I just got my copy and the first question I was asked by my players was, of course "do I start with a lightsaber?"

How have other GM's handled this? Have you just allowed them to start at Knight level or have you given the "Padawan -Level" PC's Lightsabers? As I don't see an opportunity for them to get them at later stages?

Please help.

The way the setting and system is setup, lightsabers are SUPER powerful and should be earned at some point. Having one right away can decimate enemies. However if they do have one, implement checks and balances. Jedi are hunted and have bounties at this time, using a saber could be dangerous. Also if they choose to use the saber all the time to kill people, give a crap ton of conflict. Hope this helps a little

Jedifish hit it right on the head. I personally have my players earn lightsabers since they are incredibly powerful, particularly if you have a party with lightsabers. The problem with earning a lightsaber crystal is if you have a mix of players from different game lines. If you only have one Jedi in the party, its difficult to find a reason to justify going to a heavily guarded place like Illum or Tython to find a saber crystal.

That's why I like adventures like The Jewel of Yavin since that gives the possibility of getting a lightsaber crystal that the group is also interested in for monetary gain.

Using a lightsaber can be dangerous in itself, anyone who is loyal to the Empire that spots a lightsaber being used will report that to the authorities as soon as possible, and the local authorities are going to act swiftly and decisively to capture or even kill the person with the lightsaber, no questions asked as to if they are really a jedi or not. Sometimes it's better to just use a blaster and just be arrested as a gunslining smuggler, rather using a lightsaber and killed for being a suspected Jedi.

I was going to be converting it into an Old republic game, so maybe start at knight level play would be best

I think the book actually discusses interrupting partway to include a lightsaber quest. The way it's written, it isn't as demanding/constraining as some of the other adventure modules, so players could tackle it at their leisure. I did run it as a one-off game with beginning level players. We didn't get very far (chaotic night), but everybody seemed to do okay with the challenges. I think it needs some buffing if you plan to run knight level.

Depends on the era. Padawns during Rise of the Empire should start without, with a reasonable story for losing it, and I suggest the goal of having a lightsaber be thier first motivation, or the "session 0" adventures be about getting one.