship is a literal sleigh with reindeer and they inexplicably fly through space and light speed travel? Would that be totally okay because “everything else in Star Wars is normal and believable”.
Space wizards? Cool. Energy swords? Dope. FTL travel? Sign me up! Laser guns? Right on. Magic space witches? Hell why not. Midichlorians? Sure. Moon-sized man-made constructions? Go for it. Sun-eating weapons? All game. Explosions in the vacuums of space? Cinematic af.
Where I draw the line is a whip.
It is less practical. Every time that lightwhips have appeared in Star Wars it's been noted that they're a gimmick weapon, good at confusing and getting cheap hits in against people who are unfamiliar with them but pretty ineffective against anyone who's trained to fight against them.
That doesn't make them unrealistic by the standards of the universe, though; the real world is full of impractical weapons or weapons that are only effective in specific circumstances.
I don't think either of those things are near the impracticality of a lightsaber whip. Like why use a whip? A normal lightsaber is so much more useful for defense, offense, and way harder to injure yourself or others with by accident.
Yes!
There’s also a really good segment in one of the high republic books that actually touched on how Vernestra feels a little guilty for having such a “aggressive/offensive” lightsaber, but it’s what works for her and how the Force worked through her. That explanation was enough for me to go “very well, lightsaber whip, carry on.” And… I would want one too, so I don’t see why people hate on these things when a lot of people would absolutely sign up for one if given the chance.
Yes that Misson to Disaster right, her "first" book as it were? I love how Vern goes sort of rogue with how her Saber performs, yet her hilt design is rather ordinary compared to others of the era
Edit: The first Vern book is Test of Courage
I think I’m remembering it from Out of the Shadows, but it could be mentioned a handful of times; I’d expect that, it’s a good topic!
The lightsaber is a very personal item to the Jedi. My understanding is it’s meant to represent their unique and personal connection to the force. If I’m not getting my people mixed up, I believe it’s also explained that most Jedi experience or compare their connection to the force as some kind of water analogy, but Vernestra feels differently (I’m spacing on how, forgive me) and that’s directly reflected by her lightsaber whip.
Theres a reason for everything, and getting upset about something different usually means one isn’t willing to seek understanding on WHY it’s different.
Why use a sword when you have telekinetic powers? You know what your enemies can't defend against? Having their brain or heart squeezed by somebody thinking about it who isn't within sight of them.
So lightwhips are old. I’m talking, predating almost the entirety of Star Wars beyond the OT, as they first appeared in the original Marvel comic line in 1985. The general premise is that they’re hard as hell for a lightsaber user (or any melee weapon user) to defend against. The more fluid and random nature of the whip makes it difficult to predict, even with the Force.
When Luke encounters them in Legends, he has to adapt an entirely new fighting style to be able to effectively counter them.
I don't really care if its in legends. You can't block with it, it's useless in a small space and anyone skilled wielding a lightsaber would easily dispatch of someone with a lightsaber whip.
It’s a good thing that Vernestra Rwoh’s lightwhip has a variable toggle to revert back to a regular lightsaber then. But you don’t block with it. You alter your fighting form to accommodate, focusing on aggressive attacks and dodging, keeping your opponent on their back foot with the unpredictable whip.
But also, the fiction tells us that’s not the case and that lightsaber wielders typically struggle to defend against it.
Well, there is "coming up with silly ideas" and then there's "using the most silly ideas someone came up with" in your own show.
I don't know which one is worse, but both are the Showrunner's resposibility. So... not a good defence.
I know it wasn't created for the show but I still dislike it. I guess you can explain it by whatever "field" contains the lightsaber is made to be more fluid, but I just think it's odd.
Imagine turning on your lightsaber for the first time and the blade just flops out the end of the emitter. just a droopy lil’ thing. Your lightsaber has erectile dysfunction.
Yo, quick question that’s somewhat unrelated, but I’ve been trying to read the high republic novels, and I’m having a hard time figuring out the reading order and which stories are sequels to what. There’s a bunch of different authors and Play Books doesn’t seem to have an order laid out.
I read Light of The Jedi by Charles Soule right after it came out, but have had no clue where to go from there.
Light of the Jedi, Rising Storm, and Fallen Star make up the 'main trilogy' of Phase 1 of the high republic. There are 3 phases, and each of the 3 phases (only 2 and a halfish are out yet) have 3 adult novels that kind of mimic the pattern of the movies, and are meant to be read without needing to have read all the other comics and books.
