Does a Red saber make you a sith or dark jedi?

[Wolfknight]

Okay, so I have not read any star wars stuff in quite a few years. I have a good collection of old comic books and I have a lot of star wars books from the 90's... I guess I got really pissed when they killed off Anakin Solo. He was my favorite character and when they killed him off I kinda lost interest.

 But it seems there is a new perspective of the force now. The one that says " there is no light side or dark side there is only the force"

I have kinda rambled off topic. So back to my question, does a red light saber make you a sith or dark jedi? Or can it turn you to the dark side? Like I said I have not read SW stuff in many years, but I seem to remember it being written that the red lightsaber crystals were more in tune with the dark side or destructive nature of the force. So if you were a jedi using a red lightsaber then there was more danger of falling to the dark side.

I just wanna see what other people think or have read and stuff. The reason I am asking peoples opinions is because I lean more twords the Jedi side or mabey light grey Jedi side, but red has always been my favorite color and I have always liked the red lightsabers way more than other colors.

[Kaiden Shardsbane]

Umm... no.  Red lightsaber crystals are often synthetic, but I do not believe that they had any Dark Side influence.  Before the Great Hyperspace War, Jedi used all colors of lightsaber, and it was only when the Sith became a force that the colors became associated with the different sides.  During that time, the two sides both chose colors like uniforms to help differentiate between each other.

There have been several Jedi who have used red lightsabers, and several more Sith who use cool-colored sabers.  It's really all harkening back to that "We need uniforms" from back then.

[Wolfknight]

Thanks kaiden.    Interesting. I wondering If my imagination was running wild while I was reading star wars books. I seem to remember a time or two when Luke used a red light saber, and mabey its just me, but I had the impression that the saber was more in tune with the dark side. But hey, its completly possible that my imagination was running completly wild. 

[Kaiden Shardsbane]

Yeah, Luke used a red saber a couple times.

Now, you may have read something about a Sith's lightsaber being infused with the Darkside.  Just as a Jedi's would be infused with some Light.  But it's rare that an inanimate object is naturally Dark or Light.

[Luna]

http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Synthetic_lightsaber_crystal

This might clarify a few things.

[Wolfknight]

thanks Luna  I should have known to check wookiepedia LOL 

Man wookiepedia is so awesome!

[Master Nero Attoru]

It's definitely more symbolic than functional, although supposedly a Darksider will infuse his or her synthetic crystal with feelings of hatred upon creation.  Really it's just a color coding for the sake of the movies... various EU sources have all kinds of lightsiders using red lightsabers (including Leia Organa Solo, who wielded a red lightsaber for some time before she became a true Jedi).

[Rina Ascura]

I don't think a red lightsaber alone is somehow tainted with the Dark Side. I am more inclined to think that the general Jedi no-no for red sabers has more in common with our own no-no for wearing a Nazi uniform. It's a symbol, a symbol of a thing almost universally regarded as evil. You will not suddenly become evil if you dress up as an SS Standartenfuhrer, but you'll be kicked in the nuts.

[Wolfknight]

Its probably due to the fact that some darksiders infuse the synthetic crystals with dark energys from the force that i got the idea that red saber crystals are somehow tainted with the dark side of the force. But it seems that this is only the case if you do use the dark side to help creat the synthetic crystal.

[eerockk]

I'm sure any Sith that went to Illum's crystal caves looking for crystals met with a Jedi's blade... I wonder how many dark initiates the Sith went through before they just started the GYO crystal program?

[Master Nero Attoru]

I don't think a red lightsaber alone is somehow tainted with the Dark Side. I am more inclined to think that the general Jedi no-no for red sabers has more in common with our own no-no for wearing a Nazi uniform. It's a symbol, a symbol of a thing almost universally regarded as evil. You will not suddenly become evil if you dress up as an SS Standartenfuhrer, but you'll be kicked in the nuts.

Very good analogy!  I read somewhere (probably Wookieepedia) that Adi Gallia swapped out a red crystal for a more Jedi-style blue when the Sith had returned, as a symbolic gesture.

[Luna]

Very good analogy!  I read somewhere (probably Wookieepedia) that Adi Gallia swapped out a red crystal for a more Jedi-style blue when the Sith had returned, as a symbolic gesture.

Her lightsaber is confusing.... first it was red/crimson, then it was orange, then it was blue. I know she had two sabers (one was lost or destroyed or both), so my best guess is that her first was orange and her second was red and then blue.

[Sub-Zero]

Quinlan Vos' saber was red before it was green. Of course, he was a rogue Jedi. Grey Jedi, if you will.

[reiperx]

Nope.

Leah, Saba, and a good number of other Jedi have used red, or shades of red.

Then you have Exar Khune (sp) who used blue.

[Master Nero Attoru]

Her lightsaber is confusing.... first it was red/crimson, then it was orange, then it was blue. I know she had two sabers (one was lost or destroyed or both), so my best guess is that her first was orange and her second was red and then blue.

Agreed, very confusing!  I remember reading NJO and her losing her one red lightsaber to Tsavong Lah, then she resorts to another saber... which also turns out to be red.  Huh?  I guess Luke is just handing out red dark side sabers from all the bad guys he's killed...