Anakin Skywalker’s Lightsaber Has A Pathetic Statistic Most Star Wars Fans Don’t Know

In its brief window of use, Anakin Skywalker’s lightsaber does a lot of heroic things. It helps the innocent against the oppressive Separatists during the Clone Wars, gives Luke Skywalker the opportunity to kickstart his Jedi training, and helps Rey Skywalker and her allies to take down the First Order. At the same time, it’s impossible to ignore the fact that Anakin’s saber was front and center for some terrible acts. In fact, one atrocity committed with it is one of the most infamous in the eyes of «Star Wars» fans.

A major strike against Anakin’s lightsaber comes to fruition during Mace Windu’s (Samuel L. Jackson) attempted arrest of Chancellor Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid) — aka Darth Sidious. As the Jedi Master has the Sith Lord on the ropes during their confrontation, Anakin ignites his weapon and cuts off the former’s hand. Sidious is then able to gain the upper hand and throw Windu from the window of his Coruscant office. Following that, Anakin uses his trusty saber to annihilate the Jedi during Order 66, even unforgettably slaughtering helpless Jedi Younglings during the Jedi Temple raid.

Anakin Skywalker, a hero of the Clone Wars and one of the most powerful Jedi of all time, stains his legacy and that of his lightsaber in the blink of an eye. Try as they might, neither Luke nor Rey Skywalker manages to move past the weapon’s dark past. For all the harm it caused, it’s better off buried.