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In Attack of the Clones, when Anakin’s lightsaber(the first he is seen on-screen with) is destroyed, he exclaims:

Anakin: Not again! Obi-Wan's gonna kill me.

What is Anakin referring to? Did he already break a lightsaber between the films?

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  • starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Anakin_Skywalker%27s_first_lightsaber - All (canon) signs point to him not having had an earlier lightsaber.
    – Valorum
    Oct 2, 2020 at 14:16
  • It looks like the canon material for the two of them before the clone wars is still pretty thin on the ground (pretty much just the one comic series). It doesn’t rule out the lightsaber having been damaged in some significant (but repairable) way, though frequently losing it is the most likely explanation. It does make me think the film should have him losing it one more time though, to establish the pattern.
    – Ben Murphy
    Oct 2, 2020 at 14:50

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This is likely not a reference to him BREAKING a lightsaber, but rather to him LOSING his lightsaber. Earlier in the movie, Anakin lost his lightsaber during the chase with Zam Wesell, the bounty hunter who tried to kill senator Padme Amidala. Obi-Wan caught it and returned it to him with a scolding. Anakin's lightsaber being irreparably destroyed would probably get a far stronger reaction from Obi-Wan, especially considering the lightsaber was destroyed while he was disobeying his orders in multiple ways.

Note that both in Disney canon and in Legends canon, this was Anakin's first lightsaber. There is no mention anywhere of Anakin having had any earlier lightsaber, and this lightsaber did not get damaged during any earlier point in the 7 years he had it.

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    @Valorum This is hardly a bold statement. It's simply pointing out the other scene prior where Anakin lost his lightsaber.
    – TylerH
    Oct 2, 2020 at 13:46
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    I’m not going to say that Lucas can’t write clumsy dialog (in this film), but to me the “Not again!” implies a higher level of similarity to a previous event than that earlier “misplacing”. “Oh No!” Would not have me asking the same question...
    – Ben Murphy
    Oct 2, 2020 at 13:51
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    @Valorum The best evidence I have is that this particular lightsaber is called his FIRST lightsaber in lore, and he did not have an earlier lightsaber, nor did this one get damaged before during any of the AotC prequel novel. In Legends lore, he did not have any lightsaber before this.
    – Nzall
    Oct 2, 2020 at 14:24
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    @Valorum As requested, I've edited in a paragraph about this being his first lightsaber, including a link to the Wookieepedia article.
    – Nzall
    Oct 3, 2020 at 10:41
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    The "Absolutely Everything" factbook states that Anakin built his first lightsaber at the age of 14, but it doesn't show it, so it could (theoretically) have been a different saber
    – Valorum
    Oct 3, 2020 at 16:12
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The real answer to this is simply: unknown.
While on the one hand, yes his "Not again!" line could be interpreted as a reference to his loosing it back in act one, but on the other it could just as easily be interpreted to mean he's literally destroyed his lightsaber at least once prior to this.
So far as I'm aware no story has featured just such a prior incident, though conversely neither has one categorically stated that Geonosis was the only time it happened.
Personally I'm inclined to believe that he probably did break one (or more!) as a younger padawan. This is Anakin after all and one could hardly imagine him being less reckless in his youth.

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  • There are multiple canon sources that say that his lightsaber is his "first lightsaber".
    – Valorum
    Oct 16, 2020 at 8:09
  • Story sources or reference? The latter one should be a bit leery of since they tend to be rettconed when it suits the story content. In this case it's most likely just labelled "first" for ease of reference since "first known", which more technically correct would sound odd for an in-universe reference book. Bottom line, it remains ambiguous.
    – Kris
    Oct 16, 2020 at 20:56
  • @Kris In the comic where Anakin makes his first lightsaber (at age 12, like all Jedi Padawans), AFAIK the lightsaber looks exactly the same as the one he used in the movie.
    – Nzall
    Oct 18, 2020 at 20:38

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