The most recent issue of Star Wars dealt with a mistake made years ago by a toy manufacturer by writing the error into canon.
WARNING: The following contains spoilers from Star Wars #6 by Charles Soule, Jesus Saiz, Arif Prianto, and VC’s Clayton Cowles, on sale now.
In a galaxy far, far away, Luke Skywalker is known for wielding two kinds of lightsabers: His father’s blue one and the green one he built for himself when he finally became a Jedi Knight. But in Star Wars #6, Luke acquires a new lightsaber in the interim between when he lost the Skywalker lightsaber and built his own lightsaber. This particular blade was once wielded by a Jedi Temple Guard and gave Luke a new color to wield: yellow. But while Luke may have claimed a new lightsaber rife with Star Wars lore, he also made a classic toy goof canon.
When Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope first came out in 1977, it sparked a new generation of sci-fi fans who were all clamoring for the merchandise based on the movie’s incredible characters. Kenner Toys produced a line of Star Wars action figures looking to cash in on the hype surrounding the film. However, the company made a major mistake in their production by giving the Luke Skywalker figure a yellow lightsaber instead of the blue one he used in the movie.
Back then, the greater Star Wars universe had yet to be expanded on, so there was no notion of the Jedi Sentinels from Star Wars Legends or the later Jedi Temple Guards brought to life in Disney canon. At that stage of Star War’s infancy there were only two defined colors for lightsabers: red and blue. No one is entirely certain why Kenner continued producing the yellow lightsaber wielding Luke after A New Hope was released, even more so when they did it again after the release of The Empire Strikes Back. Eventually color corrections were made to their products, but to this day it remains an infamous part of Star Wars’ early toy history and also something for hardcore fans and collectors to enjoy.
Luke’s acquisition of a yellow lightsaber, however, made this mistake a part of Star Wars canon. While Luke’s wielding of a yellow lightsaber may correct a decades old manufacturing error, it also signifies the interconnected history of Star Wars both in the universe and the real world.
By using a yellow lightsaber, Luke is taking on the responsibility of the temple guards of old: protecting the Jedi Order. Granted, at that point in time it encompassed Luke and a few other surviving characters in the Star Wars universe, but the point of him taking up a yellow lightsaber is still a noble one.