Stellan Gios Lightsaber — Xenopixel V3 / XRGB3.0 Crossguard Replica | ISABER

What Are the Specifications?

Specification	Details
Character	Stellan Gios (High Republic Era, ~200 BBY)
Hilt Design	Retractable crossguard hilt, machined aluminum alloy, silver/black/gold finish
Hilt Length	33cm (extended grip for two-handed broadsword handling)
Hilt Material	Aircraft-grade aluminum alloy with gold accent detailing
Crossguard	Folding physical quillons — deploy on ignition, collapse on deactivation
Blade Type	Neopixel LED strip (50W), 1-inch diameter, 3mm polycarbonate
Blade Length Options	28″ (72cm) / 32″ (82cm) / 36″ (92cm)
Soundboard	Xenopixel V3 or XRGB3.0
Sound Fonts	34 pre-installed (Xenopixel); 16 pre-installed (XRGB3.0)
Bluetooth	Yes (Xenopixel V3 app); No (XRGB3.0)
Blade Effects	9 modes (Xenopixel): Stable, Pulse, Unstable, Ghost, Candy, Rainbow, Cracked, Fire, Flash; 6 modes (XRGB3.0)
Ignition Styles	7 preset (Xenopixel); 3 preset (XRGB3.0)
Battery	3600mAh 18650 rechargeable (built-in)
Battery Life	~2–3 hours (Neopixel), varies by brightness and blade effects
Charging	USB Type-C (~3 hours to full)
Gesture Controls	Tip drag, stab, melt, blaster deflection, lock-up (Xenopixel); Basic swing detection (XRGB3.0)
Weight	~4,200g (with blade)
Speaker	3W bass speaker
SD Card	32GB included (Xenopixel); 8GB included (XRGB3.0)

Soundboard Options

Two boards. Same hilt. Different experience.

Xenopixel V3 — The full experience

This is the one you want if you want everything: app control, gesture combos, and the deepest sound library.

• 34 pre-installed sound fonts on a 32GB SD card
• Bluetooth app (iOS & Android) — change colors, effects, fonts from your phone
• 9 blade effects: Stable, Pulse, Unstable, Ghost, Candy, Rainbow, Cracked, Fire, Flash
• 7 ignition styles + full gesture controls (tip drag, stab, melt, blaster deflection, lock-up)
• SD card reader included — drag-and-drop new fonts anytime

XRGB3.0 — The essentials, done well

This is the one if you want Neopixel brightness without the app and the extra features you might never use.

• 16 pre-installed sound fonts on an 8GB SD card
• No Bluetooth — all controls via hilt buttons (one-button + two-button combos)
• 6 blade effects: Stable, Pulse, Unstable, Ghost, Rainbow, Fire
• 3 ignition styles + basic swing and clash detection
• Less to configure. Less to break. Still bright, still loud, still Neopixel.

You want the app and every effect? Xenopixel V3. You want to save ~$120 and keep the same blade brightness? XRGB3.0. Both drive the same 50W Neopixel strip.

Design Features

The Folding Crossguard: Why This Design Won

Kylo Ren’s crossguard is permanently open. Two raw energy vents sticking out the sides at all times. Looks mean on screen. But try holstering it. Or setting it down on a table. The quillons are always in the way.

Stellan Gios’s crossguard solves this. The quillons fold forward against the hilt when the saber is off. Slim profile. Slides into a belt clip. Then you ignite, and — snap — the arms swing out and the quillon beams activate. It’s the same crossguard presence, but practical to carry. Lucasfilm’s design team has explicitly called this an improvement on Kylo’s design.

One thing to know: the folding mechanism adds complexity. The hinges are the most delicate part of this hilt. Heavy dueling with the quillons deployed puts stress on joints that weren’t designed for full-contact impacts. For cosplay, display, and light dueling? It works beautifully. For competitive sparring? Keep the crossguard folded and treat it like a standard saber. Or better yet, use a dedicated combat hilt.

