Form I: Shii-Cho

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Form I: Shii-Cho, also known as The Way of the Sarlacc, or The Determination Form, was the first of the seven forms of lightsaber combat.

Contents 1 History 2 Description 2.1 Training 2.2 Known moves and maneuvers 2.3 Applications 3 Notable practitioners 4 Behind the scenes 5 Appearances 6 Sources 7 Notes and references

[edit] History

As the weapons technology of the lightsaber was developed, the need for a form of combat arose. Thus Form I, also called Way of the Sarlacc, was born. Shii-Cho was the most ancient style of lightsaber combat,^[13] developed by early Jedi Masters during the transition from metal swords to lightsabers, to incorporate key principles of ancient sword-fighting traditions. Existing as the simplest form even four thousand years before the Battle of Yavin, Shii-Cho was among the many forms known to the Jedi, including Kreia and the Jedi Exile. Due to its simplicity, it was often the first form taught, so almost all lightsaber duelists included some aspect of Shii-Cho in their swordplay.

[edit] Description

Form I was born thousands of years before the Battle of Yavin, when contained beams of energy replaced metal swords. This fighting form is really an extension of the traditional metal bladed techniques it was created from, with its basics of attacks, parries, body target zones and practice drills, and the principles of blade contact remained essentially the same.

Form I was said to allow focus and a slightly improved chance of connecting with the opponent. Because the ancient Jedi did not have lightsaber-wielding enemies, Form I was not developed with lightsaber-to-lightsaber combat in mind. Nonetheless, because of its few advantages and disadvantages, Shii-Cho was an effective form to fall back on when no other form would do to suit the current combat situation.

[edit] Training

In the Old Jedi Order, Younglings started out by learning Form I at a very early age, before beginning a Padawan apprenticeship with a Jedi Master. Their first years they spent studying no other form. It was done so, because, as Kreia commented, Form I was the simplest of the forms, yet still powerful. Their training included learning to deflect plasma bolts from training remotes while being blindfolded or covered up by a practice helmet. Lightsaber instructors such as Yoda and Cin Drallig taught Form I to thousands of students during their Jedi careers.

[edit] Known moves and maneuvers

Form I, like its succeeding forms, included the following basic techniques and concepts:

• attack, a set of attacks aimed at different body zones
• parry, a set of blocks to thwart any attack in the specified body zones
• body target zones (1 - head, 2 - right arm and side, 3 - left arm and side, 4 - back, 5 - right leg, 6 - left leg)^[14]
• training drills called velocities

Shii-Cho philosophy emphasized victory without injury and as such, the sun djem mark of contact was traditionally employed by Form I practitioners. Keeping with the use of sun djem, one of the attacks utilized by Form I practitioners was referred to as the "Disarming Slash". This attack consisted of a strike directed towards the opponent's weapon with the intent to rip it out of their grasp.^[15] Another of the techniques utilized by Shii-Cho was dubbed the "Sarlacc Sweep", a wide sweeping attack in which the duelist strikes out against multiple enemies.^[15]

[edit] Applications

Kit Fisto, one of the most notable practitioners of Form I during the Clone Wars, successfully wielded the style through many battles and duels, demonstrating his skill against the likes of General Grievous and Asajj Ventress. He demonstrated a high amount of versatility with the form, effectively applying his skills towards the usage of multiple blades and lightwhips.^[16][5] However, Fisto proved unable to defeat Ventress and Darth Sidious with the style, highlighting one of its primary weaknesses. Form I was ideal when heavily outnumbered and effective against many opponents, but a single opponent, especially individuals as powerful as Sidious or Ventress, is able to find flaw in it.

Obi-Wan Kenobi commented Form I as wild, raw, and deadly, requiring much emotional heat, and Kit Fisto noted how hard it was to control the pull of Form I, disabling opponents rather than killing them; however, Kenobi sometimes did infuse elements of Shii-Cho into his swordplay, including the rematch with Count Dooku onboard the Invisible Hand. Dooku himself commented Shii-Cho swordplay as deliberate as a lumberdroid, moving step by step, cutting off the angles, clumsy but relentlessly dogged, certainly one of the most basic of fighting forms.

Shii-Cho was also one of the forms which Count Dooku taught the fearsome Jedi hunter General Grievous, who in turn taught his IG-100 MagnaGuards.

