Has there ever been a time in the Star Wars mythos in which lightsabers are only able to be activated and used by the power of the Force? (Not turned on by the Force by means of flipping a switch but actually running from the power of the user.)
I am writing a short story and don't want to build on a preexisting idea.
Forcesabers are exactly what you are looking for. The earliest iteration of the lightsaber, they were fueled by the dark side power of the wielders themselves.
They were originally used by the Rakata, a powerful interstellar empire, and caused some degree of division among the Je'daii when they first started using them.
It should be cautioned that these are Legends, and thus not part of the current Disney continuity.