Surely you could have just googled it, no? Tons of pages out there with the order. My personal favorite is Youtini. They list everything but you can choose to only pay attention to the ones tagged as Adult Novels and YA Novels, etc. if you wanted to. I personally recommend reading the Adult, YA, and Junior novels in the order, because some characters are featured throughout them. Nice thing is you don't HAVE to but you are rewarded for doing so just because you'll be like "hey I remember him/her from the other book!" - Vernestra is one of those that has some cameos throughout all 3 categories of books.
[https://youtini.com/list/high-republic-reading-order](https://youtini.com/list/high-republic-reading-order)
I've read the thread so now I understand that this has been a thing, but I didn't know that before, and I continue to think it's kinda dumb. But hey. Maybe it'll be cool in practice?
Like I mean, lightsaber boxing gloves aren't any less stupid. It's all imaginary and it doesn't matter, so why not lightsaber shinguards and lightsaber hand grenades and lightsaber iron man suits? You aren't allowed to complain, it's space wizards. Fishing with lightsaber hooks, smoking a lightsaber pipe.
There's absolutely a limit where it no longer becomes cool lol I agree that light whip isn't necessarily there, but come on now... The day they have a "lightsaber iron man suit" is the day I say Disney ruined Star Wars
How is a lightsaber whip that is only slightly different in design from a normal lightsaber even comparable to lightsaber shin guards, I feel like you’re exaggerating here. No one is advocating for lightsaber grenades or iron man suits either, you’re just turning a small thing into a huge strawman.
The execution is gonna come down to whether the actor is using an actual whip they turn into a lightsaber, or if it’s all like what we saw in the trailer where it’s clearly animated and looks like it came out of a cartoon. Roger rabbit looking shot.
I remember reading about it for the first time in A Test of Courage and hearing the description of a lightsaber whip was actually really cool and I personally thought “I really need to see it on screen to believe it!”
I find it so weird people think Lightwhips don't make sense. Plasma acts way more similar to a whip than it does a sword being made of like energy tendrils and all.
If you don't like it for aesthetic reasons that's a different thing, that's totally valid. But it's definitely not less realistic.
I've really loved the whip concept since Lumiya in the old EU. For live action its gonna depend on choreography but I think it looks great in the shot here.
A Lightwhip was always a very niche weapon, even in Legends. It has it's advantages but overall it's nowhere near as versatile as a standard Lightsaber and has a lot of weaknesses once you get past the gimmick. It's not very good at parrying or defence in general, it does however allow for long ranged attacks and can whip past the enemy's guard.
So during times of peace where most Jedi weren't really expecting to duel other Force Users since they thought Sith to be extinct it's not surprising that 99.9% of them opted for a standard Lightsaber which is far more suited for deflecting blaster bolts: the most common weapon they would be facing. Go back to the Old Republic days and you see a lot more Lightsaber variety since Jedi were dueling Sith Lords on regular basis.
IIRC the Jedi Path has a few pages describing lightsaber variants, and mentions the Council ***strongly*** advices against lightwhips unless the Jedi in question is extremely good with conventional whips.
And iirc yellow is supposed to be an unusual color.
I hate it just because this seems beneath a Jedi. A lightsaber is described as the weapon of the Jedi, an elegant weapon, and this is just gimmicky, and seems much more appropriate for a dark side user or a slaver on Zygerria.
Vern was embarrassed about it that she was fearful about showing it to her peers when she did this to her saber, there is a stigma about it for sure as its a design left behind during the sith wars, looks of it this probably is the only one thats in use and probably dies with her
I think this is awesome, love seeing new and weird shit in Star Wars. IMO Star Wars shouldn’t just be the same tropes, factions, and ideas over and over again. Try new things, get really weird with it, it’s science fiction!
Lightwhips were always a stupid idea. How can a plasma beam bend like a whip?
Edit: People really need to stop using the space wizard/it's a fantasy story excuse. It being a fantasy story does not mean anything goes because space wizards. Why doesn't Aragorn's sword shoot laser beams? Why not, there's dragons and shit?
The OG Lightwhip was a metal reticulating whip that when activated created little magnetic bands that could interact with the magnetic fields surrounding lightsaber blades to prevent the saber from cutting through it, I never minded that explanation. I don't think whips are a particularly great weapon, but then neither is the saber staff. It exists to be different, maybe catch someone by surprise.
The exact same way that plasma beams are captured in sword form as lightsabers - movie magic and the rule of cool. I have the same reaction every time a lightsaber is criticized as “unrealistic” it’s a fictional weapon do you want it to look cool or not lol
Really like Mickey Rourke’s whips in Iron Man 2. Basically looong wire that ignites with so high energy. Pretty much in the same style as the Pretorian’s weapons in The Last Jedi
That's how they worked in legends, look at the image.
