“Never mistake it for an olive branch. A Lightell will only use it to stab you in the heart.”―Jhon Cordatus[src]
The Sword of Edo Tesu was a relic from the Jedi Order that dated back to the Alsakan Crisis. The long sword was wielded by Jedi Master Edo Tesu during the Conclave on Ossus in a duel against Grand Master Banik Kelrada, who was unknowingly being manipulated by Tesu’s wife, Sarina Lightell. Later that night, Lightell, who suffered from a split personality, murdered her husband and hanged him in the courtyard of the Jedi Enclave on Ossus, with his sword stabbed into his chest. The body was discovered the next morning and Kelrada was implicated in the crime, causing the schism that formed the Ospion Guardians and, ultimately, the Bogan Empire.
It was revealed by a repentant Lightell during the First Hutt War that she, not Kelrada, had murdered her husband. Tesu’s sword became a Jedi relic and a sign of the betrayal on Ossus, and the sword remained in Jedi possession during the time of the New Jedi Order.
Specifications[]
The sword of Edo Tesu was a long sword forged by Tesu while he was a Padawan. Although many Jedi had begun to use lightsabers, a new technology at the time, Tesu believed that lightsabers were crude weapons and instead chose to remain with Jedi tradition by forging his own weapon.[2]
History[]
Creation and early utilization[]
Tesu created his weapon while he was a Padawan, as he did not like lightsabers and felt that the forms a wielder could utilize with one were infantile. He learned the older, non-lightsaber fighting forms, and he surpassed his lightsaber-wieling peers in combat training. His skills with the blade, as well as his aptitude with the Force, led to his early promotion to Jedi Knight.[2]
The schism[]
“Sarina took the sword and killed Edo with it. She hanged him by the neck in the courtyard where he had fought Banik, and she plunged that sword through his heart.”―Jhon Cordatus[src]
In 13,000 BBY, Grand Master Banik Kelrada called a conclave of the Jedi Order on Ossus. There, the Jedi would discuss whether to enter the Alsakan Crisis, the war that was being waged between the Galactic Republic and the Alsakan Union. The Alsakan Vicar had just been assassinated by her advisers while on Ossus, and they implicated Kelrada in the assassination. Edo Tesu, who had become a Jedi Master, was one of the Jedi who attended.[1]
During the proceedings, Kelrada, who had recently split with his lover, Talzea Keldroma, and was left emotionally compromised and vulnerable to persuasion, was manipulated with the dark side of the Force by Sarina Lightell. Lightell, a Jedi, suffered from a split personality, and her darker half was the one manipulating the Grand Master. As the conclave went on, Kelrada grew agitated, much to the concern of many of the Jedi in the audience.[1]
Kelrada, who had learned that Tesu, who had become Lightell’s husband, had undertaken an unauthorized mission to the planet Alsakan, placed Tesu under arrest for treason. The Jedi Master resisted and a duel ensued between the two Jedi. During that duel, Tesu used his sword, one that he was disarmed of when Kelrada cut off Tesu’s hand with a lightsaber and formally arrested him.[1]
Later that night, Lightell murdered her husband and hanged him from a tree in the enclave courtyard. His body was discovered the next morning, with his sword plunged into his chest. Kelrada, who was forced to flee, was implicated in the murder, leading to a schism in the Jedi ranks.[4]
Legacy[]
It was not until the First Hutt War that Lightell confessed to the crime.[5] Tesu’s sword became a Jedi relic and a sign of the Lightell betrayal on Ossus. The sword was kept for thousands of years, well into the time of the New Jedi Order. In 1,012 ABY, Tyrn Lightell, a descendant of Edo Tesu and Sarina Lightell, came to power in the New Sith Imperium and declared himself Galactic Emperor. In his first galactic address, he requested that the Jedi return the sword of Edo Tesu to him so it could once again be with the Lightell family.[3]
Behind the scenes[]
Edo Tesu's sword was created by Rowan Grimes, a role-player and administrator on TheStarWarsRP.Com. It became an iconic item from the conclave on Ossus after it was stabbed into Tesu's chest, leading to its mentioning on several occasions after that, including two timelines later in Star Wars Legacies.
Appearances[]
- Alsakan Crisis (First appearance)
- Great Hutt Wars (Mentioned only)
- Star Wars Legacies (Mentioned only)