Machined Aluminum Hilt

33cm of aircraft-grade aluminum with gold accent detailing against a silver-and-black body. The grip runs long — longer than most character hilts — because this is a two-handed broadsword design. Think medieval longsword proportions translated into a lightsaber.

The gold accents aren’t paint. They’re anodized directly into the aluminum. They won’t rub off after a month of handling. The decorative etching on the emitter shroud and pommel reflects the ornate, almost Renaissance-era aesthetic of the High Republic. These Jedi were knights in the Arthurian mold, and their weapons showed it.

At 33cm, this hilt is among the longest in the ISABER lineup. Only the double-bladed Maul (30.5cm per hilt) comes close. If you have smaller hands, the two-handed grip design means you’ll naturally choke up toward the emitter — the extra length becomes counterweight, not wasted space.

Neopixel Blade

A 50W Neopixel LED strip runs the full length of the polycarbonate blade. Even color. Zero dark spots. The scrolling ignition effect is smooth from emitter to tip.

Canonically, Stellan Gios carried blue — a deep, Jedi blue that matched his eyes. The saber ships default green (easily changed in seconds on both boards). On Xenopixel, you get full RGB control via the app. On XRGB3.0, button combos cycle through the preset palette.

Dueling? The 3mm polycarbonate handles light to medium contact without issue. Full-contact heavy sparring is riskier — the LED strip inside can crack from hard impacts. Blade replacements run $40–60. For cosplay, staged duels, and backyard practice, this blade holds up for years.

Who Was Stellan Gios — and Why Does His Lightsaber Matter?

Stellan Gios was a Jedi Master and Council member during the High Republic — roughly 200 years before The Phantom Menace. If the Skywalker saga Jedi are wandering samurai, the High Republic Jedi are Knights of the Round Table. And Gios was one of their best.

Key moments in his story:

• Starlight Beacon dedication (232 BBY) — Gios joined hundreds of Jedi igniting their lightsabers toward the stars. The image became the defining visual of the High Republic era.
• The Nameless attacks — Gios witnessed the first Jedi death caused by these Force-consuming creatures, used as weapons by the Nihil marauders. His investigation into the threat drove much of the High Republic’s central conflict.
• Sacrifice on Starlight Beacon — When the Nihil sabotaged the station, Gios took charge of the evacuation and went down with the Beacon, steering it into the ocean of Eiram to minimize casualties. His lightsaber was recovered and entrusted to his closest friend, Jedi Master Elzar Mann.

Gios trained Vernestra Rwoh, one of the youngest Jedi to ever pass the trials. He carried his own late master Rana Kant’s lightsaber as a reminder of her. When his weapon reached Elzar Mann, it carried the weight of two generations of Jedi who gave everything.

The lightsaber itself reflects the man: ornate but functional. Inspired by Excalibur — Lucasfilm’s design team has confirmed this directly. It’s a knight’s weapon for a Jedi who believed in the Order as a force for civilization, not just peacekeeping.

Stellan Gios’s Fighting Style: The Knight’s Broadsword

What Makes a Crossguard Different

Stellan Gios didn’t use any of the seven classical forms exclusively. His style was built around the weapon, not the other way around.

The crossguard changes everything about how you fight:

• Hand protection. The quillon beams create a guard zone around your lead hand. Opponent’s blade slides down yours? It hits plasma, not fingers.
• Two-handed grip. The extended hilt (33cm) is built for two hands — more leverage, more control, more power behind every cut.
• Blade binding. Crossguard quillons let you trap an opponent’s blade between the main emitter and the side beam. It’s a technique straight out of medieval longsword manuals, and it works with polycarbonate blades too.

Think less “fencer” and more “knight with a hand-and-a-half sword.” The crossguard saber is heavier, the swings are wider, and the defense is built into the hilt geometry rather than relying purely on blade parries.

