Was the Lightsaber Meant for Jedi only?

[Jedimom/Cor-Al Gelkar]

Interesting conversation I came up on Rebelscum:

Watching Star Wars, when Obi-Wan gives Luke the lightsaber, he says: "this is the weapon of a Jedi".
In Return of the Jedi, when Vader gives the Emperor Luke's lightsaber, he says: "Ah yes, a Jedi's weapon".
Even in Phantom Menace, Anakin as a kid tells Qui-Gon: "Only Jedi's carry lightsabers".
Yes, Vader had a lightsaber but it was because he WAS once a Jedi.

Did George changed his mind about lightsabers while writing Phantom Menace just because of the practicality
of not having to invent a new weapon for the Sith, because he knew ligthsaber fights have become an intricate part of good vs evil in Star Wars
or just because he ALWAYS, since the beginning intended for the Sith to also use lightsabers?

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My beginning thoughts on this subject:

I believe the lightsaber to be the weapon of Jedi and Sith. The Sith sought other weapons when they became available but held onto traditions of lightsabers as a true test of skill. They also still held onto the lightsaber as a weapon against Jedi - do you see Palpy going after Obi-Wan with a blaster? Or see Vader pull a blaster to kill Ben? I believe it is a sign of respect that they Jedi/Sith fight is "civilized" - thus lightsabers/Force powers only - to see who is better at wielding their powers. Grievous used lightsabers, but he did not and could not use them correctly without the Force. He even laments about this in the novels. And when it came down to it, he ran and used the "uncivilized" blaster to try to kill Obi. He was a frustrated wannabe.

[J'aii-Gun Jiinn]

Wasn't the sith formed by a rogue jedi?

[Jedimom/Cor-Al Gelkar]

I think at one time it was, but now its like Sith were from one planet and Jedi are from another. Which really doesn't make sense if you think about it.

[Dianakin]

That doesent make sense if that is how it came to be...I thought the Jedi and Sith were from the same planet only on diffrent sides.

Hmmm shows how much I still have to learn about Jedi history!

Dianakin

[Jedimom/Cor-Al Gelkar]

According to "The Jedi Path":

"Our predecessors first heard the Force's call on the Deep Core world of Tython...The Force Wars of Tython are the earliest recorded conflicts between the light and the dark...The Force Wars were fought with metal blades Force-enhanced for strength and sharpness...From Tython, the first Jedi Knights spread into the galaxy as protective defenders of the light, settling on Ossus near Hutt space...The Sith species, originating on Korriban, and the earliest darksiders, those who broke away from the Order during the First Great Schism on Tython, shared similar outlooks on power. Eventually their teachings became so intertwined that "Sith" came to describe any adherent their beliefs, regardless of species."

So it seems Dark Jedi who left Tython eventually went to the Sith planet and intermingled with them.

[Starkindler (The Naked Jedi)]

...and being that both "sides" used the same "techniques" and power it would seem to make sense they both could use light sabers....the sith, from my readings, seem to favor the use of synthetic gems over natural ones...hence the limited colors of sith blades...

[Leda EmBorr]

I read in The Jedi Path that the lightsaber was "...developed for the Jedi Order using offworld technology...", and so "...became the symbol of the Jedi Order". Those who turned to the dark side took that technology with them to the Sith. Naturally it worked for them being Force users as well. But originally it was a Jedi weapon.

So it makes sense for Ben to say that the lightsaber was ..."the weapon of a Jedi Knight."