 |
Lightsaber Forms
Form I also known as Shii-Cho
When lightsabers first replaced the older, traditional swords of metal this form was created. It is based on the ancient sword-fighting traditions and the basics remain much the same. Attack, parry, body target zones and practice drills, all stay almost exactly the same.
Form I is the first form a Padawan must study. Around the time of the Clone Wars Jedi Master Yoda teached the young clans this first form.
Jedi Master Yoda teaches the Bear Clan the first form.
Form II also known as Makashi
With this second form, the art of lightsaber fighting was refined. The precision of blade manipulation was advanced to its finest possible degree. The greatest swordsmasters in the galaxy were trained in this form.
But the form became less current, because fighting an opponent with a lightsaber was not common for a Jedi.
On the other hand Sith Knights, who expect to battle the Jedi with their saber, train intensively in this form and find it a powerful technique.
Count Dooku handles his lightsaber in the exact ways of Form II.
Form III also known as Soresu
Form III is based on the laserblast deflection. When blasters became the most common weapon in the hand of evildoers, Jedi developed new means of defending themself. This form became a refined expression of their non-aggressive philosophy.
Form III uses tight, efficient moves, leaving no target areas exposed compared to other, more open forms of wielding a saber.
True form III masters are believed almost invincible. But as a side effect, this form isn't useful in attack.
Obi-Wan Kenobi is a Form III master, and only yields voluntarily to Darth Vader.
Form IV also known as Ataru/ Ataro
Form IV is the most acrobatic form ever developed. In this form the Jedi uses the Force to go beyond what is physically possible. Jumps, spins and runs.
The form is filled with elaborate moves in which the Jedi stands as the center of the blur formed by his lightsaber.
Jedi Master Yoda is a true Form IV master.
Form V also known as Shien/DjemSo
This form is a developed by Jedi masters who found form III too passive. They turned the first only-defensive lightsaber moves into block and attack moves.
The form focusses on strength and lightsaber moves. It turns the deflecting of a blaster bolt into an attack, by deliberately sending it back to the opponent.
To many Jedi it represents the philosophy of "peace through superior firepower", and might seem a worthy discipline, prepared for any threath. Others think it is focussed on dominating other beings.
Darth Vader has always been a Form V practitioner.
Form VI also known as Niman
This form is a combination of form I, III, IV and V. Young Jedi spend their first years studying Form I and after that they learn the other forms in small periods. A true Form VI master studies at least ten years this form after completing the first one.
At the beginning of the Clone Wars, Form VI is the current standard for Jedi. It is the least intensive of all forms. It keeps the balance between true harmony and justice without resorting to the rule of power. It is seen as "the diplomat's form", because it allows Jedi to further develop their skills in perception, political strategy and negotiation.
On Geonosis, most of the Form VI users were killed in battle...
Form VI is the most common, but least effective. The Diplomat's form.
Form VII also known as Juyo/Vaapad
Only the highest skilled Jedi Masters ever reach form VII. It is the most difficult of all forms, but leads to fantastic skill and power.
This form uses wide and open lightsaber moves, combined with Force-assisted jumps and movements. The unrelated, staccato swings make the form highly unpredictable in battle. But this is also what makes it a lot more difficult to execute, than the linked move sequences of Form IV.
This form has the intensity of Form V, but uses more energy because of the wider moves. The outward bearing of a Form VII practitioner is calm, but the inner is extremely focussed, drawing upon a deeper well of emotion.
This form is at the time of the Clone Wars still under development, as few Jedi have mastered it fully.
Jedi Masters Mace Windu and Sora Bulq developed this style together. It is also known as Vaapad. This form is rather dangerous, when used by untrained and unfocussed minds. The deep well of emotions can lead to the release of anger. And trigger temptations towards the Dark Side.
Mace Windu is one of the few Form VII masters.
