The Acolyte’s finale promised to be full of shocking revelations, but few could have guessed that the Star Wars show would also offer the first glimpse of the inside of a lightsaber in Star Wars movies and TV shows. The Acolyte’s final episode had a remarkable amount of ground to cover. While the penultimate episode, episode 7, may have revealed what really happened on Brendok, the show still needed to address Mae’s quest to kill Master Sol, Osha’s possible fall to the dark side, and Vernestra Rwoh’s search for the truth.

For the most part, The Acolyte delivered. The main characters’ major arcs were resolved, and several unanswered questions remained, leaving room for the yet-unannounced Acolyte season 2 that The Acolyte’s showrunner Leslye Headland and many fans online have voiced a strong interest in. However, The Acolyte also revealed some aspects of the Star Wars universe that weren’t expected, including what the chamber inside a lightsaber truly looks like.

The Acolyte Finally Showed The Inside Of A Lightsaber

During a confrontation between Qimir/the Stranger, Master Sol, and Mae in The Acolyte finale, Mae gets her hands on Sol’s lightsaber and throws it against a rock, breaking the hilt open. The camera then lingers on the inside of the lightsaber, revealing the kyber crystal nestled inside. In part, this was a bit of foreshadowing; ultimately, Osha would go on to pick up the broken saber, and, with the crystal exposed, bleed it, turning the saber from blue to red (in what is arguably the coolest shot in the entire show).

With this shot, The Acolyte gave a more direct look into the chamber of a functioning lightsaber.

However, this moment was also significant because it was a first for Star Wars. With this shot, The Acolyte gave a more direct look into the chamber of a functioning lightsaber. Yes, Star Wars has shown lightsaber hilts being cut in half or torn apart—multiple times, actually—and Star Wars: The Clone Wars even showed the creation of a lightsaber. This glimpse into the internal workings of a lightsaber, though, was new.

How Does A Lightsaber Really Work?

Lightsabers have, obviously, been a staple of Star Wars from the very beginning, but the weapons have managed to remain somewhat mysterious in the franchise nevertheless. While the actual parts of a lightsaber—from kyber crystals to blade emitters and a number of other elements in between—might be easy enough to identify, the act of creating a lightsaber remains an almost mystical practice, wherein the Jedi taps into the Force, which guides them through the process of bringing the pieces together.

The kyber crystal is an absolutely essential part of the saber.

However, other aspects of the lightsaber’s function have also been clearly defined—namely, that the kyber crystal is an absolutely essential part of the saber. In essence, it is what makes the lightsaber work, in addition to giving it its color. Kyber crystals, too, remain a nearly fantastical element of lightsabers, as they form an actual ‘bond’ with the Jedi.

The Acolyte offered something new, though, by showing such a direct image of the inside of Master Sol’s broken saber. Arguably the most surprising aspect of this moment in the finale was that it still worked when Osha picked it up and turned it on, allowing her to turn the blade red (and, thrillingly, seemingly take it as her own dark side lightsaber). This image really was an exciting one, and it proves how much The Acolyte worked to bring something new to Star Wars even while staying true to the franchise’s traditions.

All episodes of The Acolyte are now streaming on Disney+.