Beyond Cade Skywalker's Lightsaber: His Lightsaber Combat Skills and Connection to the Force

In the Star Wars Legends, Cade Skywalker is the last of the powerful and infamous Skywalker lineage. He is the son of the respected Jedi Master, Kol Skywalker and Morrigan Corde. Being a direct heir of key galactic figures like Anakin Skywalker and Luke Skywalker, Cade Skywalker was no exception to the innate Force abilities. 

Being a Skywalker, Cade too was a Force-sensitive male. In his young age, he was an apprentice to Jedi Master Wolf Sazen. After the death of his mentor and father Kol Skywalker by Darth Nihl, Cade was disheartened. He rejected the Jedi Order entirely and struggled with coming to terms with his Force-sensitive legacy of Skywalkers. 

Cade Skywalker was conflicted with the Force itself and became a bounty hunter and a smuggler. He became more selfish, only working for profit and was known for making morally gray choices; as a Jedi or Sith. But despite his strong efforts of running away from his legacy of Jedi and his trauma with the Sith, he was pulled back when Darth Krayt captured him. Seeing his innate force abilities, he offered him to come to the dark side but despite Darth Krayt’s best efforts, Cade Skywalker was reluctant to do so. 

Although Cade Skywalker used the dark side of the Force numerous times, he still didn't fall completely to it. In this blog, we are going to discuss Cade Skywalker’s exceptional lightsaber skills, his strong connection with the Force and his ability to walk finely between both sides of the Force and so much more…So without wasting any more time, let's get into it!

Arsenal of Cade Skywalker

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Throughout his lifetime, Cade Skywalker used numerous weapons. As a Jedi Padawan, he wielded a traditional blue-bladed lightsaber under the mentorship of Jedi Master Wolf Sazen. After Kol Skywalker’s death, he wielded the lightsaber of Marasiah Fel for a brief time after she saved him from the Sith. When he went to Ossus leaving his crew members Deliah Blue and Jariah Syn on Vendexa, he was equipped with a green lightsaber for a brief time. At this time, he battled with a vision of Darth Vader who is his late ancestor who fell to the dark side of the Force.

Cade Skywalker met Nei Rin who then gave him his father Kol Skywalker's blue lightsaber. He brought his late father's legacy to Coruscant. But, Kol Skywalker's lightsaber was soon seized by the mighty Sith Lord, Darth Krayt when he captured Cade Skywalker. It was later recovered by Cade when the Force ghost of his father Kol Skywalker appeared. Cade Skywalker broke a shard of transparisteel containing his father's lightsaber through the Force and thereafter used it in battle against the Sith.

As a mercenary and a marauder after leaving the Jedi ways of living, Cade Skywalker had a vast collection of exclusive and modified blasters. His favorite weapon from his collection is a custom, double-barreled blaster carbine called the Rawk Chopped Special. It was built for him by his uncle, Nat Skywalker, a.k.a. "Bantha" Rawk. The blaster contains a coded restriction that only enables Cade Skywalker to activate it.

Cade Skywalker’s Exceptional Lightsaber Skills 

Just like his ancestors such as Luke Skywalker, Anakin Slywalker and Kol Skywalker, Cade was also skilled in lightsaber combat. At the massacre of Ossus, he defeated many Sith and Stormtroopers to finally escape the location in a Jedi Shuttle. But after his father Kol Skywalker's death at the same massacre, he pledged to never pick the lightsaber again and also abandoned the Jedi Order. A few years later, when Princess Fel got wounded in the process of saving Cade Skywalker, he picked up her green lightsaber and fought off Darth Nihl, a Sith Lord under the Leader of The One Sith, Darth Krayt. 

Cade Skywalker again got further Jedi training and then went to Coruscant to rescue Hosk Trey'lis. There he battled with another Darth Krayt’s Hand, Darth Talon. He managed to knock away Darth Talon’s lightsaber but was captured by Darth Nihl. He was held captive and was trained as a Sith but later escaped, defeating both Darth Talon and Darth Nihl. 

He then dueled Darth Krayt, holding the Dark Lord off until his mother could provide a way to retreat. Cade would then show off his skills with a lightsaber on Had Abbadon where he again defeated Darth Talon, as well as Darth Krayt's newest Hand, Darth Stryfe. Cade Skywalker and Wolf Sazen fought and slew many Sith on the planet Daluuj, including the Sith Lord who asserted he had already killed many powerful Jedi. Cade Skywalker also clashed with Vul Isen, the Dac butcher and killed him.

When Darth Krayt resurrected, Cade Skywalker battled openly against the Sith. He killed stormtroopers and slew an attacking Sith in the Bombing of Falleen. The Sith took an easy attack on the Hidden Temple, as Cade Skywalker killed many of them. Later he fought against the advanced Sith troopers of Darth Krayt, killing several of them despite an ability superior to his. During the Battle of Coruscant, after the fierce duel Cade Skywalker finally fully embraced the light side and killed Darth Krayt.

Cade Skywalker's lightsaber skills were as good as the leader of the Imperial Knights, Antares Draco. On Tatooine, he faced a turn of events against the bounty hunter, Sint Yoru-an Anzat wielding a Jedi's stolen lightsaber. He declared superior skill and defeated Sint Yoru with one blow.

Cade Skywalker's style of fighting involved a lot of acrobatic movement and massive leaps with his lightsaber. He employed Force powers most often whenever he used these techniques, making him an even more lethal opponent.