Form VIII also known as Sokan
Developed by the ancient Jedi Knights during the Great Sith War with the ancient Sith Empire, the original form of Sokan consisted of tactics for extraordinary feats of evasion and mobility, intended to place the enemy in a poor location or to enhance one's own position.[24] In later millennia, shortly before the Clone Wars, it was combined with the kinetic motions of Form IV combat. Sokan involves swift strokes of the lightsaber aimed towards the opponent's vital areas in addition to quick tumbles and movements
Form IX also known as Jar'kai
The dual saber style of Jar'Kai permits a Jedi to fight with two lightsabers, one in each hand, as seen in Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones when Anakin Skywalker dueled Makashi-user Count Dooku. One of the blades in the wielder's hands is used for attacking while the other one is used for defending, such as parrying, or for more offensive power. Often, the Jedi wields a short lightsaber (very rarely referred to as a "short saber", or a "shoto") in a similar fashion as the Japanese daisho or fencing with a parrying dagger, as a main-gauche instead of a normal lightsaber to gain more balance.[26] In the book Yoda: Dark Rendezvous, Master Maruk says those who practice dual sword wield have a tendency to rely too deeply on their swords.
Jar'Kai was first used by Xendor and the Legions of Lettow for the obvious reason that two blades would be more aggressive (the same rationale later adopted by Sith like Darth Maul for using Exar Kun's invention, the dual-bladed lightsaber). The related Form VI Niman took its name from the triumvirate of Kashi gods of Xendor's old human planet Kashi.[27] Many Jedi train to use the Niman style in the hopes of gaining a basic knowledge of the dual-bladed attack, but very few Jedi ever totally master Jar'Kai. Niman is the stepping stone to dual saber mastery, and no one has ever fully learned Jar'kai without first mastering Form VI.[21]
Apparently, Jar'Kai is not the only combat form to allow a dual-bladed attack. Mace Windu, while on the mission to extract Depa Billaba from Haruun Kal, repeatedly wielded both his and Depa's lightsabers while using his signature form Vaapad.
Form X also known as Form Zero
Form Zero is the basis for instruction of lightsaber combat originally defined by Jedi Master Yoda. The art of Form Zero lies in a lightsaber that has not been ignited. A Jedi cannot protect and serve the galaxy in the Jedi way if he/she does not know when to draw his/her sword and when to resort to different means of solving a problem. Form Zero, unlike most other forms, does not teach a Jedi how to use a lightsaber, but when to use one. The knowledge, understanding, and wisdom behind the idea of right and wrong encompasses the idea that a Jedi who feels the necessity to use Form Zero, the absence of violence, is truly gifted in the ways of the Force. It is often used when a Jedi like Kyle Katarn or Jaden Korr achieves his aims by finesse, rather than force (such instances of use of Form Zero are identified as being in Star Wars: Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast and Star Wars: Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy). Luke Skywalker himself demonstrates Form Zero when he allows himself (and his entire team) to be captured by the Ewoks in Return of the Jedi, seeing that responding in violence would bring more harm than good, and instead choosing to passively wait for the situation to play itself out, and in doing so, gaining an essential ally in achieving their victory in the Battle of Endor.
Form XI also known as Dun Moch
Dun möch is the Sith style of combat that aims to defeat an opponent by wearing down his/her spirit by whatever means possible, rather than solely relying on saber skills. Dun möch commonly involves spoken taunts, jeers, comments, and jests that expose the opponent's hidden, inner weaknesses and/or doubts. Other variations of dun möch involve usage of the Force to throw large, weighty objects at the Sith's opponent during combat, which both distracts the opponent from the battle and could potentially cause damage, such as when Darth Vader fought Luke Skywalker in Cloud City in The Empire Strikes Back. It also involves physical attacks such as kicks and punches. Darth Maul used physical attacks extensively in The Phantom Menace. Both Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan were frequently caught off-guard by kicking attacks during the final lightsaber duel in Episode I. While such attacks obviously risk the user to having their limbs removed, their psychological impact is great. In The Phantom Menace, Qui-Gon appears to suffer a moment of rage soon after when Darth Maul kicks him in the face, viciously punching Maul in return.
|
 |
Reply