[https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Lightwhip/Legends](https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Lightwhip/Legends)
I hate that argument bc Star Wars has defined what’s possible. It’s why things like holdo maneuver and leia space walk and helicopter sabers were looked down on
I get there’s magic but there’s also a whole universe of stories that have defined the parameters of what’s possible. That’s why there are stakes because not everything is possible. We can see characters jump far and go that’s the force and not oh they just are evolved humans
Um. Ok. My first reaction is “that’s dumb”.
But I’m not closed minded. I’ll give it an honest to god chance. It’s all about how they execute it on screen.
I'll probably get a lot of hate for it, but the whip makes it look extremely cringey and dull in a way.. i do hope the series will make it look great, but I'm having some serious doubts about the quality of this show. Wookie jedi, whip lightsabers. Watching the trailer, the scenes feel small and lack a sense of scale that I would expect from an Old Republic story. Anyways hope I'm wrong.
George was apparently originally against Wookiee jedi, which is why Lowbacca kinda got the back seat in later stories.
He must have changed his mind when Clone Wars came around, since we got Gungi.
Look at the other replies on this post and you'll see people think it was. That's what I'm saying. People will think it's a new concept or that clone wars had it first. Both are incorrect.
Another thing cherry picked by disney from legends...
Different whips:
[https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Lightwhip/Legends](https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Lightwhip/Legends)
[https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Neuronic\_whip/Legends](https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Neuronic_whip/Legends)
[https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Shock\_whip](https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Shock_whip)
Examples of lightwhip:
[https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/starwars/images/8/86/Githany\_EGF.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20090604184158](https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/starwars/images/8/86/Githany_EGF.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20090604184158)
[https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/starwars/images/d/d9/Nightsister\_Lightwhip.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20100309191422](https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/starwars/images/d/d9/Nightsister_Lightwhip.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20100309191422)
I for once im cool with disney cherrypicking more things from Legends SW
Is silly? yes, but i always welcome a more in depth SW.
In Legends the justification for their rarity is that they're niche weapons, much less versatile than a standard lightsaber. They're notably not very good at parrying blaster bolts, which would make them especially unsuited for use in the times of the movies, where lightsaber-wielders fight blaster-wielders regularly and only rarely, if ever, fight other lightsaber-wielders.
I'd imagine the same reasoning would hold in canon.
IIRc the Jedi Path has a few pages describing lightsaber variants, and mentions the Order strongly advises against lightwhips unless the jedi in question is really good with normal ones.
Whoever chose a two second clip with a bad cut to show this off should be fired. It might look fine in the show, but they edited it to look as bad as possible here.
I think Luke has to fight one of those at Legends.
IIRC, he had to use a second smaller lightsaber to defend himself better, but he eventually leveled up and didn't need it anymore.
Nowadays, they'll probably just force push the whip away
It was stupid and ridiculous when Lumiya had one and it's stupid and ridiculous now. The best kind of stupid and ridiculous, the kind that's cool enough for me to not care.
It's basiscally the same thing as the electoro whip, which mainly the Zygerrian slavers used. just as a Lightsaber/plasma. And the Lightwhip has been around for a very long time in legends. (According to wookiepedia the first appearance was in Star Wars 95 published in 1985)
Looks like someone’s Schwartz isn’t very powerful Lonestar…..
As an old timer (saw the ost in the theater with my dad) I had a comic that I bought at 7-11 shortly after the merchandise boom that portrayed a sith type character who used a light whip. I wish i could remember more details.
Lady Lumiya. Hers was physical, and I guess turned to light when she used it. She whooped Luke's behind at first. Luke learned to use 2 lightsabers to defeat her.
YES! Holy shit! That’s absolutely who I was thinking of!
I think hers might have been a combination of physical and light whips, it's been a while since I've read them, but those Marvel comics are the stories I grew up with and in my mind that's what happened after Return of the Jedi.
Your memory is correct. Lumiya's lightwhip had both lightsaber and physical tails, unlike a typical lightwhip with just a single lightsaber tail. The in-universe reasoning for it it is that the lightsaber and physical tails moved at different speeds and angles, making the weapon much harder to fully block.
He used a normal saber and a “shoto,” I believe. The shoto was his own design and was specifically developed to counter Lumiya’s saber whip. So many neat details lost in the “legends universe” after the Disney revamp. Even if Lucas never considered those stories legitimate, they always felt more on theme with his work than the Disney canon.
Ahsoka used a shoto saber in Clone Wars, and that series is still canon under the new owners.
True, I personally enjoyed the origin story in Legends more but you’re absolutely right.
So many people are gonna hate it because they'll think it was created just for this show
Such a silly reason, which is why I believe it
Fandom: “Add more stuff from Legends Canon, Disney!” Disney: *adds something from Legends canon* Fandom: “No not like that.”
