Double Lightsaber Combat

Double-bladed lightsaber combat

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Darth Maul exercising double-bladed lightsaber combat against Qui-Gon Jinn.

"The single blade has limitations, Master. It made sense to me to be able to strike with both ends."

―Darth Maul to Darth Sidious^[src]

Jedi and Sith who mastered double-bladed lightsaber combat were a rarity. This type of lightsaber combat evolved around a double-bladed lightsaber—sometimes also referred to as a Sith lightsaber or saberstaff.

A saberstaff would typically consist of a long hilt which had energy blades at both ends. The blades could be ignited one at a time, the saberstaff thus functioning as a normal lightsaber, or simultaneously. One of the primary functions of a double-bladed lightsaber was to create fear in the opponent, as a double-bladed lightsaber, with its two deadly blades, looked more menacing than an ordinary one.

Double-bladed lightsaber combat was more like fighting with a staff than with a sword. The weapon having two blades, double-bladed lightsaber combat allowed for much more rapid attack which were more difficult to parry for someone using an ordinary lightsaber. Also it allowed for "more kills per swing," since one would be able to strike opponents in front of and behind oneself simultaneously.

Sith Lord Exar Kun wielding his short-hilted double-bladed lightsaber.

This type of lightsaber combat was extremely rare. Firstly, because it was very difficult to master and using a double-bladed lightsaber could be more dangerous to the untrained wielder than to his opponent. Secondly, this type of lightsaber combat was of an aggressive nature and thus deemed too close to the dark side by many Jedi.

On the offensive, the saberstaff was a whirlwind of destruction. It allowed extremely quick attacks, but at the same time, the user could put a lot of force behind each blow. The long hilt allowed the wielder to also gain an advantage of leverage over his opponent. This applied for both offense and defense. On the defense, the saberstaff still had an edge over a single hilt in that since a single hilt could only engage one end of the staff at a time, the other blade from the staff could strike in the time it took for the wind up of a swing of the single hilt. Locking saber's with a saberstaff was equally as dangerous, for the staff wielder could simpily let one end of the staff be pushed aside, only to catch the opponent with the other end. The major weakness of the saberstaff was that the extra long hilt was vulnerable to being destroyed, as the Padawan Obi-Wan Kenobi demonstrated against Darth Maul, although Maul's saber still functioned with one end.

Several of the standard forms of lightsaber combat had double-bladed variants. Darth Maul used a double-bladed variant of Form VII, and Jedi Master Zez-Kai Ell used a double-bladed variant of Form IV.