Lightsaber

The weapon consisted of a blade of pure plasma emitted from the hilt and suspended in a force containment field. The field contained the immense heat of the plasma, protecting the wielder, and allowed the blade to keep its shape. The hilt was almost always self-fabricated by the wielder to match his or her specific needs, preferences and style. Due to the weightlessness of plasma and the strong gyroscopic effect generated by it, lightsabers required a great deal of strength and dexterity to wield, and it was extremely difficult&mdash;and dangerous&mdash;for the untrained to attempt using. However, in the hands of an expert of the Force, the lightsaber was a weapon to be greatly respected and feared. To wield a lightsaber was to demonstrate incredible skill and confidence, as well as masterful dexterity and attunement to the Force.

Mechanics and specifications
The typical lightsaber hilt consisted of a metal cylinder between twenty-four and thirty centimeters in length. However, the size of individuals hilts varied drastically, as the weapon was tailored to the creator's specific needs and preferences. The hilt had a pommel cap at the bottom which sometimes held a backup power cell. The lightsaber mechanisms were contained within the hilt. High levels of energy generated by a high-output Diatium power cell was unleashed through a series of focusing lenses and energizers that converted the energy into plasma. The plasma was projected through a set of lightsaber crystals that lent the blade its properties and allowed for the adjustment of blade length and power output. The ideal number of crystals was three, though only one was required. A power insulator was installed on the hilt to protect the wielder from any energy discharges. Activating the lightsaber usually required a button of some sort. A blade power adjustment knob was sometimes installed to allow the wielder to vary the power of the blade. A discharge energy cell could also be installed to increase a lightsaber's power output.

Once focused by the crystals, the plasma was sent through a series of field energizers and modulation circuitry within the emitter matrix that further focused it, making it into a coherent beam of energy that was projected from the blade emitter. The blade typically extended about a meter before being arced by the blade containment field back to a negatively charged fissure ringing the emitter, where it was channeled back to the power cell by a superconductor, completing the circuit. This containment field also caused the blades to make contact with other lightsabers blades without passing through like other forms of energy. This trait is seen when lightsaber wielders can block and parry other lightsaber blades.

Cutting power
A lightsaber blade was a mass-less form that neither radiated heat nor expended energy, other than that emitted as visible light, until it came into contact with something solid. The power of the energy blade was so great that it could cut through almost anything, although the speed through which it cut depended on the density of the subject. One important note about lightsaber wounds is that they rarely bled profusely, even when a limb had been severed. This is because the energy blade cauterized the wound as it passed, and thus even a severe wound did not tend to bleed heavily.

When cutting through dense material, the immense electromagnetic field generated by the arc caused resistance rather than letting solid matter enter and interrupt the arc. This gave the blade a feeling of being solid when immersed in dense material. Rarely, some solid materials could actually pass through the electromagnetic field and short out the arc. Other electromagnetic energy fields and coherent energy were also repelled by lightsabers' arcs. These include most force fields, blaster bolts, and other lightsaber blades.

Lightsaber-resistant materials
Aside from the blade of another lightsaber, there were rare materials that could withstand a lightsaber blade, but with varying degrees of success:
 * Cortosis, although a rare and expensive metal, was a popular defense against lightsabers. Purified cortosis ore had the ability to momentarily "short out" a lightsaber blade, rendering it inoperable for a brief period of time before the wielder could reactivate it. Lightsabers with Mestare crystals were known to be immune to this effect. Cortosis alloy was sturdier than purified cortosis ore, but was only capable of deflecting a lightsaber blade and not deactivating it. One reason why cortosis was so expensive was the need to refine it. Pure, unrefined Cortosis ore was&mdash;for unknown reasons&mdash;dangerously ionized and anyone who touched it would be killed instantly. There were multiple methods of forging cortosis armor and weapons, each with varying effects.
 * Phrik, was a rare metallic compound that could withstand a lightsaber blade, although unlike cortosis, Phrik did not possess the ability to cause the blade to short out. Phrik was most notably used in the construction of the electrostaffs wielded by MagnaGuards. Other notable uses of Phrik included elements of Taldav's lightsaber and elements of the alloy in Cybertronians.
 * Songsteel was an extremely rare metal that, similarly to Phrik and Cortosis, had the ability to deflect lightsabers (though it did not have the ability to short out lightsabers the way Cortosis did). It was only used for the making of extremely exquisite, expensive weapons. It was incredibly tedious and hard to forge, though it was quite sought after, as not only did it deflect lightsabers effortlessly, it had other valuable properties. It was extremely lightweight, and it had an incredible, silvery shimmer to it. Notable uses of Songsteel included elements of Taldav's lightsaber and elements of the alloy in Cybertronians.
 * Mandalorian iron: A metal found on the planet Mandalore&mdash;known as beskar in the Mandalorian language&mdash; Mandalorian iron could be forged into several configurations to take advantage of its exceptional lightsaber-resistant qualities. Commonly used in the creation of Mandalorian armor or weapons (such as the Beskad). It is also used in Darth Imperious' armor and lightsaber, elements of Taldav's lightsaber, and elements of the alloy in Cybertronians.
 * Darkswords were an ancient type of sword made from a special material that could parry lightsabers. Unlike cortosis, this material did not possess the ability to temporarily deactivate a lightsaber blade it made contact with.
 * Armorweave was a cloth said to give some resistance to lightsabers, although the protection the reinforced material afforded was limited.
 * Sith alchemy is employed by Sith Empire to augment the properties of metals so as to counter the seemingly unstoppable lightsaber. The Sith also made use of such elements as cortosis in the forging of their Sith swords. After the original Sith Empire, the most notable use of Sith alchemy was in the construction and reinforcement of The Dark Council members' armor.
 * Force weapon: Weapons imbued with the power of the Force could be used to parry a lightsaber's blade without harm. Anything from a quarterstaff to a bladed weapon could be infused with pure Force energy, allowing them to withstand any lightsaber-strike. This art was quite rare, and was largely forgotten by the Jedi by the time of the Clone Wars. Other, less prominent Force-groups, however, still actively called upon this technique.