One of my favorite things about the Rise of Kylo Ren comics is the scene of Ben bleeding his kyber crystal to reconstruct his lightsaber after turning to the dark side.
Bleeding is the process through which sith and other dark-side force users manipulate the force to bend a kyber crystal to their will, turning it red in the process.
As Ben bleeds his kyber crystal, embracing the dark side of the force, visions of his distant loved ones cause him to pour more negative emotions into the process —exerting more physical and emotional force onto the crystal— until it eventually shatters into pieces. His power, and more importantly his emotions, are so raw, so unrefined and overwhelming, that he cannot fully control them. Even without meaning to, his instability causes destruction.
When Ben reassembles and ignites his lightsaber using the newly bled and broken kyber crystal, the blade is jagged and crackling. This is called an unstable lightsaber blade, caused by the damage sustained to the kyber crystal fueling it. The cross guard is added to vent off excess energy, preventing the saber from being overloaded.
This type of lightsaber is perfect for a character like (the newly named) Kylo Ren, who regularly demonstrates such emotional unbalance. Kylo is volatile and emotionally unstable, perfectly mirrored by his weapon. His lightsaber is him, it’s an extension of himself. The process of bleeding the crystal demonstrates not only Kylo’s brute strength and powerful (but unrefined) use of the dark side, it shows conflict within him as he sees his family and thinks of the light side. The assembled blade itself perfectly represents his turbulent inner state.
I adore this scene, as well as the Rise of Kylo Ren miniseries as a whole, and highly suggest reading it if you are a fan and have not already.
