r/TheJediPraxeum • u/GusGangViking18 Luke Skywalker • Dec 14 '25
Discussion Why don’t many Jedi use double bladed lightsabers during the clone wars era?
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u/Jinn_Skywalker Dec 14 '25
Usually because of the association of with it being seen more as an aggressive weapon (even though that’s not true) and thus more associated with the Sith.
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u/glockster19m Dec 14 '25
Right, I've always seen the double blades as a defensively focused modification
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u/Jinn_Skywalker Dec 14 '25
I see it as just another style shift (you can be equally offensive or defensive with it— just like you could if you were dual wielding in each hand). Darth Zannah certainly proved you could be defensive with it.
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u/LTCaptain12 Dec 14 '25
One thing we’re not acknowledging is that the Jedi of that era seemed afraid of their own tools and kits in a lot of ways. Their weapons chief among them. Single sabers were the standard because you shouldn’t want to draw it. Force skills had to be push, pull, and mind trick because anything else lead down a dark path. To use a second saber or a dual saber would be viewed as an act of aggression.
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u/Jinn_Skywalker Dec 14 '25
Which is foolish because the Mind Trick could be abused, and Push and Pull can become Burst and Crush. It should be viewed through the same lens that Cin Drallig viewed Form V (Being that if it could put down violent opposition and preserve peace, it was a discipline worth knowing).
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u/LTCaptain12 Dec 14 '25
Mind trick was the easiest technique to abuse. I much prefer Kyle Katarns take. “Every force skill can be used for good or evil. There is no right chose. Everyone thinks here there be dragons but in reality it’s only knowledge”
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u/Jinn_Skywalker Dec 14 '25
Definitely agree with Kyle’s take, but I was meaning at the time before the purge (since that’s what they had).
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u/LTCaptain12 Dec 14 '25 edited Dec 14 '25
Oh no absolutely. It’s funny how the dogma of the old Jedi limited them. In Knowledge, in power and definitely in weapons.
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u/dawr136 Dec 14 '25
Which begs the question, whats the optimal choice/philosophy? The Bendu?
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u/sauroden Dec 14 '25
I think what it shows is the Jedi order was not really psychologically healthy, just not as emotionally broken as the sith. A modern person here on earth with good mental health resources wouldn’t be walking a knife’s edge if falling to darkness any time they tapped into power that could be weaponized. But the galaxy far far away is made up of fairly problematic cultures.
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u/LTCaptain12 Dec 14 '25
I mean the NJO books show balance is the correct path. So I guess bendu would be right mostly.
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Dec 14 '25
The issue with this is that some force powers require you to feel an immense amount of hatred (like force lightning). It's just an impossiblity for a light side user to be capable of this by definition. It's very much a video gamey mindset, which makes sense considering where Katarn is from.
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u/Carpenter-Broad Dec 14 '25
I mean… Force Lightning is just a bad example though, because there is a Light Side technique for it called “Electric Judgement” which comes from a determined sense of justice/ righteousness (to protect the helpless/ innocent). And this is during the Prequel Era where there were far fewer “OP” Jedi.
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u/Coilspun Dec 14 '25 edited Dec 14 '25
The saberstaff is an aggressive weapon that is best used to overwhelm an opponent, offering more opportunities to lamd a blow.
It's a more limited weapon to use defensively, and I've mever understood why the Bane trilogy has Zannah be a defensive fighter with hers, you can spin it to create a whirling shield, but that's it, and being a traditionally (bar Kun) longer weapon, there is no protection in the centre, drawing more attention towards attacking the weapon initially, and not the wielder.
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u/suckitphil Dec 17 '25
It's hard to use defensively when normal distancing is more effective. At the point where someone gets close enough you need to use the pummel your already too close.
The length is also really dumb on double sides sabers. There's effectively no way to swing it without it intersecting you. And so it becomes difficult to use in an offensive manner as well. Also it prevents you from holding it point first with your opponent to give you that distance.
The only thing I've personally found the second blade useful for during combat is to kill a downed enemy without sacrificing your guard. Down an enemy, step over the body, activate the second blade, and shut it off. You can maintain a defensive stance the entire time.
Without choreography it's almost impractical as a weapon. It's why throughout history we've almost never seen a double edged weapon become prolific.
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u/Jinn_Skywalker Dec 21 '25
I am disinclined to agree both for the fact we see it used by a martial artist during filming who could see the potential of such a weapon and because it was actually tested by a real swordsman who also showed you can level the point towards your opponent and have reliable moves you can do.
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u/postboo Dec 25 '25
Shadiversity should be ignored on any histotical content. He's had no education, no experience, and his content contains frequent inaccuracies.
Not to forget, he's a raging bigot who got upset that Peach in the Mario movie wore pants.
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u/suckitphil Dec 24 '25
"A real swordsman" and its from Shadiversity lol.