Stellan vs. Kylo: Two Crossguards, Two Philosophies

Kylo Ren fights like he’s barely containing something. Heavy overhead strikes. Raw aggression. The crossguard is there because his cracked kyber crystal needs the vents — without them, the saber would overload.

Stellan Gios fights like a knight who trained for this his whole life. Controlled. Disciplined. The crossguard is there because it’s useful — a deliberate design choice, not a patch for a broken crystal.

In a duel? Kylo’s saber is intimidating. Stellan’s is more versatile. You can bind, guard, thrust, and cut without the crossguard getting in the way — because when you don’t need it, it’s folded. Kylo’s vents are always there, always catching on things.

How Stellan Gios’s Lightsaber Compares to Other Iconic Sabers

Character	Hilt Feature	Era	Fighting Style	Best For
Stellan Gios	Folding crossguard, extended grip	High Republic	Two-handed knight, blade binding	Crossguard fans, collectors, two-handed duelists
Kylo Ren	Fixed crossguard, unstable blade	Sequel Era	Heavy, aggressive, raw power	Crossguard aesthetic, unstable blade effect
Count Dooku	Curved hilt	Prequel Era	One-handed Makashi, fencing precision	Fencing-style duelists
Darth Vader	Straight, heavy	Original/Prequel	Djem So, two-handed power	Classic Sith presence
Obi-Wan Kenobi	Straight, thin-neck	Prequel Era	Soresu, defensive endurance	Defensive duelists, classic Jedi display
Darth Maul	Double-bladed	Prequel Era	Juyo, aggressive spinning	Multiple opponents, flow arts
Anakin Skywalker	Straight, Graflex	Prequel Era	Djem So, athletic power	Aggressive dueling, classic hero display

Here’s the thing.

Stellan Gios isn’t in the movies. If you want a saber that everyone at the convention recognizes instantly, get a Vader or a Luke. Those are the classics.

But if you want a saber that makes people stop and ask “what IS that?” — the folding crossguard will do it. The High Republic era is still underexposed compared to the Skywalker saga. Gios fans know exactly what they’re looking at. Everyone else gets curious. And for some collectors, that’s the whole point.

And the blue blade? That was Stellan’s canonical color — a deep Jedi blue described as matching his eyes. The saber ships green but switches to any color in seconds on both Xenopixel and XRGB3.0. So you can run the canon blue, or whatever color suits your mood.

Behind the Scenes: How Excalibur Became a Lightsaber

The Stellan Gios lightsaber didn’t start with a concept artist sketching cool hilts. It started with King Arthur.

Lucasfilm Publishing creative director Michael Siglain and Disney Publishing illustration manager Jeff R. Thomas have been explicit about this: the High Republic Jedi were conceived as “Jedi Knights of the Round Table.” Their lightsabers weren’t just weapons — they were their Excaliburs. Each one unique. Each one ornate. Each one a symbol of the knight who carried it.

Thomas refined the concept further. Early designs had a stationary crossguard, but the practicality of holstering bothered him. His solution — crossguard deploys only on ignition — gave the weapon its iconic silhouette while keeping it practical to carry. It’s a rare case in Star Wars weapon design where form and function genuinely meet in the middle.

The weapon first appeared in the 2020 reference book Star Wars: The Lightsaber Collection by Daniel Wallace, then debuted in Marvel’s Star Wars: The High Republic #1 (January 2021). Compared to the 40+ years of Skywalker saga saber designs, this is brand new. Which is exactly why it feels fresh.

When Should You Choose (and NOT Choose) the Stellan Gios Lightsaber?

