Every lightsaber in the Star Wars universe is unique, but few stood out like Count Dooku’s. Only a tiny handful existed in the first trilogy, and yet even as examples flourished amid the three prequels, lightsabers remained largely functional affairs. Dooku’s was different: at once more elegant and yet somehow less legitimate. Even Yoda paid it wary respect in Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones during their climactic duel.
And like so much of Star Wars’ seeming apocrypha, it says a great deal about the character in a very small package. Dooku belonged to the aristocracy, and his weapon reflected an older, more chivalric style than the Jedi he faced. It also reflected his status as the head of the Separatists: the lightsaber looked far more ceremonial than practical, suggesting that he himself did not face combat nearly as much as the Jedi did. But that’s just the beginning. The history of the weapon, and Dooku’s decision to wield it, gives Yoda good reason to dislike it.
Dooku defied convention, even when he belonged to the Jedi Order. For all his wickedness, he saw the Jedi’s corruption for what it was, and even conveyed a healthy skepticism to Qui-Gon Jinn, which itself had profound ramifications for the fate of the galaxy. That included his weapon, which is described at length in a number of Legends works, most notably DK’s Star Wars: Attack of the Clones: The Visual Dictionary and The Jedi Path: A Manual for Students of the Force. Canon has far less to say on the matter, but given that the Legends content doesn’t contradict any content -- and with Dooku’s story largely told -- it likely provides the most reliable information Star Wars fans will have.
According to The Jedi Path, Dooku built the lightsaber when he became a Jedi Master, and apparently, it made waves. The curved hilt went directly against the grain at the time: allowing him to grip it with more precision and exercise better control over the blade. This made it excellent for Form II lightsaber combat, which emphasized individual duels and one-on-one combat, as per the canonical Star Wars: Absolutely Everything You Need to Know. He eventually switched the existing blue kyber crystal for an artificial red one when he became a Sith Lord.
That’s matched by the shape of the lightsaber, which resembles that of a dueling rapier, and the style in that Dooku wields it. The most telling takes place in his battle with Obi-Wan and Anakin at the climax of Attack of the Clones. He wounds Obi-Wan with two shallow slashes to the arm and leg, but clearly intends to finish him off before Yoda intervenes. Shallow cuts are indicative of a dueling background, where battles ended after the first wound; he’s still using the method even though his intentions are far more lethal.
It also informs Yoda’s distaste for it. An emphasis on dueling would regularly translate into an eagerness for combat: something the Jedi actively frown upon. With the Sith in hiding and the Jedi established peacekeepers, lightsaber duels would be extremely rare in practical circumstances. Dooku, on the other hand, relishes testing himself against individual Jedi, which may have been the case even before he turned to the Sith. “I’ve been looking forward to this,” he confesses to Anakin and Obi-Wan at the beginning of Star War: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith. As a reflection of that vanity, his lightsaber would leave an exceedingly poor impression on Jedi Masters of Yoda’s standing.
It was a natural fit for Christopher Lee, an accomplished fencer whom The Guinness Book of World Records ranked as the most prolific onscreen duelist of all time. Embracing it helped his technique stand out from the other Jedi in the film, as well as letting the actor demonstrate his celebrated skills for the camera in an entirely new setting. The seemingly natural decision carries a surprisingly huge amount of meaning in the story, both for Dooku as a character and for the impact he has on the galaxy. Small wonder Yoda hates it. If a lightsaber is a reflection of its user, then Dooku’s is a giant warning flag -- one colored in Sith-red.