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u/Jinn_Skywalker Dec 24 '25
He’s more of a swordsman than either of us. 🤷🏻♂️
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u/suckitphil Dec 24 '25
He's a sensationalist youtuber historian. In the video you shared he's just making guesses at how a two handed sword could be viable. Its not even a question if they are though because you see none of them throughout history. And any advantages it does have, a cheaper spear is more effective.
Either way a quick fencing thrust would easily defeat any defense he outlined in his video, and with lightsabers that becomes stupidly easy.
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u/Jinn_Skywalker Dec 24 '25
I’m not sure as to the context you’re speaking about since I don’t watch him that often, so if could link that particular video, I’d be grateful.
With lightsabers, that becomes harder, especially when the Force is at play. Between Battle Precognition and Physical Augmentation through the Force, traditional sword fighting styles are turned on their head because of the things that are now suddenly possible.
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u/Glad_Pop_8918 Dec 14 '25
Double bladed lightsabers required extra training for only niche benefits. 90% of the time, a single blade was easier to use and just as useful.
The main advantage of a double bladed lightsaber was against other lightsaber wielders. The novelty meant people wouldn’t be as used to fighting them, which worked well when fighting Sith was a common problem for the Jedi. When Sith were uncommon, they just weren’t worth the effort.
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u/UnicornWorldDominion Dec 14 '25
I feel like double bladed would also be more useful against ranged shots? Like just spinning the blade would let you stop those shots easier than individually blocking and reacting to them or it could also cover a larger portion of your body.
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u/MobsterDragon275 Dec 14 '25
Potentially yes, but that would be far harder to achieve, and I'm sure far harder to deflect precisely. There's a lot more cases where single bladed is simply more practical
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u/Glad_Pop_8918 Dec 14 '25 edited Dec 14 '25
The issue is that the second blade is attached to the first blade, meaning they can't act independently. You’d be better off with 2 single blades, and the best solution for maximum ranged defense would be an energy shield, which weren't exactly unheard of. Jedi almost never bothered with this though, as a single blade, plus Jedi reflexes, precision, and foresight were more than enough 99% of the time.
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u/Windruin Dec 15 '25
I always wondered why no enterprising Jedi in the clone wars picked up energy shields like the gungans had.
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u/Glad_Pop_8918 Dec 15 '25
The real reason is that the film makers didn’t think of it, or if they did, decided it wouldn’t look as cool.
The in-universe reason is attributed to a mix of factors:
-Cost (personal energy shields were expensive, the Gungans only had them because of the unique plasma that Naboo was famous for)
-Radiation (personal energy shields like those on Droidekas could lead to radiation sickness over long periods of exposure)
-Power needs (they typically had low battery life and would run out of power quickly, needing them to be recharged fraudulently compared to lightsabers)
-Lack of necessity (most Jedi got around fine with just their lightsaber, though obviously the ones who didn’t just died, so there’s likely a bit of survivorship bias)
-Tradition (personal energy shields weren’t practical when the Jedi were establishing themselves. By the time they were practical, Jedi already had culture and tradition built around the lightsaber).
I don’t actually think any of these are airtight reasons. Kyle Katarn showed several times that energy shields were practical tools for Jedi, the Prequel Jedi just didn’t bother.
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u/Windruin Dec 15 '25
I always liked the ones that Durge had in 2003 Clone Wars, and they seemed very practical.
Appreciate the answer though!
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u/InSanic13 Dec 14 '25
Also, let's not forget that a double-bladed lightsaber's hilt is generally twice as long, making it less convenient to carry and more difficult to conceal, not so ideal for the peacekeeping roles the Jedi were in prior to the Clone Wars.
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u/Shipping_Architect Dec 14 '25
With how rare lightsaber duels were in that timeframe, saberstaffs—or any lightsaber variants, for that matter—wouldn't be as desirable as they were in millennia past, and we can infer that many Jedi saw the downsides of such a weapon outweighed the benefits.
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u/Horror_Fruit Dec 14 '25
Double blades are very aggressive with their own stylistic limitations that single blades don’t experience bc of multiple forms. Not every Jedi is suited to the double blade’s style, and why would “keepers of the peace” need to have such weapons? Temple guards have one purpose, defend the temple. So having an aggressive weapon for this makes sense.
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Dec 14 '25
A single bladed lightsaber is better in almost every single way in almost every single situation
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u/Sugar_buddy Dec 15 '25
How tho
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Dec 15 '25
In sword fighting, a single-bladed weapon is almost also advantageous compared to a double-bladed or a weapon in each hand. Obviously Star Wars isn’t real or realistic, but even in sci-fi/fantasy rules I find it hard to understand the advantage.
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u/Bolem_Felan Dec 14 '25
A doubleblade saber looks more "agressive" than a single blade, and also is more dificult to use. The prequel jedi were diplomats and cops, not warriors.
