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 Marks of contact 3 Maneuvers 3.1 Horizontal Parry 3.2 Grip 4 Notable practitioners 4.1 Users 5 Behind the scenes 6 Appearances 7 Sources 8 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, developed by early Jedi Masters 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.

Aspects of the style were adapted for the Medium style as well as the Strong style of the New Jedi Order.

[edit] Marks of contact

One of the marks of contact, sun djem, was a goal of early Form I duelists, as disarming or destroying the opponents' weapons could ensure victory without causing injury, which was always a Jedi objective. However, with the rise of Form II, sun djem became nearly impossible as Makashi duelists were well trained to prevent their own weapons from being taken or destroyed.

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)^[1]
• training drills called velocities

During the Old Jedi Order, Younglings started out by learning Form I before beginning a Padawan apprenticeship with a Jedi Master. It was done so, because, as Kreia commented, Form I was one of the easiest forms to learn, 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.

Kit Fisto was a notable practitioner of Form I, but he could not defeat Darth Sidious with it. Form I was better served against multiple enemies, and one opponent as powerful as Sidious was 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; in his own words, "Too slow... too predictable." Shii-Cho form was most effective in situations with multiple opponents and did not offer many techniques for blocking blaster bolts or dueling one lightsaber wielding opponent. Nonetheless, Shii-Cho was an effective form to fall back on when no other form would do to suit the current combat situation.

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] Maneuvers

[edit] Horizontal Parry

The lightsaber is at shoulder height with the blade almost on the shoulder.

[edit] Grip

In Shii-Cho form, a lightsaber is held by putting one hand on the very top of the hilt, next to the emitter, and another hand on the pommel. On the top hand, pressure was applied to the ring and little finger, and the thumb, as if one could fight without the middle and index fingers. The bottom hand was maneuvered in a push-pulled motion, using the top hand as a fulcrum.

[edit] Notable practitioners

As Shii-Cho had been in existence for many millennia, and was usually the first form taught, due to its simplicity, 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^[2] as well as Lucien Draay.^[3]

In more recent years, Cin Drallig mastered the style, along with the next five forms^[4]. Obi-Wan Kenobi also had some knowledge in the style, using it against Dooku during their duel on the Invisible Hand^[5]. Dooku also trained General Grievous and his IG-100 MagnaGuards in the style^[6].

A notable Clone Wars-era master of Shii-Cho was Kit Fisto^[7], whose proficiency in the style earned him among the greatest swordsmen in the Jedi Order. However, even his skill was not enough to stand against the visceral intensity of Darth Sidious.^[5]

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.^[8]

Shii-Cho, like the other six forms would eventually be rediscovered by the New Jedi Order and once again be practiced among the Jedi. ^[9]

[edit] Users

• Lucien Draay^[3]
• Cin Drallig^[4]
• The Jedi Exile^[2]
• Kit Fisto^[7]
• General Grievous^[6]
• General Grievous's IG-100 MagnaGuards^[6]
• Kas'im
• Kyle Katarn ^[10]
• Every Jedi should be proficient in Shii-Cho as they learned the form as younglings.

[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. ^[11]

[edit] Appearances

• Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords
• Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones
• Tides of Terror
• 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
• 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"

[edit] Notes and references

	Lightsabers
Combat	Duels · 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 Will · Falling Leaf · Flowing Water · Jedi ready · Jung · Jung ma · Kai-kan · Lus-ma · Mou kei · Sai · Sai cha · Sai tok · Sequence · Shiak · Shien · Shiim · Shun · Sun djem · Velocities
Variations	Curved-hilt lightsaber · Double-bladed lightsaber · Fiber-cord linked lightsabers · Forked lightsaber · Imperial Knight lightsaber · Lightclub · Lightfoil · Lightwhip · Paired lightsabers · Lightsaber pike · Protosaber · Shoto / Guard shoto · Lightsaber staff · Training lightsaber / Sith training saber
Lightsaber-resistant materials	Cortosis · Mandalorian iron · Neuranium · Phrik · Ultrachrome
Technology	Blade emitter shroud · Crystal · Diatum power cell · Emitter matrix · Focusing lens · Hilt · Inert power insulator · Pommel cap