Form I/Legends

"It is simple, and its simplicity is its strength."

- Kreia



Form I: Shii-Cho or The Determination Form was the first of the seven forms of lightsaber combat.

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.

Stances
The Shii-Cho opening stance was basic neutral and was the first stance taught to new students at the Academies. The hilt would be held at hip height,the dominant foot was back with the tip of the blade pointing over the opponents head.
 * Opening Stance


 * Basic Neutral - The hilt would be held at hip height,the dominant foot was back with the tip of the blade pointing over the opponents head. This stance was seen being employed numerous times by Obi-Wan Kenobi in Episode I.


 * Neutral Forward - Same as the above but with the dominant foot forwards used by Obi-Wan Kenobi in Episode I and in the Episode III game.


 * Offensive Neutral - The dominant foot would be forward with the lightsaber hilt held at chest height (the arms would be bent otherwise it would have been difficult to launch an attack) with the lightsaber blade aimed towards the opponents face. This was employed by Chancellor Palpatine against Jedi Master Mace Windu, also in the Attack of the Clones: The Visual Dictionary demonstrated by Count Dooku.


 * Offensive Forward - The dominant foot was back with the hilt held above the head, the blade was pointing behind the user and angulated upwards at a 30° angle. Count Dooku and Anakin Skywalker use this stance in Episode II and III.


 * Offensive Back - The dominant foot was back, the hilt would be held at shoulder height with the blade horizontal to the ground and pointing towards the opponent (both hands), the hilt is held in line with the chest. This stance was used by Anakin Skywalker in Episode II, Mace Windu, Palpatine, and Obi Wan Kenobi with the Soresu Variant in Episode III.


 * Defensive Neutral - The dominant foot would be back, the hilt was held at chest height with the blade vertical to the ground. This was employed many times throughout the Prequel Saga by all Form users, notably Qui-Gon Jinn throughout Episode I. A variant of this used for Strong style of the New Jedi order with the hilt held at head height.


 * Defensive Back - The dominant foot would have been forward with the hilt held above the head (arms bent), the blade was pointing towards the ground on the dominant side. This was used by Anakin Skywalker in the Episode III video game and The Clone wars video game.


 * Defensive forward - The non-dominant foot would be back, the hilt was held at hip height and the blade is diagonal across the body, the hilt was held in front of the user. The blades hilt would have been in line with the non-dominant foot and the point above the dominant shoulder. This stance was rarely used, although it had a strong defensive posture it was difficult to launch a strong attack. This was identical to fast style's opening stance.

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 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 - left arm, 3 - right arm, 4 - back, 5 - left leg, 6 - right leg)
 * 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 is done so, because as Kreia commented, Form I is 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. Obi-Wan Kenobi commented Form I as wild, raw, and deadly, requiring much emotional heat; 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.

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.

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
 * Battlefront 2
 * Clone Wars Adventures: Volume 1
 * 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