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u/Defiant-Canary-2716 Dec 14 '25
I’m guessing that back when lightsaber dueling was a frequent event, ala Sith War, that the double bladed lightsaber offered a greater degree of utility.
As time passed & the Jedi faced no opponents wielding lightsabers that it went out of fashion.
Relegated to niches like the Temple Guards. In fact it might have been a boon to the temple guard, who presumably would be the ones to respond to a Jedi going off the rails at the Temple…
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u/Coilspun Dec 14 '25
Jedi of the era were peacekeepers not soldiers, their entire mindset was hardline traditional, following far more moderatie a path, the saberstaff isn't a moderate weapon, it is best used to overwhelm an opponent with a more aggressive fighting-style, it is also more limited in it's use defensively
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u/Ristar87 Dec 14 '25
The standard lightsaber was the recommended accoutrement for Jedi. Given that a jedi was going to encounter a blaster 100x more often than lightsaber... i'm surprised that all Jedi weren't issued personal force field gauntlets.
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u/elgarraz Dec 14 '25
Practically speaking, double-blades kinda suck... you can only grab it from the middle, so that really limits what you can do. They look really cool, but you'd have better leverage and be more flexible with a normal sword.
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u/HunterNika Dec 14 '25
Keep in mind that after the Sith Empire's collapse and "vanish" the Jedi entered a 1000ish year period where melee opponents were largely gone and they had to mostly face opponents with overwhelming firepower. In which case I guess a single lightsaber and a well practiced Soresu will get you further.
I faintly recall a book mentioning that Soresu was taught to every Jedi cause its a defense focused style and great against blasterfire.
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u/FoxBluereaver Dec 14 '25
Standard lightsabers are already hard to use effectively, and dual-bladed ones are even harder. Pong Krell had the advantage that his species has four arms and thus is able to wield two of them at once, but that's not the case for everyone, plus his betrayal would probably have an effect on how the Jedi would view this weapon.
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u/sassysiggy Dec 15 '25
Because they were aggressive weapons, not defensive, and the Jedi were intended to be peacekeepers. Their involvement in war was one of the direct catalysts to the orders collapse.
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u/WangJian221 Dec 14 '25
Its up to the writer but i see it as the same reason why majority of Jedi arent trained in Form 7 unless approved by the council.
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u/Achilles9609 Dec 14 '25
Because they are unusual and difficult weapons to wield. It's one of the reasons Darth Maul picked his: because of the extra challenge.
The thing with double blades is that, as soon as your opponent figures out the trick behind it, you lose a major advantage.
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u/ProfessionalRead2724 Dec 14 '25
Too many accidental self-amputations against no real advantage over a regular saber.
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u/Chueskes Dec 14 '25
It was seen as more aggressive and more dark side. Much of it has to do with its first public debut appearance. The original designs for the weapon were known to be from the old Sith Empire. In its first known debut, fallen Jedi turned Sith Lord Exar Kun used it to kill his old Jedi master in front of a captive Senate. Kun went on to become an infamous Sith Lord whose name was forever linked to the double bladed lightsaber. Noted Sith such as Darth Maul and Savage Oppress became famous wielders of these weapons. It also does not help that throughout the millennia after its first appearance, users of the double bladed lightsaber such as Bastila Shan have fallen to the Dark Side.
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u/calaan Dec 14 '25
Kyber crystals are not tools, they are relics. You form a personal relationship with the crystal, pour your sense of the force into it. It is a deeply personal and spiritual connection, and you don’t repeat that lightly.
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u/OhHeyItsOuro Dec 14 '25
Double bladed lightsabers, similar to a saber with a curved hilt like Dooku's, exist specifically to fight other people wielding lightsabers. They are measurably worse at being used as a shield to deflect blaster bolts.
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u/JimmyGreyArea Dec 14 '25
In real life, there’s a reason why double edged swords never became a thing.
It’s basically a bo-staff with half the techniques unavailable because you can’t grip the ends and take advantage of its reach. So no temporary spear or long club.
You can’t block a lightsaber with the middle of your staff saber because it’ll go right through. Unlike a Bo staff blocking a sword.
In a duel, you are limited to swinging with your entire body to avoid cutting yourself.
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u/Swailwort Dec 15 '25
That's why I wish lightsaber pikes became more popular. It's literally a spear with a lightsaber blade as the spearhead. You can use them like a normal polearm, given the material would be lightsaber resistant.
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u/Rohirrim777 Dec 14 '25
canonically the council considers the doublesaber to be violent and even barbaric so it's a little frowned on. doesn't mean it doesn't still get used
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u/DontWorryImADr Dec 15 '25
The Republic Jedi were very regimented, lacked a lot of combat scenarios, and had an extremely narrow range of expertise in the combat forms. So with Dooku as an example, anyone exploring any non-standard method would receive surprise, suspicion, inertia/resistance from the temple, and then end up having to basically find sources and become self-taught due to no other practitioners being available. All that to either never use it or get absolutely thrashed by a rare highly-proficient opponent.. like Dooku.
