Almost forty thousand years before the battle of Yavin, a force-sensitive species called the Rakata invented the first known lightsaber. This “forcesaber,” as it came to be called, required its user to channel a powerful dark side current through its central crystal, and, consequently, those who wielded it did so warily. With this newfound technology, the Rakata and their Infinite Empire waged war on the galaxy: wielding spears of light, they burst from the Unknown Regions through their Infinity Gates and much of now known Republic space, targeting Force-rich worlds and enslaving their occupants.
So the history of the lightsaber began, as it ended, in war.
Music: Lucas King!
Comics: Dawn of the Jedi - The Force Wars