Lah Zhima

This article is non-canon within the canon continuity.

This article covers a subject from a Star Wars: Visions story that Lucasfilm declared is set in an alternate history within a reimagined galaxy.

"Remember that while the Force exists in every living thing, only those who develop their connection to it will have the power to wield it."

―Lah Zhima^[1]

Lah Zhima was a Force-sensitive human male sabersmith who worked for Margrave Juro on the world of Hy Izlan, where he raised a daughter, Lah Kara. Juro had Zhima produce eight lightsabers for him as he intended to try and restart the Jedi Order, but the duo's attempts were discovered by Sith Jedi hunters. The hunters captured Zhima and took him to a distant star system but not before he managed to get the sabers to Kara, who brought them to Juro's Jedi recruits. After Kara helped Juro defeat the recruits that were disguised Sith, Juro promised that he would help save her father.

Biography[]

A legendary sabersmith[]

"I kept my promise, and I actually finished them on time."

―Lah Zhima^[1]

LahZhimaLightsaber — Lah Zhima in his workspace with Lah Kara

Lah Zhima^[1] was a legendary^[2] sabersmith who lived on the Outer Rim planet Hy Izlan, where he used kyber crystals to build lightsabers for the margrave, Juro. Zhima's daughter, Lah Kara, lived with him on the planet. Zhima built eight lightsabers for the margrave and finished them on time as he had promised, tempering each crystal so that the color and length would be controlled by which Jedi wielded it. Zhima explained this to Kara following the eighth saber being completed, noticing her talent and teaching her about the Force.^[1]

However, that day, a starship of Sith Jedi hunters arrived, which prompted Zhima to give all of the lightsabers to Kara so that she could deliver them to the Aerial Temple that orbited the planet; Juro had recruited Jedi candidates to the temple in the hopes of restoring the Jedi Order, which was why he required the lightsabers. Kara was surprised that her father was not going to deliver them, but he claimed that he would be looking after the guests, despite the fact that they were not actually his guests. He embraced her, acting as though he would not see his daughter again—surprising her once more. Kara then ran away just as two hunters burst through the door and asked of his identity, which he confirmed. They then accused him of manufacturing illegal lightsabers, which he avoided denying.^[1]

When Zhima was told that he would be taken away, he tried to refuse. He then checked the window to make sure that Kara was far enough away^[1] and deflected the hunters' shots into his oven,^[3] exploding his building along with the hunters. The explosion was too small, however, and all three individuals inside survived. Kara also noticed and turned around to find her father being dragged on the ground by the hunters. He begged her to run once he saw her, and she did, escaping on a speeder and being chased by one of the hunters. The remaining hunter took away Zhima.^[1]

Following capture[]

"I'm the daughter of the sabersmith Lah Zhima."

―Kara^[1]

ZhimaCaptured — Zhima was captured and taken away.

Kara mentioned her father when meeting the Jedi recruits of the Aerial Temple, which intrigued them, for they were anticipating the lightsabers. Once Kara revealed them, they accepted the sabers eagerly. However, most of the recruits were Sith, not Jedi, their lightsabers turning red as an indication.^[1]

During the subsequent lightsaber duel, one of the Sith told Kara that Lah Zhima had been taken to a star system far away and that she would never see him again. She also informed Kara that any rescue attempts would be unsuccessful. Despite the Sith's number, Juro, Kara, and the only two recruits who were indeed Jedi, Ethan and Homen, were able to win the duel. Juro explained to Kara that he had only recently learned that Sith were sent in place of several Jedi, which was how they had learned of Zhima's sabersmith abilities. He apologized for not being able to help when he was taken but promised that he would help Kara save him.^[1]

Personality and traits[]

"You do have some natural talent with a lightsaber, Kara, but your connection will grow in time with proper training."

―Lah Zhima^[1]

Zhima had a loving relationship with his daughter; she meant everything to him, and he meant everything to her.^[2] He was willing to sacrifice himself for her, begging her to run while he was captured. He was a human male with light skin, black hair, and gray eyes.^[1]

Powers and abilities[]

"I've tempered the kyber crystals on each lightsaber so it reflects the user's connection with the Force."

―Lah Zhima^[1]

A legendary lightsaber-smith,^[2] Zhima made all eight lightsabers on time and was able to make each lightsaber react to its user. Additionally, he was able to deflect blaster fire using the Force.^[1]

Equipment[]

When dealing with kyber crystals, Zhima used a hammer, and he had many other tools in his workspace. When he ignited one of his lightsabers, the blade turned blue. He wore simple, gray clothing with overalls along with a white bandana.^[1]

Behind the scenes[]

"Kara's father is a legendary lightsaber-smith, which is totally unique to this tale."

―Executive producer Josh Rimes^[2]

Lah Zhima was created for the Star Wars: Visions short film "The Ninth Jedi,"^[1] which was released on September 22, 2021. Prior to the film's release, Zhima was revealed simultaneously in the original Japanese trailer for the series, which was uploaded to the official Star Wars YouTube channel on August 17 of that year,^[4] and in the English dub trailer, which was uploaded the same day.^[5] He was identified the same day in a StarWars.com article detailing the series' cast.^[6] He was voiced by Shin-ichiro Miki in the original Japanese audio and by Simu Liu in the English dub.^[1]

Executive producer Josh Rimes called Zhima's profession and lightsabers unique to "The Ninth Jedi," "different from anything […] seen before in Star Wars." The film's writer and director, Kenji Kamiyama, wanted the lightsabers to feel new.^[2] The idea of including a blacksmith character was one of Kamiyama's first ideas for "The Ninth Jedi," as he was interested in a non-Jedi individual that could make a lightsaber,^[7] inspired by swords and swordsmiths of Japanese history. To create Zhima's design, Kamiyama and character designer Tetsuya Nishio drew from traditional Japanese clothing, with the exception of his hammer, which was more Western.^[8] Although canonically, Jedi usually created their own lightsabers, the presence of Zhima was part of the freedom that the creators of Visions had in telling the story that they wanted to.^[9]