Form V



Shien was a form of Jedi lightsaber combat. Followers of this form practiced an unorthodox method of holding the lightsaber to perform long, sweeping strikes to take down several enemies at a time.

Description


The variant form known as Shien is a rarely seen style that, while effective, was almost a topic of controversy among lightsaber masters due to the drastically different grip taught by practitioners of the form. The style calls for the Jedi to hold the lightsaber horizontally with the blade along side the arm in a "reverse grip" style, using the lightsaber like a large dagger with the blade pointed "backwards" towards the "bottom" of their gripping hand. All strikes are made by sweeping the arm forward as though throwing a punch while whipping the blade forward away from the arm quickly in a broad arc. Adi Gallia was one of the few Jedi around the time of the Clone Wars known to actively practice the form, as was the Anzati Jedi Nikkos Tyris. Tyris favored a distinctive lightsaber style, in which the weapon was held with the blade pointing toward the ground by the strong side hand, with the off side hand riding loosely on the weapon's pommel. He moved the blade in a triangular pattern that effectively warded the lower two-thirds of his body from attack. With this unique style, he could deliver lightning-fast slashes and ripostes that could easily split an opponent from groin to neck, while also rapidly rotating upwards to block overhead strikes. Others known to utilize Shien were Ahsoka Tano, Anakin Skywalker's padawan during the Clone Wars, and Jedi hunter Starkiller during the Great Jedi Purge.

Not to be confused with the standard Form V variant of Shien.

Behind the scenes


Much confusion arose when Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords indicated the name of Form V was Shien. Later sources proved that the fifth form had two different styles, Shien and Djem So, much like Form VII had Juyo and Vaapad respectively.

Ahsoka Tano, padawan to Anakin Skywalker in the Clone Wars, is also shown in many sources to be a user of Shien.

Ronhar Kim is also another possible candidate for use of this form, as he utilizes a reversed grip and wide swings several times.

Quinlan Vos is also a possible practitioner of Shien, as he is often pictured holding his lightsaber in reverse grip.

Vader's secret apprentice, Galen Marek, uses a reversed grip in some sources, making him another possible Shien user.

Obi-Wan Kenobi is also a possible user of Shien, utilizing a reversed grip in both the Revenge of the Sith comic adaptation and the comic Old Wounds. However, as he is not shown with a reversed grip in the Revenge of the Sith movie, which outweighs the comic in terms of canon value, and Old Wounds is as yet non-canon, Kenobi's use of the style is in dispute.

It is also possible that this form was used by the Jedi snipers in the Jedi Temple on Coruscant during the Clone Wars. There is no known canon to confirm this suspicion, other than the distinctive grip of their weapons as seen in the Revenge of the Sith game.

Appearances

 * Star Wars: Jedi Starfighter
 * Star Wars: The Clone Wars film
 * Star Wars Republic 64: Bloodlines
 * Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith game
 * Old Wounds
 * The Force Unleashed novel
 * The Force Unleashed game
 * I, Jedi
 * Star Wars: Episode I Jedi Power Battles