How Sith Turn Their Lightsabers & Kyber Crystals Red

The way Sith Lords obtain kyber crystals for their red lightsabers is incredibly dark in the Star Wars galaxy, a brutal and torturous rite of passage.

The Sith Lords have an ancient process that explains why all their lightsabers are red in the Star Wars galaxy. While Jedi Knights have several different lightsaber colors with blue and green being the predominant crystals most often seen, the Sith's crystals are all red. There's a very dark reason for this, one that has been developed across multiple mediums beyond the canon movies and shows.

Beginning with Charles Soule's Darth Vader comics series in 2017, the origins of red kyber crystals were revealed with the confirmation that they aren't found naturally in the galaxy compared to those used by the Jedi Order. Instead, a red kyber crystal must be forged using an incredibly dark tradition. Here's how the Sith Lords turn their lightsaber crystals red in the Star Wars continuity.

Related: Every Canon Lightsaber Color In Star Wars (And Their Meaning)

Rather than being found naturally on worlds such as Illum or Christophsis, red kyber has to be made by the Sith. After procuring natural kyber (no matter the color), a Sith Lord corrupts the crystal using the dark side of the Force in a process known as "bleeding". Kyber is considered to be alive due to its intrinsic connection in the Force, and a Sith Lord would pour all of their hate and pain into the crystal. This causes it to literally bleed, creating the sinister crimson color as the kyber has effectively been tortured into becoming a weapon of the dark side.

As seen in Charles Soule's The Rise of Kylo Ren, a corrupted Ben Solo holds his blue Jedi crystal in his fist, tainting it until it bleeds and turns red. However, the process can result in cracks in the kyber, hence the need for Kylo Ren to add a crossguard to vent his new lightsaber's unstable power. In Soule's Star Wars #35, Luke learned about bleeding while searching for a new crystal on Christophsis: "a dark side practioner pours their rage and pain and fear through the crystal, leaving it vibrating in scarlet agony...like a feedback loop". As such, it's confirmed that bled kyber experiences constant pain due to their wielder's corruption.

Soule's 2017 Darth Vader series also confirmed that the way Sith Lords acquire their crystals is a sinister rite of passage. Shortly after Anakin Skywalker became Vader in Revenge of the Sith, Emperor Palpatine tasked his new apprentice with killing a surviving Jedi. Once doing so, Darth Vader would then claim the Jedi's crystal as his own before bleeding it for his first crimson-bladed lightsaber as a powerful Sith in the Star Wars galaxy. After hunting down and slaying Jedi Master Kirak Infil'a, Vader did exactly as his master commanded and claimed his green kyber for himself, following the ancient traditions of the countless Sith who came before him.

During the corruption of his crystal, Darth Vader received a Force vision that showed him an alternate path where he could attempt to redeem himself (which he of course rejected). Regardless, it's quite evident that the rite of passage of bleeding a slain Jedi's crystal is critical to test a Sith's commitment to the dark side of the Force. Particularly in Darth Vader's case, he was clearly put through just as much torture as the crystal he tainted, supporting the claim that Sith Lords and their corrupted crystals coexist in dark feedback loops of pain.

Related: Star Wars Has Forgotten How Special Maul's Lightsaber Really Was

It's important to note that red-bladed lightsabers are not exclusive to the Sith, instead being a symbol of the dark side on a grander scale. Case in point, the original leader of the Knights of Ren before Kylo wielded a red lightsaber. Additionally, the High Republic's corrupted Jedi Dagan Gera bled his own lightsaber crystal as seen in the Jedi: Survivor game from Respawn. Any dark side wielder has the potential to bleed kyber using their darkest emotions. However, it's nice to know that the process can be reversed as seen with Ahsoka Tano and her purified white kyber crystals that had once been red in the Star Wars canon.