Form III/Legends

"That is so like you, Master Kenobi. I am called a great swordsman because I invented a lethal style; but who is greater, the creator of a killing form&mdash;or the master of the classic form?"

- Mace Windu to Obi-Wan Kenobi

Form III: Soresu, also known as the Way of the Mynock, or The Resilience Form, was the third of the seven classic forms of lightsaber combat that was recognized by the Jedi Council prior to and during the Clone Wars.

Description
"A&hellip; defensive technique. But effective. Use it if you do not wish to be hit, or if you are facing many opponents with blasters. With a lightsaber blade and enough skill in deflection, it is an excellent offense against blasters, but in other situations, it merely delays the inevitable."

- Kreia



The original purpose of the Soresu form was to counter blaster-wielding opponents, as the previous combat styles focused on lightsaber dueling. Becoming the most defensive of the seven forms, Soresu utilized tight moves, subtle dodges and short sweeps designed to provide maximum defensive coverage, leaving the duelist less exposed to ranged fire. Over time, Form III came to trancend this basic origin and become an expression of non-aggressive Jedi philosophy.

The core tenets of Soresu encouraged duelist to place themselves "within the eye of the storm;" that is to maintain a calm center, undisturbed by the conflict around them. Thus, Soresu commanded powerful defensive techniques that seemed to adapt to almost any circumstance, at the cost of never reaching past the figurative eye of the storm. In other words, those who studied this style used the primarily defensive technique to wear down aggressive opponents by defending against long onslaughts with minimal counter-attacking. They waited until their adversary spent most of their energy, then employed an alternate, more aggressive attack to take advantage of inevitable lapses in the opponent's own defense.



Soresu utilized motions that occurred very close to the body, in an attempt to achieve near-total protection and expend as little energy as possible while executing moves. Form III stressed quick reflexes and fast positional transition, in order to overcome the rapidity with which a blaster could be fired. This technique minimized the body's exposure, making a well-trained practitioner nearly invincible. Form III involved preparation for prolonged battles where the user observed and learned as much as possible about their opponent's or opponents' technique while engaged in combat. Also, by being more capable in lengthy battles, a Soresu user had the ability to gain control of a combat situation, creating multiple options for the Jedi employing the form. A Form III user could choose to kill, disarm, or even reason with their opponent.

Truly focused masters of Soresu were very formidable due to their strong defense technique. However, Form III merely facilitated survival rather than victory. Form III initiates were more than capable of defending themselves from attack, but they needed a large amount of experience to learn how to effectively counter-attack and entrap opponents. Masters had to maintain an incredibly strong focus on the center of the combat circle, since the defensive tactics of the form included guards and parries engaged very close to the body. Jedi who left small lapses in their otherwise strong defense left little room to avoid injury.

Also, the goal of many Soresu practitioners was to prolong the fight, the idea being to cause the enemy to become fatigued or frustrated as they attempted to keep up their offense. However, this tactic could easily backfire upon the user, as he himself becomes fatigued trying to keep up a defense against an aggressive, though cautious, adversary.

Known Moves and Manuevers


"This Form (Soresu) maximizes defensive protection in a style characterized by tight, efficient movements that expose minimal target areas when compared with the relatively open styles of some other forms."

- Cin Drallig

Soresu Opening Stance The opening stance features the blade held back in a one-handed grip, extended forwards, while the opposing arm is held parallel to the blade in challenge. The dominant foot is held back.

Form III Brace-Ready Stance This position has much in common with the "Ataru guard." The blade is held vertical on the dominant side in a two-handed grip for greater blade control, the dominant foot placed back while the other is extended forwards and to the side.

Circle of Shelter A technique where the duelist creates a protected area around themselves and their allies, making it difficult for enemies to penetrate. Deflecting Slash A technique where the duelist redirects the momentum generated by deflecting an enemy projectile into a slashing attack at an adjacent target.

Applications
"Defense will not slay my enemy.''" "''You lack the physical strength required for the powerful attacking strikes of Djem So or the other aggressive forms. You must rely on quickness, cunning and, most of all, patience to best your enemies."

- Darth Zannah learns from Darth Bane the effectiveness of Soresu



When Darth Bane first began training Zannah as his apprentice, he pragmatically judged that her small size and light build removed the more aggressive lightsaber forms from her potential repertoire. Teaching her to wield a saberstaff, he trained her to redirect an opponent's attacks rather than directly blocking in order to maintain her own energy. She took to twirling her weapon in order to maintain momentum and to set up a defensive shield against enemy attacks.

In combat, Zannah also relied just as much on tactical know-how as lightsaber skills. When she and Bane were engaged by Jedi while on Tython, Zannah retreated to the corner of the room, using the two walls to cover her flanks while she engaged. Due to the lack of skill demonstrated by one of her two opponents, their overall effectiveness was compromised. Rather than kill the weaker opponent outright, Zannah instead let him live in order to hinder the other, considerably more skilled, duelist. However, this advantage was removed when the weaker duelist broke off to engage Bane with the others, leaving Zannah to contend with the better fighter on even terms. Zannah barely survived, as her opponent's assault demonstrated both caution and great power, leaving her with no openings and forcing her to expend huge amounts of energy to fend it off. She only succeeded in killing her opponent because he was momentarily distracted.