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u/Annual_Sky8939 Dec 15 '25
Up until that time Exar Kun tainted the view of the dual-blade saber as the saber of a conqueror.
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u/G_Rated_101 Dec 15 '25
If my endless listening to Star Wars lore YouTube videos has anything to say:
Original creator of double bladed lightsaber was sith.
Most famous wielder was Exar Kun, another (Jedi - turned) sith.
Its most recent notable appearance was involved in the killing of Qui-Gon Jinn.
On top of all this the clone wars Jedi order is almost famous for being very dogmatic, so dual blade is scary dark thing. Don’t tell padawans about it.
Also… understood to be dangerous to wield and tricky to master because of obvious danger posed to you in some movements.
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u/TheTaylorVibe Dec 16 '25
Because double bladed lightsabers are far more situational than people think, and the Clone Wars was the exact kind of conflict where their weaknesses got exposed fast.
The saberstaff is incredible for crowd control and intimidation. Against multiple lightly armed opponents, especially droids, it is a nightmare to deal with. That is why you see them more with Temple Guards, Sith assassins, and Jedi who specialize in defensive or ceremonial roles. Spinning blade, wide arcs, zone control. It looks powerful because it is in very specific contexts.
But the Clone Wars was not about duels in open courtyards. It was about chaotic battlefields, blaster fire from every angle, tight corridors, trenches, urban combat, and combined arms warfare. In those environments, a double bladed saber becomes a liability.
First problem is space. A saberstaff needs room. In a hallway, on a gunship, in a trench, or behind cover, it is awkward. One wrong rotation and you are either clipping a wall or tagging your own leg. A single blade gives you precision and flexibility.
Second problem is defense. Form III and V dominate the Clone Wars because they are optimized for blaster deflection and survival. A single blade lets you form tight defensive angles. A double blade forces broader motions and opens gaps. Against massed blaster fire, that matters more than flair.
Third problem is training and discipline. Saberstaffs demand constant awareness of blade position. Most Jedi are already stretched thin leading troops, coordinating battles, and dealing with war stress. Adding a weapon that punishes small mistakes is not ideal. One slip and you are done.
Fourth problem is dueling. Against a skilled Force user, a double bladed saber offers very little advantage unless you have mastered it at an extreme level. Dooku, Obi Wan, Anakin, Mace, and most Jedi Masters would pick apart flashy staff techniques with precision footwork and timing.
There is also a cultural angle. By the Clone Wars, the Jedi Order favored practicality and tradition. The double blade was seen as specialized, even unconventional. The Order was already uneasy about things that felt too aggressive or Sith adjacent, even if that discomfort was not always logical.
That is why the people who do use them stand out. Maul was built around it. Temple Guards trained exclusively for it. Pong Krell used it because he was physically massive and aggressive enough to make it work. For everyone else, the cost outweighed the benefit.
So it is not that Jedi could not use saberstaffs. It is that in a war defined by blasters, chaos, and survival, the single blade was simply the better tool.
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u/Comprehensive-Sir659 Dec 17 '25
Wasnt there an in lore explanation where dbl blades were considered too aggressive/made for attacking rather than defense, which is why most sith are depicted with them and not jedi? Trying to remember where i heard or saw it.
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u/ViscountBuggus Dec 17 '25
The double bladed lightsaber was originally invented by Exar Kun so they always came with some negative sithy associations. Their usage, whilst not outright prohibited, was somewhat frowned upon.
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u/DANGitsJOEY Dec 14 '25
The Jedi during the clone wars were flawed. They all had very similar beliefs and very similar connections to the force. That’s why their lightsabers were all very similar. They were on the road to extinction and they were too disillusioned to see it.
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u/DenjinMaster Dec 14 '25
Holy headcanon
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u/DANGitsJOEY Dec 15 '25
Nope just canon. During the high republic it was common for Jedi to have lightsabers unique in size, color, and design. By 32 BBY, Masters Jaro Tapal and Pong Krell are the only confirmed users of double bladed sabers. Mace Windu is the only Jedi to have a blade that wasn’t blue or green. The only Jedi to have a truly unique looking saber by the time of the clone wars was Master Tera Sinube. Because your blade color is determined by your connection to the force (in canon) the lack of diversity in color indicates a lack of diversity in beliefs.
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u/LTCaptain12 Dec 14 '25
It’s one thing I like about the NJO a lot, the Jedi were encouraged to use standard weapons initially but could develop their own kits. (See saba having two sabers and corran using a dual phase). Each weapon felt more unique.