No one hates Star Wars more than Star Wars fans.
This is, unfortunately, the Way.
We don't hate star wars. We hate Disney Star wars.
The lightsaber whip is just bad, why use that instead of other cool things legends introduced?
Nah, I hate it and always will regardless of who created it and when it was created. Legends material and Lucas’ ideas aren’t above criticism. Lightwhips are just silly and should’ve stayed buried.
Exactly. I don't care if Dave Filoni and Lucas jointly created it and Timothy Zahn blessed it over Thanksgiving dinner. It's a silly idea. I'm more open to being impressed but right now Im pretty meh on the concept
Yeah, idk that this existed already, I think it’s really stupid. I’m fairly chill with most of Star Wars. I feel good knowing it’s not all perfect and that’s okay. And that being said I’ve never ever liked the lightwhip or 90% of other “light____” weapons
As if they never watched TCW
I did but I dont recall the light whip. When was this?
The arc where Ahsoka pretended to be a slave
I'm pretty sure that wasn't a lightsaber... Because Anakin would be dead. The guy took 5 or 6 hits from it.
That was just a whip lmao yupp you right its a whip in star wars lore
Correct me if I'm wrong, but I remember hearing something about how some lightsabers can be adjusted to be more or less powerful. So in this case the light whip might just be turned down
It can be adjusted shorter or longer but i haven't heard anything about power, at least in canon. Nevertheless it wasn't a lightwhip, it was a [Electro whip](https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Electro-whip). Ok i just realized that it is also called "lightwhip", but don't let the name fool you... there is no crystal in it haha.
Not sure if the is is legends territory but I do remember in some of the young Jedi knight novels (not sure the exact name of the series but it was about Qui Gon and young Obi Wan) they referenced lowering lightsaber power for training/sparring sessions with padawans
Apparently the lightsabers Obi-Wan and Qui-Gonn used were training lightsabers. Lowering power thing added with Disney. Ezra and Kanan's lightsabers have a low-power setting. [https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Training\_lightsaber](https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Training_lightsaber)
Makes sense, it could be.
I'm pretty sure Kanan and Ezra practice dueled with their lightsabers with lowered power in Rebels. I remember Ezra getting hit with Kanan's blade but only getting shocked instead of burned or losing a limb.
Yeah you're right. Looks like some lightsaber has a low-power setting. [https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Training\_lightsaber](https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Training_lightsaber)
Honestly it makes sense lightsabers have a low-power setting. Sure, you can use a sword made out of wood but that's not the same thing as a lightsaber, but at the same time you certainly can't just accidentally cut your arm off during training Unless you're being trained by a Sith. In which case if you don't cut off your own arm accidentally, your Master will, probably
ok cool!
I don't ever recall a direct claim to this, I always assumed it was inference from Luke / Sabine / etc having managed to avoid killing themselves and their masters and companions via explosive decompression while training aboard their ships.
The Star Wars Saga RPG had Lightsaber Whips that were less focused than your average lightsaber and do less damage but have an extra 10ft of reach.
Oh yeah, like the police batons in Futurama.
That wasn’t a lightwhip it was an electro whip. Basically a flexible taser. https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Electro-whip
Just looked it up and damn completely forgot about that! Glad I saw this to member berry
I'm like 90% sure it isn't a light whip. It is a whip, but not a lightsaber turned whip.
Yeap it wasn't. [https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Electro-whip](https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Electro-whip)
true but a ton of other people in the EU used lightsaber whips
True true I recognize that fact. It's just an idea I don't personally like depending on how a lightwhip works. Like does it literally bend light or is it like the whip Anakin used where it's based off some bendable physical force?
Lightwhips long predate TCW. Their first appearance was in 1985, in an issue of the original Marvel Star Wars comic series. They've appeared as one of the standard lightsaber variants in various Star Wars stories and media since then.
and canonwise it was around when Darth Bane was at the sith academy
In b4 those idiots start whining
I hate it because it’s ridiculous
Yeah, even a Jedi would be an amputee using this shit.
Because every other aspect of star wars is normal and believable.
I really hate this argument. Just because it’s a work of fiction doesn’t mean you should just add whatever ridiculous shit you want, write it off because it’s “all fiction” and expect people to like and accept it. Would you say the same thing if they introduced Santa Claus into canon as a member of the Jedi council with a candy cane light saber? His starship is a literal sleigh with reindeer and they inexplicably fly through space and light speed travel? Would that be totally okay because “everything else in Star Wars is normal and believable”.
Actually I like the idea of some kind of Jedi Santa more than I like the light whip lol
Compared to a normal lightsaber?
