Ask a Star Wars fan their favorite weapon, and there’s a 98% chance they choose the lightsaber. Lightsabers — laser swords powered by a Force-filled kyber crystal — have enamored Star Wars fans since they first appeared in 1977. And, like everything that has a passionate fanbase, the different types of lightsabers have as many fans as there are characters in Star Wars. Red, blue, gold, green — fans love to talk about lightsabers.

There have been incredible variations of lightsabers, such as the lightwhip, which is exactly what it sounds like. However, as cool as these new lightsabers are, when it comes to the rule of cool, most think of how Darth Maul blew minds when he first appeared in 1999’s Star Wars: The Phantom Menace with a double-bladed red lightsaber.

To that, I say: sure, Maul’s lightsaber is pretty amazing, but [Yoda voice] there is another. I am, of course, talking about Ezra Bridger’s infamous lightsaber-blaster hybrid, first seen in Star Wars: Rebels, season 1, episode 10, "Path of the Jedi."

What makes a lightsaber “cool” is all a matter of taste, but here’s my most objective assessment: While the appearance of the lightsaber certainly plays a part, I’d argue the most significant........

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