Get this saber if:

• You want a crossguard lightsaber that actually folds. Most Stellan Gios replicas use a fixed crossguard or skip the mechanism entirely. The folding action is the defining feature of this design — it’s what separates a real Gios from a Kylo Ren with a different paint job. If the fold matters to you, this is one of the few production options that delivers it.
• You collect High Republic sabers or want something different on your shelf. Everyone has a Vader. Everyone has a Luke. Nobody has a Stellan Gios. In a lineup of Graflex hilts, the gold-accented crossguard stands out immediately.
• You prefer two-handed broadsword-style dueling. The 33cm extended grip is built for two hands. More leverage. More control. The crossguard quillons give you hand protection that no straight-hilt saber offers.
• You cosplay Stellan Gios or another High Republic Jedi. The hilt is screen-accurate enough for convention judges. And the folding crossguard means it actually sits on your belt between photo ops without stabbing you in the ribs.

Skip this saber if:

• You primarily spin, trick, or fight one-handed. This is a heavy, two-handed broadsword hilt. The crossguard quillons — even folded — add mass that throws off spin balance. For flow arts and one-handed work, a straight hilt (Anakin, Luke) or curved hilt (Dooku) is the better tool.
• You do heavy full-contact dueling. Neopixel blades are rated for light to medium contact. The folding crossguard mechanism adds hinge joints that aren’t designed for full-contact impacts. For competitive sparring, use a Baselit combat hilt.
• You have smaller hands and prefer one-handed sabers. At 33cm, this is one of the longest character hilts available. The two-handed grip design means you need both hands on it for comfortable control. Smaller-handed duelists may find the reach to the activation switch awkward.
• You want a saber everyone instantly recognizes. This is a niche character from a newer era. Convention crowds know Vader and Maul on sight. Stellan Gios? The people who know, know. Everyone else will ask. For some that’s a plus. For others, it’s not.

What’s in the Box?

• Stellan Gios machined aluminum crossguard hilt with installed soundboard and rechargeable battery
• 1-inch Neopixel polycarbonate blade (your choice: 28″, 32″, or 36″)
• USB Type-C charging cable
• Display stand
• Blade plug (for displaying the hilt without the blade)
• Allen key and spare screw set
• User manual
• SD card reader (Xenopixel version only)
• Premium carrying case

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1: Does the folding crossguard actually work, or is it just for show?

A: It works. The quillons physically fold forward against the hilt when deactivated and swing outward on ignition. The mechanism is spring-loaded — you feel it engage.

But it’s a precision hinge, not a combat feature. Light dueling and cosplay? No problem. Repeated hard impacts with the quillons deployed? That’s asking too much from any folding joint. Folded, it’s as solid as any straight hilt.

Q2: Which soundboard should I get — Xenopixel V3 or XRGB3.0?

A: Xenopixel V3 for the full experience. 34 fonts. Bluetooth app. Nine blade effects. Gesture controls. SD card reader included.

XRGB3.0 to save ~$120. Same 50W Neopixel brightness. 16 fonts. Button-only control — no app, no Bluetooth. Six blade effects.

You’ll miss the app most when changing colors. On Xenopixel, you tap your phone. On XRGB3.0, you memorize button combos. Everything else feels comparable.

Q3: Is the blade actually blue in canon? Why does it ship green?

A: Canonically, Stellan Gios carried a deep Jedi blue blade. The saber ships default green, but both Xenopixel and XRGB3.0 switch to any color in seconds. Blue, green, white, purple — whatever you want. Neopixel means you’re never locked into one blade color.

Q4: Can I duel with the crossguard deployed?

A: Light dueling, yes. The quillon beams are polycarbonate, same as the main blade. A blade sliding down yours that hits the quillon will stop against plasma, not your fingers.

But the hinge mechanism isn’t built for impact stress. For heavy sparring, fold the crossguard. The hilt becomes a standard straight saber. For competitive dueling, use a dedicated Baselit combat hilt without moving parts.

Q5: How does this compare to the Disney Legacy Stellan Gios hilt?

A: Three differences that matter:

• Blade: Disney = sold separately ($50+). ISABER = included, your choice of length.
• Electronics: Disney = one sound font, one color, AAA batteries. ISABER = 16–34 fonts, full RGB, rechargeable 3600mAh battery, gesture controls.
• Dueling: Disney = display/collector piece, not built for contact. ISABER = rated for light to medium dueling.