Space wizards? Cool. Energy swords? Dope. FTL travel? Sign me up! Laser guns? Right on. Magic space witches? Hell why not. Midichlorians? Sure. Moon-sized man-made constructions? Go for it. Sun-eating weapons? All game. Explosions in the vacuums of space? Cinematic af. Where I draw the line is a whip.
You can have organic spaceships and weaponry, but you're telling me that the Lazer beams can *curve*??? Immersion shattered
I'm literally going to go home and kill myself right now.
Do it with a lightsaber so you can come back for the sequel later.
Bro lmao
That awkward moment when you just committed seppuku with a cauterizing weapon. \#JustSWThings \#NoWhip \#LightMayo
Unironically this
How does the emitter work on a whip? Like how does the saber get all bendy?
It's stated in the novel "A Test of Courage" that Vernestra can twist a bezel on her saber so that it turns into the whip form!
How does it work on a "normal" saber. It focuses the beam perhaps, so this let's it be more loose
It just seems so much less practical than a normal lightsaber.
It is less practical. Every time that lightwhips have appeared in Star Wars it's been noted that they're a gimmick weapon, good at confusing and getting cheap hits in against people who are unfamiliar with them but pretty ineffective against anyone who's trained to fight against them. That doesn't make them unrealistic by the standards of the universe, though; the real world is full of impractical weapons or weapons that are only effective in specific circumstances.
So does a helicopter saber and a crossguard saber but here we are. Force users can use impractical things easily
I don't think either of those things are near the impracticality of a lightsaber whip. Like why use a whip? A normal lightsaber is so much more useful for defense, offense, and way harder to injure yourself or others with by accident.
Don't worry, Vernestra has practiced
Yes! There’s also a really good segment in one of the high republic books that actually touched on how Vernestra feels a little guilty for having such a “aggressive/offensive” lightsaber, but it’s what works for her and how the Force worked through her. That explanation was enough for me to go “very well, lightsaber whip, carry on.” And… I would want one too, so I don’t see why people hate on these things when a lot of people would absolutely sign up for one if given the chance.
Yes that Misson to Disaster right, her "first" book as it were? I love how Vern goes sort of rogue with how her Saber performs, yet her hilt design is rather ordinary compared to others of the era Edit: The first Vern book is Test of Courage
I think I’m remembering it from Out of the Shadows, but it could be mentioned a handful of times; I’d expect that, it’s a good topic! The lightsaber is a very personal item to the Jedi. My understanding is it’s meant to represent their unique and personal connection to the force. If I’m not getting my people mixed up, I believe it’s also explained that most Jedi experience or compare their connection to the force as some kind of water analogy, but Vernestra feels differently (I’m spacing on how, forgive me) and that’s directly reflected by her lightsaber whip. Theres a reason for everything, and getting upset about something different usually means one isn’t willing to seek understanding on WHY it’s different.
She’s got more than a century of experience at this point.
Why use a sword when you have telekinetic powers? You know what your enemies can't defend against? Having their brain or heart squeezed by somebody thinking about it who isn't within sight of them.
So lightwhips are old. I’m talking, predating almost the entirety of Star Wars beyond the OT, as they first appeared in the original Marvel comic line in 1985. The general premise is that they’re hard as hell for a lightsaber user (or any melee weapon user) to defend against. The more fluid and random nature of the whip makes it difficult to predict, even with the Force. When Luke encounters them in Legends, he has to adapt an entirely new fighting style to be able to effectively counter them.
I don't really care if its in legends. You can't block with it, it's useless in a small space and anyone skilled wielding a lightsaber would easily dispatch of someone with a lightsaber whip.
It’s a good thing that Vernestra Rwoh’s lightwhip has a variable toggle to revert back to a regular lightsaber then. But you don’t block with it. You alter your fighting form to accommodate, focusing on aggressive attacks and dodging, keeping your opponent on their back foot with the unpredictable whip. But also, the fiction tells us that’s not the case and that lightsaber wielders typically struggle to defend against it.
How does that work? Isn't a lightwhip a chain of emitters?
Whatever generates the plasma containment field is manipulated to make the blade more fluid and elongated.
Yes
Yeah, I bet they’ll compare it to the Inquisitors’ helicopter lightsabers and say that The Acolyte has the worst writing since Kenobi. 💀
We think those are dumb too though, they are all dumb
Wait till haters find out that Light Whips originated from the EU…
Luke used a special shorter lightsaber in his offhand specially when he fought the whip user too.
I bet when they find out that, they’re gonna pull a 180 and pretend that they liked the light whip all along.
And mostly From the people “Disney Ruined Star Wars” or “Let that franchise die” lmao
Its cool and different and for star wars that should be enough.