Obi-Wan Kenobi originally specialized in Ataru, trained in the form by Qui-Gon Jinn. However, upon witnessing his master's death due to Ataru's lack of defensive capabilities, Kenobi takes up dedication to Soresu as a defense against the Sith techniques that brought down Jinn. Kenobi's resulting skill in Form III stood him in good stead against masterful gunslingers such as Jango Fett, or during the chaotic firefight that was the Battle of Geonosis. His tight defense and energy-efficient moves enabled him to pull through and survive. However, when confronting Dooku, Kenobi's Soresu proved unable to effectively counter Dooku's skills. Dooku's elegant Makashi strokes and jabs worked away at Kenobi's defense; many of Kenobi's cutting parries missing Dooku's blade entirely; while his feints confused the Jedi and forced him to retreat. Kenobi was ultimately brought down.



Over the course of the Clone Wars, Kenobi continued to develop his techniques. His blast-deflection skills develop to the point where Kenobi could walk unscathed through hornet-swarms of blasterfire, defended only by the Force's direction of his blade. Kenobi's skill as a lightsaber duelist also advanced considerably, developed by "thousands of hours in lightsaber sparring" with Anakin Skywalker and others, and hardened by numerous engagements with enemy duelists, such as Grievous or Asajj Ventress. Even unarmed, Kenobi was a formidable opponent, evading enemy attacks and working his way inside their defense to assail them with physical attacks, as he did against Ventress and Pre Vizsla.

By the end of the war, Kenobi's mastery of Soresu had developed to the point where he could compete with Dooku. In the ensuing duel, Kenobi and Skywalker both relied on basic lightsaber techniques and strategies, aiming to lull Dooku into a false sense of confidence. When they suddenly shifted to the advanced fighting methods they had practiced and developed, Kenobi displayed his full mastery of Soresu. His bladework demonstrated simplicity and efficiency, but also bewildering speed and precision. Dooku was caught off-guard and forced to retreat in confusion, only defeating Kenobi through his superior mastery of the Force. In his final duel with Grievous, Kenobi provided one of the most pure demonstrations of Soresu. His blade's intricate pattern of blocks and parries moving just fast enough to subtly interfere with Grievous' multiple strikes, while his slight dodges and shifts of stance allowing him to simply evade the rest. As Grievous ramped up the intensity of his assault, Kenobi countered by merely altering the angle of his parries, cutting off two of Grievous' mechanical wrists. Kenobi proved to be one of the only Jedi able to engage Darth Vader and survive, as his Soresu mastery perfectly countered Vader's angry Form V. Kenobi simply gave ground before Vader's onslaught, guiding the battle to a location of his choice before dismembering the hapless and enraged Sith Lord when his defense lapsed.



However, due to his long isolation on Tatooine, Kenobi's skills as a swordsman atrophied, as he went for years without having engaged in a duel. Despite this, he remained a formidable Form III practitioner, able to hold off Vader during their rematch. However, at this point, Kenobi's skill was only sufficient to facilitate survival; despite his best efforts, he was unable to find an opening in Vader's cautious assault. Kenobi ultimately tired, and rather than continue the fight, opted to sacrifice his physical self and become one with the Force.

The key to truly mastering Soresu seems to come from grasping the concepts and philosophy of the form rather than adhering to it's tactics and manuevers. While Kenobi displayed a strong preference for Soresu, he continued to apply elements of the relentlessly dogged Shii-Cho as well as the erratic strokes and acrobatics of Ataru. Mace Windu acknowledged Obi-Wan Kenobi as "The master of Soresu."

Practitioners


"The road is long, but it is worth the journey, for a true master of Form Three is invincible."

- Luminara Unduli on Form Three

Developed to combat blasters, Form III was in existence for thousands of years. One of the older practitioners of the form was the Jedi Exile. Her tutor during her rehabilitation, Kreia, also possessed knowledge of Soresu.

By the time of the New Sith Wars, the Sith Blademaster Kas'im had mastered Form III as well as the six other forms. Kas'im trained several apprentices in the style, including Fohargh, who used it against Bane's Form V. Bane himself possessed considerable skill in the Form, training his apprentice, Darth Zannah, in it.

Almost a millenia later, Soresu was mastered by the Jedi battlemaster Cin Drallig, who in turn trained many in it's use. In fact, by the time of the Clone Wars, Soresu was the most common lightsaber form in the Jedi Order, with notables such as Luminara Unduli and Barriss Offee studying it. Dooku maintained a working knowledge of Soresu, sufficient to train Grievous and his IG-100 MagnaGuards in it. During this period, one of the highest masters of Soresu was Obi-Wan Kenobi.

After his defeat and mutilation, Darth Vader included Form III elements in his personal variant of Form V. . Vader's apprentice, Galen Marek, was also familiar with Soresu and used it on numerous occasions. Luke Skywalker was known to possess some skill in Form III, using it to deflect blaster bolts.

Behind the scenes


Several duelists were theorized to practice Soresu, based on descriptions of their fighting style. Examples include Sora Bulq, based on statements in the official Databank, or Rahm Kota, as the Databank present on some versions of The Force Unleashed stated that he took a defensive stance while in combat. Darth Sidious is commonly 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's possible that he has mastered most of them, including Form III.

Soresu has also been included in several Star Wars games of various types. Examples include Star Wars Galaxies; as part of moves and techniques employable by Jedi characters, though this has not definitively been clarified to be canonical;  or the Star Wars Miniature game; where a player with a Soresu Style Mastery can roll to block all attacks that hit the character, though a character with the Makashi Style Mastery can avoid having their attacks blocked by this ability.

Appearances

 * Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords
 * Darth Bane: Path of Destruction
 * Darth Bane: Rule of Two
 * Darth Bane: Dynasty of Evil
 * Outbound Flight (novel)
 * Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones
 * The Cestus Deception
 * The Hive
 * MedStar Duology
 * Labyrinth of Evil
 * Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith novelization
 * The Force Unleashed novel

Notes and references
Soresu es:Forma III: Soresu Soresu ru:Форма III: Соресу