The Lightsaber

Combat

"These weapons are not playthings. A lightsaber is a dangerous and destructive instrument, a powerful blade that can strike down an opponent—or a friend, if you're not careful."

- Luke Skywalker to his students

Lightsaber combat is the preferred fighting method used by lightsaber wielders, many of the forms and styles being designed to compensate for the gyroscopic effect inherent in lightsabers, and take advantage of the Force-sensitivity common in most wielders. The different styles of lightsaber dueling were initially based on ancient sword-fighting techniques. Throughout the millennia, these many combat styles were refined into the seven "classic" forms that serve as the standard, and numerous other fighting methods that call for advanced levels of skill. Lightsaber combat was difficult to master for a number of reasons, one of them being that all of the weight a lightsaber had was in its hilt, and the gyroscopic effect caused resistance to changes in motion, or built up momentum so quickly than an untrained wielder could lose control of the weapon.

Rituals

Knighting Ceremony: Lightsabers are an integral part of the knighting ceremonies of the New Jedi Order. During the ceremony, a Padawan would have his or her Padawan braid ritualistically severed by the presiding Jedi Master. This event would often be witnessed by a number of fellow Jedi, who would stand in a circle around the Padawan with their lightsabers ignited.

Only three Sith "knighting" ceremonies are known; a lightsaber was only used during one of these. During the ceremony, Galen Marek was made to kneel before his master, while Darth Vader simply lowered his lightsaber next to both sides of Marek's head, formally declaring the Force Adept his apprentice.

Concordance of Fealty: The Concordance of Fealty is a Jedi tradition of entrusting one's lightsaber to a fellow Order member. This exchange represents a serious, even sacred bond—the establishment of a reciprocal, master-less learning relationship.