Sun djem

"Sun djem is the ancient term for "disarming"."

- Cin Drallig



In lightsaber combat, sun djem was an attack used by the Jedi that destroyed or disarmed the weapon of an opponent, the objective usually being not to physically harm the wielder.

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 lightsaber combat, sun djem became nearly impossible as Makashi duelists were well trained to prevent their own weapons being taken or destroyed.

Methodology
"Not bad, you remembered to destroy their weapons first.''" "''I'm improving your technique."

- Anakin Skywalker and Ahsoka Tano

There were several ways in which a duelist could perform the sun djem.



In lightsaber combat, it was common for a skilled duelist to try twisting or bashing the opponent's lightsaber from their grip with either a bind or sudden power blow, the Shii-Cho technique "disarming slash" having been developed for this purpose. Luke Skywalker was disarmed in this manner during his duel with Darth Vader on Cloud City, and again during his duel with Palpatine on Byss.

In such engagements, it was also common for a duelist to simply destroy their opponent's weapon, cutting the lightsaber hilt in two with his own blade. Dooku utilized this method when he flicked one of Anakin Skywalker's lightsabers out of his hand and cut the hilt in two in midair. Obi-Wan Kenobi attempted to apply this method against Darth Maul during their duel in the Theed Power Core, but one end of Maul's saberstaff continued functioning, allowing the Sith apprentice to keep fighting. Against blaster-wielding opponents, this was standard procedure, as Ahsoka Tano demonstrated during the Battle of Teth.



The sun djem could also be performed with a sudden physical attack, such as a punch or a kick. These methods were demonstrated by such duelists as Darth Bane, who punched Valenthyne Farfalla's lightsaber from his grasp before decapitating him, or Anakin Skywalker, who kicked Asajj Ventress's paired lightsabers, disconnecting the weapons, before kicking one of the two hilts aside. Mace Windu inadvertently utilized this method when he kicked Palpatine in the face during their duel on Coruscant, causing the Sith Lord to drop his lightsaber as he flailed for balance. One of the more extreme demonstrations of physical disarmament was performed by Anakin Skywalker during his duel with Asajj Ventress on Yavin IV. After being disarmed by Ventress, he seized both of her wrists and began squeezing the left one in his prosthetic hand, breaking it and causing Ventress to drop her weapon. A considerably more simplistic method favored by Starkiller involved simply grabbing an opponent's weapon and ripping it from their grasp, a technique Starkiller often displayed against riot stormtroopers.

More experienced Force users even demonstrated the ability to disarm opponents telekinetically. Yoda demonstrated the ability to do this against Asajj Ventress. When she attempted to assassinate King Katuunko, Yoda deactivated Ventress' lightsabers while she held them, and yanked them from her grip. Count Dooku was also capable of performing this technique, as he demonstrated on Ventress during their duel on Rattatak&mdash;he tore Ventress's lightsabers from her hands with telekinesis and cut them in half with his own lightsaber, besting the Dark Jedi. Starkiller was also capable of utilizing this technique to a degree. After losing his lightsabers during his duel with Darth Vader, Starkiller tricked the Dark Lord into lowering his guard, blasted him with Force lightning, and proceeded to pull the stunned Sith's lightsaber from his grasp with the Force. This particular technique was known as Force Disarm.

Palpatine was known to display extreme versions of disarming, such as when he blasted Yoda's lightsaber from his grip with a barrage of Force lightning during their duel, or when he caused a lightsaber held by Leia Organa Solo to explode in her hands. Darth Vader was also capable of similar feats, as displayed when he utilized a Force blast to disarm Starkiller during their duel, obliterating his lightsabers in the process.

Behind the scenes
In both the comic and novelization of Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith, Obi-Wan Kenobi applies sun djem against General Grievous. However, both instances contradict the movie and are outweighed in canonical value.

Mace Windu displayed his mastery of sun djem in the novelization of Episode III by slicing Palpatine's lightsaber in half. In the comic, Mace displayed another variation of sun djem by kicking Palpatine's right palm to knock away the Sith lightsaber. However, both scenes directly contradicted the movie and were outranked in canonical value.