The color of a lightsaber's blade is given by its power source, the kyber crystal, but can also be influenced by the wielder's emotions and thoughts. The Jedi use different colored lightsabers (predominantly blue, green, and yellow), while the Sith wield exclusively red-bladed sabers to distinguish themselves from the Jedi. In the Star Wars universe, the lightsaber is the signature weapon of the light side-wielding Jedi Order and the dark side-wielding Sith Order and the Knights of Ren (named after another term for lightsaber), but can also be wielded by non- Force-sensitive characters as an ordinary weapon or tool. The lightsaber's distinct appearance was created using rotoscoping for the original films, and with digital effects for the prequel and sequel trilogies. First introduced in the original Star Wars film, it has since appeared in most Star Wars films, with at least one lightsaber duel occurring in each installment of the " Skywalker saga". A typical lightsaber is depicted as a luminescent plasma blade about 3 feet (0.91 m) in length emitted from a metal hilt around 10.5 inches (27 cm) in length. Plot element from the Star Wars franchiseĪ lightsaber (also referred to as a laser sword) is a fictional energy sword featured throughout the Star Wars franchise.