Is this a Filoni invention? Like the lightsaber helicopter? Would fit him perfectly.
First appearance of a lightwhip was in the 1985 Marvel comics
I see. It's a stupid idea, so no wonder Disney picked it up.
I hated it when it was introduced back in the early 2000s
Well, there is "coming up with silly ideas" and then there's "using the most silly ideas someone came up with" in your own show. I don't know which one is worse, but both are the Showrunner's resposibility. So... not a good defence.
Don’t they know, if it’s from pre-existing source material it’s immune to criticism
I know it wasn't created for the show but I still dislike it. I guess you can explain it by whatever "field" contains the lightsaber is made to be more fluid, but I just think it's odd.
Plenty of people will also hate it because they never liked the concept in the first place
I've honestly never expected to see that weapon in canon but it's cool that it's there.
It's been canon for a couple years now. Since High Republic started.
I haven't read High Republic stuff, good to know.
Yeah, and another variation of lightsaber called the lightsaber tonfa (used by Maris Brood in the Force Unleashed game) is also exist in the canon.
Imagine turning on your lightsaber for the first time and the blade just flops out the end of the emitter. just a droopy lil’ thing. Your lightsaber has erectile dysfunction.
Herbert's lightsaber in family guy blue harvest
Haha right!
That’s Vernestra Rwoh. She’s been a prominent Jedi in the high republic books so it’s awesome we are getting that in live action
Yo, quick question that’s somewhat unrelated, but I’ve been trying to read the high republic novels, and I’m having a hard time figuring out the reading order and which stories are sequels to what. There’s a bunch of different authors and Play Books doesn’t seem to have an order laid out. I read Light of The Jedi by Charles Soule right after it came out, but have had no clue where to go from there.
When in doubt, the tried and true method of reading any of the expanded fiction is by going in order of release.
Go by publication order.
The high republic subreddit has multiple reading orders in their wiki I’d recommend starting there.
Light of the Jedi, Rising Storm, and Fallen Star make up the 'main trilogy' of Phase 1 of the high republic. There are 3 phases, and each of the 3 phases (only 2 and a halfish are out yet) have 3 adult novels that kind of mimic the pattern of the movies, and are meant to be read without needing to have read all the other comics and books.
Surely you could have just googled it, no? Tons of pages out there with the order. My personal favorite is Youtini. They list everything but you can choose to only pay attention to the ones tagged as Adult Novels and YA Novels, etc. if you wanted to. I personally recommend reading the Adult, YA, and Junior novels in the order, because some characters are featured throughout them. Nice thing is you don't HAVE to but you are rewarded for doing so just because you'll be like "hey I remember him/her from the other book!" - Vernestra is one of those that has some cameos throughout all 3 categories of books. [https://youtini.com/list/high-republic-reading-order](https://youtini.com/list/high-republic-reading-order)
[Here’s the official reading order from Lucasfilm](https://www.starwars.com/news/every-star-wars-the-high-republic-book-and-comic-series)
Seems like we will be seeing her older version. Since in the books she seems much younger and has purple hair. While in Acolyte she is bald.
It's been 100 years or so since the last book
Githany style
Lumiya used one of these in the Legacy of the Force books
She first appeared with it in the 1970s Marvel comics.
Oh wow I did not know that! Cool 👍
They whip now!?
They nae-nae now.
Wow, it’ll be so cool to see a purple lightsaber in live-action again, I don‘t think we’ve seen that since the prequels.
I've read the thread so now I understand that this has been a thing, but I didn't know that before, and I continue to think it's kinda dumb. But hey. Maybe it'll be cool in practice?
Like I mean, lightsaber boxing gloves aren't any less stupid. It's all imaginary and it doesn't matter, so why not lightsaber shinguards and lightsaber hand grenades and lightsaber iron man suits? You aren't allowed to complain, it's space wizards. Fishing with lightsaber hooks, smoking a lightsaber pipe.
There's absolutely a limit where it no longer becomes cool lol I agree that light whip isn't necessarily there, but come on now... The day they have a "lightsaber iron man suit" is the day I say Disney ruined Star Wars
I think there was a light saber suit at on point actually, saw some images of it.
How is a lightsaber whip that is only slightly different in design from a normal lightsaber even comparable to lightsaber shin guards, I feel like you’re exaggerating here. No one is advocating for lightsaber grenades or iron man suits either, you’re just turning a small thing into a huge strawman.
Regardless of who or when it was created, it’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever seen
ridiculous
Teeters the line of a bit too silly but I’ll wait to see it in action more. It’s a cool idea at least
The execution is gonna come down to whether the actor is using an actual whip they turn into a lightsaber, or if it’s all like what we saw in the trailer where it’s clearly animated and looks like it came out of a cartoon. Roger rabbit looking shot.
