How Star Wars' Imperial Jedi Change the True Purpose of Lightsabers... And What It Means for Ahsoka Tano

In stories set over a century after Luke Skywalker's lifetime, Imperial Knights act as bodyguards to the Emperor of the Fel Empire. Though the Imperial Knights consider Jedi their cousins in the light side, their purpose is to keep balance in the galaxy by safeguarding its chief political apparatus.

If the Emperor they serve takes actions that will harm the people of the galaxy or which suggest their corruption by the Dark Side, the Imperial Knights can and will strike the Emperor down. This turns the Imperial Knights into a unique faction with many ties to the Jedi but their own priorities and mission that takes primacy over the Order itself.

The Imperial Knights Were Protectors of the Empire as a Whole, Not Just the Emperor

Their White Lightsabers Reflect Their Unified Philosophy

The Imperial Knights each carry white lightsabers, unlike their Jedi cousins who wield a variety of colored blades. Imperial Knight weapons aren’t crafted with the honored reverence with which a Jedi shapes their weapon, pouring their own essence into its Kyber crystal. The Imperial Knights use synthetic crystals for practicality, whereas the Jedi set out on a spiritual journey to find a Kyber crystal that resonates with them through the force to create their lightsaber. A Jedi's lightsaber is a symbol of their unique connection to the Force, while an Imperial Knight's weapon is a symbol of their unity.

While the Imperial Knights favor the light side, they are willing to draw on certain dark side powers and don't have the same level of ceremony around their abilities and tools. Because of this, regular Jedi have branded the Imperial Knights a type of 'Gray Jedi,' even though that's now primarily how they think of themselves. Indeed, the Imperial Knights are far more focused on the unity and single-mindedness of their organization, with their white lightsabers and red armor acting as uniforms to give them a shared identity.

Instead of using the Light Side as a philosophy on which to base their personal lives and actions, the Imperial Knights believe it's a higher duty to ensure the larger Fel Empire adheres to the light side. At any sign of encroaching darkness, it is their responsibility to either execute their leader or try to isolate and redeem them. This delicate balancing act made Imperial Knights the moral backbone of the Empire, with a death sentence hanging over those who opposed them.

Ahsoka Tano Has Many Connections With the Imperial Knights

Could Ahsoka Be More Than Just a Former Jedi?

A theory that has been floating through the Star Wars fandom for years that Ahsoka Tano has become a Gray Jedi. In season five of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Ahsoka turns her back on the Jedi Order once she realizes that their rules are unjust and leaves to follow her own sense of what is right in the world. By the time fans see Ahsoka in Star Wars: Rebels, she wields two new white-bladed lightsabers and is acting for the betterment of the Galaxy as a secret Rebel intelligence agent with the codename Fulcrum.

Upon realizing her old master, Anakin, is alive and has turned into Darth Vader, Ahsoka determines that confronting and ending Vader is the only option for the betterment of the Galaxy. When confronting Darth Vader for the first time since she last saw Anakin, Vader taunts Ahsoka's thirst for revenge for the person Anakin used to be, telling her that "revenge is not the Jedi way." In one of Ahsoka's most famous lines, she responds to Vader's quip by fervently proclaiming "I am no Jedi."

Beyond denouncing the Jedi Order and the title of a Jedi Knight, Ahsoka's battle against Vader is a battle to the death on both sides. Even when Ahsoka manages to break Vader’s helmet and see a glimpse of the man she once knew, her determination is not swayed. Ahsoka’s devotion to a greater good for the galaxy as a whole and her willingness to kill her former master who has fallen to the Dark Side lines up almost perfectly with the role the Imperial Knights in the Star Wars: Legacy series.

Elements of the Star Wars: Legacy Comics Can Enter Current Canon With Ahsoka

Will There Be a Gray Jedi in the Future of Star Wars?

Since the Star Wars: Legacy comics are not canon anymore in the Star Wars universe, the debate about whether Ahsoka is a Gray Jedi is a legitimate one. As Gray Jedi have not been introduced or even remotely mentioned in the current Star Wars canon, it's impossible to authoritatively use the term. However, many elements of what's now known as Star Wars Legends have found their way into current canon, and it's possibly only a matter of time until either Gray Jedi or Imperial Knights break through.

It would perfectly fit Ahsoka's arc for her to end up as a proto-form of an Imperial Knight - someone who 'serves' the government while also acting as a deadly knife to its throat. Ahsoka already embodies the essence of the Gray Jedi, but her evolution into the first Imperial Knight could be even more interesting, creating a unified, powerful faction with strong ties to the Jedi but their own reason to exist.

Hopefully, Ahsoka's white lightsabers could even go on to influence the weaponry of any future Imperial Knights, as these unique warriors are a great idea that could have major potential in future Star Wars projects.

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  Star Wars

  Star Wars is a multimedia franchise that started in 1977 by creator George Lucas. After the release of Star Wars: Episode IV- A New Hope (originally just titled Star Wars), the franchise quickly exploded, spawning multiple sequels, prequels, TV shows, video games, comics, and much more. After Disney acquired the rights to the franchise, they quickly expanded the universe on Disney+, starting with The Mandalorian.

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  Ahsoka Tano

  The apprentice of Anakin Skywalker, Ahsoka Tano was an accomplished Padawan who served during the Clone Wars. Ahsoka left the Jedi after she became disillusioned with the Jedi Council, but returned to serve in the Siege of Mandalore at the end of the Clone Wars. She survived Order 66, becoming a Rebel agent during the Dark Times of the Empire's reign, and her adventures continue in the New Republic era. Ahsoka was last seen stranded in a distant galaxy, having failed to prevent Grand Admiral Thrawn's return.