Jar'Kai/Legends

"Perhaps you would like to learn something before you die. The use of two blades, one to support the other, can be traced back thousands of years and was common to both of our species. The invention of lightsabers has done nothing to lessen the effectiveness of this strategy - you are about to learn"

- Boc to Kyle Katarn

Form X: Niman / Jar'Kai was a form of lightsaber combat

The dual saber Niman permitted a Jedi to fight with two lightsabers, one in each hand, as demonstrated by Anakin Skywalker when he first faced Count Dooku. One of the blades in the wielder's hands was used for attacking while the other one was used for defending, such as parrying, or for more offensive power.



Many Jedi trained to use the Niman style in the hopes of gaining a basic knowledge of the dual-bladed attack, but very few Jedi ever totally mastered Niman. Serra Keto, Sora Bulq, A'Sharad Hett, Asajj Ventress, Komari Vosa, and Joclad Danva (who wielded two lightsabers during the Battle of Geonosis), and Aayla Secura (at the end of the Clone Wars) were practitioners of Form X. Dark Jedi Boc also mastered dual lightsaber combat, incorporating it into his own rather unorthodox fighting style. Many of Tavion's New Reborn were trained in dual saber combat. It is also possible that Jedi Master Kavar may has been master of this form. Likewise, it is possible that Kyle Katarn's apprentice, Jaden Korr may have been skilled in this form. General Grievous may have based his bizarre, original combat style on Form X. He used two lightsabers during the Battle of Hypori when he defeated a handful of Jedi. Later, in the early stages of the Battle of Utapau he wielded four lightsabers&mdash;one in each of his four hands&mdash;in a duel against Obi-Wan Kenobi, but even with four lightsabers he was no match for Obi-Wan Kenobi's mastery of Form III: Soresu.



The Jar'Kai was named the Niman by the Minions of Xendor during Great Schism, long before the creation of the lightsaber (not to be confused with the Form VI: Niman). Also, many cultures and species such as humans and Twi'leks used dual blade combat in the ancient eras of the galaxy.

Behind the scenes
William C. Dietz and Dave Dorman's novella Dark Forces: Jedi Knight, from which the quotation at the beginning of this article is taken (p. 119), suggests the dual blade combat predates the invention of the lightsaber. Furthermore, in the Star Wars computer game X-wing Alliance, there is a pair of "Jar'Kai dueling sabers" that are ordinary metal swords. This also suggests that Jar'Kai predated lightsabers, even though the release of X-Wing Alliance was before the Behind the scenes "invention" of lightsaber forms.

Appearances

 * Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
 * Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords
 * Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones
 * Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
 * Dark Forces II: Jedi Knight
 * Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy