The double-bladed lightsaber, also called a saberstaff or lightstaff, was a lightsaber variant that featured a blade emitted from both ends. Several variants on the type existed, including the hinged double-bladed lightsaber, the split saber, the lightsaber pike, and the double-bladed spinning lightsaber. According to the mythical Qel-Droma Epics, double-bladed lightsabers dated back to a Sith Lord named Exar Kun.

The double-bladed lightsaber was, simply, a lightsaber with blade emitters on both ends. Such a weapon could be wielded like a typical single-bladed lightsaber if only one blade was ignited.^[1] This lightsaber style had several variants: Hinged double-bladed lightsabers effectively consisted of two single-bladed lightsabers joined with a hinge at the ends. Notable wielders of this saber style included Pong Krell^[5] and the Jedi Temple Guard.^[8] Temple Guards also used lightsaber pikes, which had a much longer handle and shorter blades compared to typical double-bladed lightsabers.

Split sabers had handles that detached, allowing their owners to fight with either one double-bladed weapon or two single-bladed weapons as they pleased.

The Imperial Inquisitorius used distinctive double-bladed spinning lightsabers, which had relatively short handles and a ring around which the active blades could spin, allowing their wielders to even fly in certain locations. However, the ring was also a weakness, as cutting it would instantly destroy the weapon. This weakness was used against the Grand Inquisitor on two occasions, the second leading to his death.

The double-bladed lightsaber first appeared in the Star Wars canon in the 1999 film Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace. It was originally conceived by writer Tom Veitch and artist Chris Gossett for the Star Wars Legends comic book series Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi. Gossett has said he thought of lightsabers as the personal «honor weapons» of the Jedi, and would be more customized to suit personal preference rather than standardized for all.

During the development of Star Wars: Episode VII The Force Awakens, screenwriter Michael Arndt became really interested in the motif of «fire and ice» and wanted to have one character wielding a double-bladed lightsaber, with one side red and the other blue.