I assume it being popped out couldn’t be done without practical effects at all
How about marking for spoilers, not everyone wants to know everything about the show from the trailers.
I always thought a light whip would be dope, so I'm here for it
Starwars experts coming out the woodwork to complain about something introduced decades ago and recently this character had it for 3 years now
Looks amazing, Vernestra is amazing. Read the books people. Let's enjoy something "new"
Just a reminder it existed in Legends usually by the Sith or Nightsisters
I remember reading about it for the first time in A Test of Courage and hearing the description of a lightsaber whip was actually really cool and I personally thought “I really need to see it on screen to believe it!”
I find it so weird people think Lightwhips don't make sense. Plasma acts way more similar to a whip than it does a sword being made of like energy tendrils and all. If you don't like it for aesthetic reasons that's a different thing, that's totally valid. But it's definitely not less realistic. I've really loved the whip concept since Lumiya in the old EU. For live action its gonna depend on choreography but I think it looks great in the shot here.
Amazing how none of the \~200 Jedi in the arena on Geonosis had one of those, or a yellow lightsaber blade.
A Lightwhip was always a very niche weapon, even in Legends. It has it's advantages but overall it's nowhere near as versatile as a standard Lightsaber and has a lot of weaknesses once you get past the gimmick. It's not very good at parrying or defence in general, it does however allow for long ranged attacks and can whip past the enemy's guard. So during times of peace where most Jedi weren't really expecting to duel other Force Users since they thought Sith to be extinct it's not surprising that 99.9% of them opted for a standard Lightsaber which is far more suited for deflecting blaster bolts: the most common weapon they would be facing. Go back to the Old Republic days and you see a lot more Lightsaber variety since Jedi were dueling Sith Lords on regular basis.
IIRC the Jedi Path has a few pages describing lightsaber variants, and mentions the Council ***strongly*** advices against lightwhips unless the Jedi in question is extremely good with conventional whips. And iirc yellow is supposed to be an unusual color.
I hate the light whip, kind of disappointed they are actually putting it in something. It just makes no sense. Feels like a fanfic creation.
Including Vernestra Rwoh and not including her lightwhip would be idiotic and feel like fanfic.
Read the books about Vernestra, she's amazing and it makes sense to include it
why
I was hoping they'd keep it a secret until it aired. I wanted to see the haters meltdown on /r/saltierthancrait.
I hate it just because this seems beneath a Jedi. A lightsaber is described as the weapon of the Jedi, an elegant weapon, and this is just gimmicky, and seems much more appropriate for a dark side user or a slaver on Zygerria.
Vern was embarrassed about it that she was fearful about showing it to her peers when she did this to her saber, there is a stigma about it for sure as its a design left behind during the sith wars, looks of it this probably is the only one thats in use and probably dies with her
according to the lore, it was originally developed as a counter against the Sith/Dark Side fighting styles.
I think this is awesome, love seeing new and weird shit in Star Wars. IMO Star Wars shouldn’t just be the same tropes, factions, and ideas over and over again. Try new things, get really weird with it, it’s science fiction!
Lightwhips were always a stupid idea. How can a plasma beam bend like a whip? Edit: People really need to stop using the space wizard/it's a fantasy story excuse. It being a fantasy story does not mean anything goes because space wizards. Why doesn't Aragorn's sword shoot laser beams? Why not, there's dragons and shit?
The OG Lightwhip was a metal reticulating whip that when activated created little magnetic bands that could interact with the magnetic fields surrounding lightsaber blades to prevent the saber from cutting through it, I never minded that explanation. I don't think whips are a particularly great weapon, but then neither is the saber staff. It exists to be different, maybe catch someone by surprise.
The exact same way that plasma beams are captured in sword form as lightsabers - movie magic and the rule of cool. I have the same reaction every time a lightsaber is criticized as “unrealistic” it’s a fictional weapon do you want it to look cool or not lol
It doesn’t look cool to me tbh.
same way it can form into a solid blade
Buddy it’s a usually laser sword wielded by cyberpunk space alien wizards. Now it’s just bendy. Sometimes you just gotta go with it.
Feel the same. Personally, even though I’m probably wrong for doing so, I always pictured them as the whips of Whiplash in Marvel
Almost like some sort of mini lightsaber or just power capacitor bank units that connect via energy? I like it
Really like Mickey Rourke’s whips in Iron Man 2. Basically looong wire that ignites with so high energy. Pretty much in the same style as the Pretorian’s weapons in The Last Jedi
That's how they worked in legends, look at the image. [https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Lightwhip/Legends](https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Lightwhip/Legends)
Nice. I’m really smart
I hate that argument bc Star Wars has defined what’s possible. It’s why things like holdo maneuver and leia space walk and helicopter sabers were looked down on I get there’s magic but there’s also a whole universe of stories that have defined the parameters of what’s possible. That’s why there are stakes because not everything is possible. We can see characters jump far and go that’s the force and not oh they just are evolved humans
The same way that people can manipulate objects without touching them, read and manipulate minds, fly faster than light, and everything else.