Besides his exceptional combat skills, Cade was a pretty skilled starfighter pilot, which allowed him to ditch one of Darth Krayt's best pilots, Skull Squadron, when he was trying to rescue Trey'lis. He was also excellent at hand-to-hand combat and ranged combat with his particular chosen weapon-the Rawk chopped special.

Force Powers of Cade Skywalker

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Being a member of the Skywalker legacy, Cade Skywalker also had a very strong connection with the Force. He was also very powerful in its use. As a Padawan who was still in his early Jedi training, Cade Skywalker displayed exceptional Force wielding while slaying numerous stormtroopers and Sith in the Ossus massacre. Moreover, he also knew how to do the Jedi hibernation trance. This is when its user is able to slow his metabolism and breathing and only uses one-tenth of the air. This gives an impression to the opponent that the individual is dead when in reality, he is only hibernating for a certain period. Cade Skywalker used this Force technique after two major events of Star Wars Legends, namely: Massacre of Ossus and Battle of Coruscant. 

Spending seven years with Rav's crew and hardly using his powers and smoking deathsticks, Cade's powers were strong. On Vendaxa he threw a crashed ship at Darth Talon. He was fueled by rage and used the Force. He was still able to feel that the Sith Darth Talon was nearby, which displays the sharpness of his Jedi senses being as it ever was. Later, when he went to rescue Hosk from the Sith Temple on Coruscant, Cade could feel Hosk's presence even far outside the huge temple.

Furthermore, he was in excellent control with telekinesis. He often utilized a very potent Force push. For example, in the Sith temple on Coruscant, one time he used it against Darth Talon when he threw the Sith Lady back with a strong kinetic blast and hurt her. He would also use Force choke, a power of the dark side associated with the Sith. He used it on Gunn Yage.

Cade Skywalker underwent the Sith training, mastered the usage of Force Lightning even beyond his untrained talents. The voltage of his lightning was so potent that it hurt a Hand-class Sith like Darth Nihl or defeated an elite Sith Trooper. When Cade Skywalker returned to reclaim the Grinning Liar, Rav sent all his henchmen to catch him. Despite being outnumbered, Cade Skywalker defeated the whole lot of them on his own. 

When Darth Maladi placed her base on Wayland to explode, Cade used a protective Force bubble to shield himself and Deliah Blue from the blast and its effects. He once used a Force scream; this even impressed the ultimate Sith Leader Darth Krayt.

Cade Skywalker’s Power to Revive the Dead

The most impressive and mystifying power Cade Skywalker wielded was Dark Transfer. Due to this power, he could bring people back from the dead. When Cade Skywalker brought his mentor, Wolf Sazen, back to life, he tapped into the dark side. At this moment, both he and Sazen felt an incredible Force energy as lightning ran through them. In the moment, Cade's eyes were glowing with the power of the Force. After a while, Wolf Sazen regained his strength to be able to walk and speak freely.

Cade Skywalker even admitted that power coming this way came at a certain cost. He fueled it with fear and rage. Now, he feared the hunger for the power that he had in this process. He later confessed this to Luke Skywalker's Force ghost, saying it was not a place a Skywalker should go.

His dark side powers were strong enough that even on Coruscant, Darth Krayt believed he could cheat death with Cade Skywalker's power. He showed skill with the Force as he managed to handle lightning, capable of defending his ship in a storm. He eventually was able to master Dark Transfer even using it with the light side of the Force, going beyond the original limitations of the power.

In addition to healing, Cade could also use Dark Transfer to inflict pain on others by focusing his ability upon others' wounds and controlling their bodies entirely. In the end, Cade Skywalker discovered the same power that his ancestor Anakin Skywalker, was looking for. That is the power that forbids death, particularly of those he loves.

FAQ's

Why did Cade resort to Hibernation trance?

Hibernation trance was for survival purposes especially when he was severely injured or else in a situation to avoid danger. He could set himself to a state of suspended animation, save energy, and heal his body usually after the intense battles. 

Did Cade Skywalker ever become the Jedi again?

Cade Skywalker was a young Jedi Padawan under his Master Wolf Sazen. But, after the death of his father and Jedi Master Kol Skywalker, he renounced the Order entirely. Further on, he continued to use light and dark sides of the Force in avenging his father's murder, destroying One Sith, and protecting family, but always fought against his legacy.

What is Dark Transfer, and how did Cade Skywalker use it?

Dark Transfer is a Force ability Cade Skywalker made use of bringing somebody back from the dead, such as when he resurrected his Master Wolf Sazen. It required tapping into his dark emotions such as anger and fear, which pulled Cade  Skywalker to the dark side and made him fearful of his desire for power.

Did Cade Skywalker fully fall to the dark side?

Although Cade frequently used dark side powers, including Force lightning, he was never completely overwhelmed by the dark side. He also used his dark side powers when conducting his affairs as a bounty hunter and pirate with his crew, only working for profit. He retained both sides of the Force and would not allow himself to become fully Sith-dominated. Instead, he also used his powers for personal revenge and protection of loved ones.

How was the lightsaber prowess of Cade Skywalker compared with other Force users?

Cade Skywalker was a proficient duelist with a lightsaber, combining acrobatic moves and powerful use of the Force. He wielded both the light and the dark sides of the Force equally in order to fight powerful Sith Lords like Darth Talon and Darth Nihl. He even killed the formidable One Sith Leader, Darth Krayt supposedly twice; once in the Battle of Coruscant and again after he was resurrected by his Sith alchemy.