Lightsaber Umbrella (Parasol)

“The Lightsaber Umbrella” or “The Lightsaber Parasol” was a Sith lightsaber variant that looks like a traditional parasol, it functioned as a single bladed lightsaber when using just the handle and produced multiple red plasma blades resembling a parasol when the parasol auxiliary was added. When spun, these blades formed a shield.

Who Created the Lightsaber Parasol?

The lightsaber parasol was created by Kouru, a Force-sensitive Sith woman who lived during the Empire’s reign. Kouru was always upset when she was young and taken by the Jedi, often fighting, crying and screaming, she couldn’t remember the name of the Jedi Master who used the dark side of the Force to calm her but that memory made her feel like the Sith had saved her. As a Sith, she felt free to express her emotions by screaming.

Her training in the Force continued under her Sith master. Even though they often argued, they cared about and served each other. When she was still young, she took part in a failed Sith rebellion led by “The Dark Lord of the Sith”, later called “the Ronin”,

After killing a Jedi, Kouru’s master told her to destroy the Jedi’s lightsaber and take the kyber crystal inside to make a Sith lightsaber. Even though her master didn’t like the process, she said it was better to take the crystal and make it their own, Kouru’s master gave her the holographic blueprints created by the Dark Lord of the Sith. Soon after Kouru built her blade, the dark lord sent lightsaber auxiliary plans for extra customization, Kouru’s master had turned her own lightsaber into a red fan and Kouru made a parasol auxiliary to build her lightsaber parasol.

What is Parasol Auxiliary?

Soon after Kouru made her lightsaber during the Sith rebellion, she got holographic blueprints created by the “Dark Lord of the Sith”, she used these blueprints to create her parasol auxiliary.

The parasol auxiliary was an add-on for a Sith lightsaber that Kouru used to make her lightsaber parasol, this gadget attached to the lightsaber handle and used the energy from the kyber crystal to produce several blades. The lightsaber looked like a parasol with a red top when fully assembled, especially when spun quickly to form a shield.

How the Lightsaber Parasol Works?

When the parasol auxiliary was added to the lightsaber handle, the kyber crystal’s energy was directed straight and then spread out into several blades looking like a parasol. The auxiliary had a central pole and ribs that opened up like a parasol, when turned on, red plasma beams came out from the tips of the ribs making it look like multiple lightsabers, an extra piece at the bottom of the handle made the weapon longer, both pieces could be removed to use the weapon as a regular single bladed lightsaber.

When the Lightsaber Parasol Was Used by Kouru in Lightsaber Combat?

When Kouru led her bandit group to attack a village on Genbara planet, she met the Ronin there during the raid, she detached the parasol auxiliary and fought the former Sith Lord in a deadly lightsaber combat using just the single blade of her lightsaber. The Ronin outsmarted her and killed her in the end.

After the fight, the Ronin’s astromech droid B5-56 retrieved the discarded parasol auxiliary, as that new lightsaber technology could sell high, the Ronin gave the auxiliary to a Sullustan shopkeeper who had assisted him as payment for services rendered, he also shattered Kouru’s lightsaber hilt and removed the kyber crystal which he ended up giving to the chield chief of the village.

Combat Style and Usage

The lightsaber parasol’s design showed Kouru’s daring and agressive Sith spirit, the spinning blades let Kouru strike from all sides, the blades could whirl in a storm to attack and block.

The parasol had a fresh form but drew from old arms like war fans, twin blades and spear tips, these features let it spin well in fights.

With the parasol auxiliary attached, Kouru could use showy spinning techniques but the new design also let her shift strikes, sword dance styles transition smoothly from sweeps to stabs and the lightsaber’s flexibility makes it perfect for allowing her to shift unpredictably.

Appearances

The lightsaber parasol first appeared in the anime short “The Duel” from the “Star Wars: Visions” anthology series produced by Kamikaze Douga and directed by Takanobu Mizuno, with character designs by Takashi Okazaki, the short film released on September 22, 2021 depicted the parasol configuration with eight individual blades at its top.

The subsequent tie-in novel “Ronin: A Visions Novel” by writer Emma Mieko Candon, published on October 12, 2021, then provided more details identifying and describing the weapon as the “lightsaber parasol” with six radiating blades forming the parasol.

Candon elaborated on the unique design and functions of the six bladed lightsaber parasol as an expression of its creator Kouru’s flamboyant and aggressive personality as a Sith warrior.