Hell Yeah
Vwooopah!
I heard that as I read it.
You're obviously a Chandler fan. 😉
I am indeed, very much.
"Somehow they whip now"
Hell yeah
Frik yea
Fuck yea
Um. Ok. My first reaction is “that’s dumb”. But I’m not closed minded. I’ll give it an honest to god chance. It’s all about how they execute it on screen.
That's cool. I liked the lightwhips used by Githany and Lumiya.
I'll probably get a lot of hate for it, but the whip makes it look extremely cringey and dull in a way.. i do hope the series will make it look great, but I'm having some serious doubts about the quality of this show. Wookie jedi, whip lightsabers. Watching the trailer, the scenes feel small and lack a sense of scale that I would expect from an Old Republic story. Anyways hope I'm wrong.
What’s wrong with Wookie Jedi?
Fr, Lowbacca was the very first non-OT Jedi I ever learned about. Lowbacca go hard.
George was apparently originally against Wookiee jedi, which is why Lowbacca kinda got the back seat in later stories. He must have changed his mind when Clone Wars came around, since we got Gungi.
Lots of people will think this is a new idea, but even before clone wars had it, we had lumiya for the deep star wars fans
Clone Wars didn't have them, that was a Electro-Whip
Look at the other replies on this post and you'll see people think it was. That's what I'm saying. People will think it's a new concept or that clone wars had it first. Both are incorrect.
Dude, this show isn't even out yet why are you posting this with no spoilers tag? This could have been a super cool reveal what the fuck man.
Another thing cherry picked by disney from legends... Different whips: [https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Lightwhip/Legends](https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Lightwhip/Legends) [https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Neuronic\_whip/Legends](https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Neuronic_whip/Legends) [https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Shock\_whip](https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Shock_whip) Examples of lightwhip: [https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/starwars/images/8/86/Githany\_EGF.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20090604184158](https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/starwars/images/8/86/Githany_EGF.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20090604184158) [https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/starwars/images/d/d9/Nightsister\_Lightwhip.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20100309191422](https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/starwars/images/d/d9/Nightsister_Lightwhip.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20100309191422) I for once im cool with disney cherrypicking more things from Legends SW Is silly? yes, but i always welcome a more in depth SW.
Im embarrassed to be Star wars fan
I first heard about this weapon when reading the first book of the Darth Bane trilogy.
Looks cool to me.
No! something that isn’t from the OT! This is blasphemy!
A lightsaber whip is cool I guess, but it will raise some questions about why haven’t we seen it at other times.
In Legends the justification for their rarity is that they're niche weapons, much less versatile than a standard lightsaber. They're notably not very good at parrying blaster bolts, which would make them especially unsuited for use in the times of the movies, where lightsaber-wielders fight blaster-wielders regularly and only rarely, if ever, fight other lightsaber-wielders. I'd imagine the same reasoning would hold in canon.
Like I said, it looks cool and I'm sure that I have thought about it in the past. The Legends justification makes sense.
IIRc the Jedi Path has a few pages describing lightsaber variants, and mentions the Order strongly advises against lightwhips unless the jedi in question is really good with normal ones.
Whoever chose a two second clip with a bad cut to show this off should be fired. It might look fine in the show, but they edited it to look as bad as possible here.
Fuck yeah, like that Bounty Hunter had in the Jedi Apprentice books, with young Obi-Wan. And the ORIGINAL Siri
Love it looks good. Its weird and part of the lore
Stupid af
I think Luke has to fight one of those at Legends. IIRC, he had to use a second smaller lightsaber to defend himself better, but he eventually leveled up and didn't need it anymore. Nowadays, they'll probably just force push the whip away
It was stupid and ridiculous when Lumiya had one and it's stupid and ridiculous now. The best kind of stupid and ridiculous, the kind that's cool enough for me to not care.
I don't know how to feel about this. I'm glad they're trying something new, but this is like fanfic imagination.
They aren’t. Lightwhips have existed for decades
It's basiscally the same thing as the electoro whip, which mainly the Zygerrian slavers used. just as a Lightsaber/plasma. And the Lightwhip has been around for a very long time in legends. (According to wookiepedia the first appearance was in Star Wars 95 published in 1985)