WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Star Wars: Visions Episode 1, “The Duel” streaming now on Disney+.

Star Wars: Visions has brought a wave of radical reimaginings of the Star Wars universe to life on Disney+. With seven anime studios given free rein to reinterpret the galaxy far, far away, imbuing the world originally created by George Lucas with a stronger flavor the Japanese samurai stories that originally inspired it, the anthology series has introduced some wild new creations. In fact, the first episode, "The Duel," introduced a Sith warrior wielding what may well be the strangest lightsaber in Star Wars lore.

The Bandit Leader- - the only name is given, in the episode's credits for the mysterious Sith -- defends herself against a barrage of blaster fire with a lightsaber umbrella. A red blade is produced by each rib of the weapon, which is then spun rapidly to serve as a shield, a buzz saw and even a parachute to let the Bandit Leader drift to the ground like the dark side's very own Mary Poppins. It's a dazzling new take on Star Wars' most iconic weapon, but how the lightsaber umbrella functions in the broader Star Wars galaxy is unclear.

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Star Wars: Visions The Duel

The weapon is first unveiled in "The Duel" when the nameless Sith emerges from the troop transport in which she had arrived with the ex-stormtrooper bandits. She uses the many-bladed lightsaber to take down the villagers who opposed her forces, before she comes face to face with the Ronin. Entering combat with this ex-Sith, the Bandit Leader detaches the neck of her weapon, revealing its base to be a regular, single-bladed lightsaber hilt. The weapon's two modes expand its combat capabilities, creating the options of a more defensive weapon for use against blasters or a traditional sparring blade.

It's not the first lightsaber seen in the Star Wars franchise to deviate from the standard design or to employ multiple blades. Darth Maul famously wielded a double-bladed lightsaber in The Phantom Menace, though such a design seems fairly tame in comparison to Visions' lightsaber umbrella. A closer comparison can perhaps be found in the lightsabers wielded by the Inquisitors in Star Wars Rebels. While still double-bladed weapons in the vein of Maul's, these lightsabers' emitters were mounted on rotating rings, allowing them to spin at high speed like the Bandit Leader's. The Inquisitors were even seen using their lightsabers like helicopter blades, lifting them into the air, a move echoed by the Bandit Leader gliding from the troop transport roof to the ground with the aid of her spinning lightsaber.

The samurai-era aesthetic the lightsaber umbrella taps into may also hint at a more ancient origin for the weapon, perhaps akin to Kylo Ren's crossguard lightsaber design seen in the Sequel Trilogy. This weapon was revealed to have ancient precursors, one of which was discovered by Ezra Bridger in Rebels. Maybe, like Ren, the Bandit Leader draws on a tradition from more ancient times with her unusual weapon.

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Star Wars: Visions The Duel

Unlike these other unconventional lightsaber variations, however, the lightsaber umbrella's extra blades are revealed to be a detachable feature. It appears to be the case that the umbrella-like segment of the weapon simply splits the lightsaber blade into several smaller blades, potentially functioning as an attachment for any standard lightsaber. There is an echo of Tera Sinube's lightsaber cane from The Clone Wars in this design, albeit with a far deadlier twist. The gratitude of the shopkeeper when the victorious Ronin gifts him the Bandit Leader's umbrella attachment might even suggest that it's a weapon in its own right, connecting to the Bandit Leader's lightsaber but functioning independently from it.

Star Wars: Visions' strange lightsaber design brings with it a host of questions and offers a glimpse into a whole new take on the galaxy. And while the stories explored in Visions are not part of the franchise's official canon, "The Duel" reveals the worlds and the lore of the anthology episodes are just as rich and creative as fans have come to expect from a galaxy far, far away.

To see the lightsaber umbrella in action, Star Wars: Visions Episode 1, “The Duel” is streaming now on Disney+.

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