The Disney hilt is a beautiful shelf piece at $135–180. The ISABER is a dueling saber that also looks great on a shelf.

Q6: Which blade length should I choose?

A: 32″ (82cm) is the sweet spot for a two-handed broadsword hilt. Long enough for reach, short enough for control.

36″ gives maximum reach but the longer lever arm makes the already-heavy hilt feel tip-heavy. 28″ is fastest — best for smaller spaces and quicker recovery between swings. All three same price. Pick by your arm length.

Q7: Is the hilt too long for one-handed use?

A: Yes. At 33cm, this is a two-handed hilt by design. You can swing it one-handed — people do — but the balance point sits far enough back that one-handed control feels awkward. If you primarily fight one-handed, a standard-length hilt (Anakin at 28.3cm, Luke at 27.6cm) will feel more natural.

Q8: How fragile is the folding crossguard mechanism?

A: It’s the most delicate part of the hilt. The hinges are machined aluminum, not steel. They’ll survive normal use — deploying, folding, light dueling — for years. But a hard drop onto concrete, or a full-force strike directly onto a deployed quillon? That could bend a hinge pin. Treat the folding mechanism with the same care you’d give a folding knife. It’s precise. It’s not indestructible.

Q9: Why is the hilt so much longer than other character sabers?

A: Because it’s designed as a hand-and-a-half broadsword, not a one-handed arming sword. The extra grip length (33cm vs. the typical 27–29cm) gives you space for two hands with room to adjust your grip position. The pommel is counterweighted to balance the longer body and the crossguard assembly.

Q10: How long does the battery last and can I swap it mid-session?

A: 2–3 hours at typical brightness with sound on. Heavy effects and max volume pull that closer to 2. USB-C charges to full in ~3 hours.

The battery is built into the chassis. Replaceable if needed, but not hot-swappable. For all-day conventions, charge overnight. For extended sessions, a USB-C power bank works while the saber is off.

Q11: Who was Stellan Gios, and why should I care about his lightsaber?

A: Stellan Gios was a Jedi Master and Council member during the High Republic era, about 200 years before The Phantom Menace. He trained Vernestra Rwoh, witnessed the first Nameless attacks, and ultimately sacrificed himself on Starlight Beacon to save countless lives.

His lightsaber is the first canon design explicitly inspired by Excalibur — a folding crossguard that Lucasfilm designed as a deliberate improvement on Kylo Ren’s always-open vents. For collectors, it’s a piece of Star Wars design history from an era that’s still being written.

Q12: What happened to Stellan Gios’s lightsaber after his death?

A: After Gios sacrificed himself aboard Starlight Beacon, the logistics droid JJ-5145 recovered the weapon and entrusted it to Jedi Master Elzar Mann, Gios’s closest friend since their Padawan days. The lightsaber carries the legacy of two generations: Gios’s own master, Rana Kant, whose lightsaber Gios carried with him always.

Q13: Does the ISABER Stellan Gios come with a display case?

A: Yes. Every ISABER Stellan Gios includes:

• Premium carrying and display case
• Dedicated display stand (for hilt-only display with crossguard folded or deployed)
• Blade plug (protects the emitter and completes the display look)

Included with both Xenopixel V3 and XRGB3.0. Arrives shelf-ready.

Q14: How does the Stellan Gios crossguard compare to the Kylo Ren crossguard for actual use?

A: The Stellan is more practical in every way except intimidation. Kylo’s crossguard is always open — looks aggressive on a shelf, constantly snags on clothing. Stellan’s folds when off and deploys when on. You can actually wear it on a belt. The quillon beams are uniform and stable (Kylo’s flicker because they’re venting unstable energy from a cracked crystal). For cosplay and handling, Stellan’s design is the better daily driver.