Newly unveiled concept art for ‘Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker’ shows off an early design for Dark Rey's lightsaber. ‘The Rise of Skywalker' is the final film of Disney's ‘Star Wars’ sequel trilogy, serving as the capstone to the more than 40 year old, 9-episode saga first started by George Lucas in 1977. Reception towards Disney's trilogy has been divisive to say the least, with each film eliciting strong reactions (both positive and negative) from fans and critics alike. ‘The Rise of Skywalker’ was the most maligned film among critics, being the first live-action Star Wars production to receive a "rotten" rating on Rotten Tomatoes since 1999's ‘The Phantom Menace’.
In ‘The Rise of Skywalker’, Rey (Daisy Ridley) travels to the submerged remnants of the ‘Death Star II’ to track down a Sith wayfinder. As she traverses through the ruins, she eventually discovers a vault within what was once Emperor Palpatine's infamous throne room. Rey is then briefly confronted by a dark side version of herself who wields a hinged double-bladed lightsaber. Though the vision is brief, it is significant in that it marks the second double-bladed to appear in the live-action films (apart from Darth Maul's).
In a recent Instagram post, concept artist Matthew Savage revealed a discarded design for Dark Rey's lightsaber. He says that he "was experimenting with using elements of [Rey's] staff," though those elements would go on to inform Rey's final yellow saber from the film's final scene.
As Savage notes, the early design features many elements inspired by Rey's earlier appearances in the former two films. The emitters on both ends bear striking similarities to the staff Rey uses throughout ‘The Force Awakens’ and ‘The Last Jedi’.
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