[edit] Notable practitioners

As Shii-Cho had been in existence for many millennia, and was usually the first form taught, almost all lightsaber duelists included aspects and elements of it in their swordplay. One of the most prolific ancient practitioners of the style was the Jedi Exile^[4] as well as Lucien Draay.^[2]

In more recent years, Cin Drallig mastered the style, along with the next five forms.^[3] Obi-Wan Kenobi also had some preference for the style, using it against Dooku during their duel on the Invisible Hand.^[17] Dooku himself trained General Grievous and his IG-100 MagnaGuards in the style.^[6] Master Kirlocca of the Almas Academy was also credited as having mastered Form I.^[8]

A notable Clone Wars-era master of Shii-Cho was Kit Fisto,^[5] whose proficiency in the style earned him a position among the greatest swordsmen in the Jedi Order. However, even his skill was not enough to stand against the savage fire of Asajj Ventress^[5] and, later on, the visceral intensity of Darth Sidious, which lead to his death.^[17]

Darth Vader incorporated elements of Shii-Cho into his personal Form V variant and Galen Marek, his apprentice was also familiar with the form, which in turn was used by his father, Kento.^[18]

Luke Skywalker received instruction in basic Form I velocities during his early training under Obi-Wan Kenobi.^[9]

Shii-Cho, like the other six forms, would eventually be rediscovered by the New Jedi Order.^[19]

[edit] Behind the scenes

Another likely practitioner of Shii-Cho is Sora Bulq, based on statements in the official Databank.

While Darth Sidious is believed to be a Form IV and VII user, no source has confirmed his lightsaber form. Due to comments from Nick Gillard that Sidious has been shown to use several different forms proficiently, it is possible that he has mastered most of them, including Form I.

Shii-Cho, along with the other lightsaber forms, appears in Star Wars Galaxies as part of moves and techniques employable by Jedi characters. This has not definitively been clarified to be canonical. ^[20]

[edit] Appearances

• Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords
• Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones
• Jedi: Aayla Secura
• The Cestus Deception
• Star Wars: Clone Wars
• Star Wars: Battlefront II
• Star Wars Republic: Show of Force
• Star Wars: Obsession
• Labyrinth of Evil
• Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
• Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith novel
• Coruscant Nights III: Patterns of Force
• The Force Unleashed novel

[edit] Sources

• "Fightsaber: Jedi Lightsaber Combat" - Star Wars Insider 62
• Attack of the Clones: The Visual Dictionary
• Revenge of the Sith: The Visual Dictionary
• Order 66: Destroy All Jedi
•  Sora Bulq in the Databank
• "Devan"
• Star Wars Galaxies Trading Card Game – Squadrons Over Corellia (Card: Shii-Cho)
• The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia

[edit] Notes and references

	Lightsabers
Combat	Duel · Dun Möch · Fast style · Medium style · Strong style · Form "Zero" · Mounted · Niman/Jar'Kai · Sokan · Three rings of defense · Trispzest · Tràkata
Forms	I: Shii-Cho · II: Makashi · III: Soresu · IV: Ataru · V: Shien / Djem So · VI: Niman · VII: Juyo / Vaapad
Techniques	Cho mai · Cho mok · Cho sun · Dulon · Faalo's cadences · Faalo's Will · Falling Leaf · Flowing Water · Jedi ready · Jung · Jung ma · Kai-kan · Lus-ma · Mou kei · Sai · Sai cha · Sai tok · Sequence · Shiak · Shiim · Shun · Su · Sun djem · Twin Suns · Velocities
Variations	Crossguard lightsaber · Curved-hilt lightsaber · Dual-phase lightsaber · Double-bladed lightsaber · Imperial Knight lightsaber · Lightclub · Lightfoil · Lightwhip · Long-handle lightsaber · Lightsaber pike · Protosaber · Shoto / Guard shoto · Training lightsaber / Sith training saber
Lightsaber-resistant materials	Armorweave · Cortosis · Darkswords · Force Weapon · Mandalorian iron · Neuranium · Orbalisks · Phrik · Sith alchemy · Ultrachrome
Technology	Blade emitter · Crystal · Diatium power cell · Emitter matrix · Focusing lens · Hilt · Inert power insulator · Pommel cap