Form II/Legends



Form II: Makashi was the second form of the seven forms of lightsaber combat.

After Form I's proliferation as a saber combat technique, Form II, or Way of the Ysalamiri, came about as a means of lightsaber-to-lightsaber combat. It was described as being very elegant, powerful, and requiring extreme precision, allowing the user to attack and defend with minimal effort, while his opponent tired himself out. The form relied on parries, thrusts, and small, precise cuts&mdash;as opposed to the blocking and slashing of the other forms. It relied on very fliud movements of both the blade and the body. Precise footwork and movement are also required for maintaining proper distance from the opponent during defense and/or when moving in for an attack. Strength was not relied on to defeat your opponent, but timing, skill, and accuracy. The blade manipulation required for this form was very refined and required intense focus, but the results were extremely potent.

When ranged weapons such as blasters came into play or more than one opponent was present, however, the advantages of this form became obsolete. During the time of the Clone Wars and many years proceeding it, the Jedi Order seldom practiced this technique. There was, if at all, so little lightsaber-to-lightsaber and melee combat involved in a Jedi's life that many in the Order didn't bother to teach and/or learn it as it was thought impractical. During this era, Soresu and Ataru were the more popular fighting forms being taught and learned. Makashi, however, was very common during the older years, before the advent of blasters, when melee weapons were abundant.

Dooku was a master of Form II to the highest degree, fighting with the precision built into the ancient technique. The handle of his lightsaber is curved allowing for better manipulation of the blade during parries and thrusts, this was apparently uncommon during the older years of the Republic when many of the Jedi used the Makashi form. When he wielded this form, it devastated the Jedi; the system of Jedi training during the Clone Wars did not prepare many of them for the finesse and precise movements of a form bred for lightsaber dueling.

Former Separatist general Sev'rance Tann was a practitioner of Form II. It is one of the forms taught to General Grievous as well as the other 6 by Count Dooku. Makashi was the lightsaber form also studied by Jedi Master and council member Shaak Ti, who was known as both graceful and cunning in battle.

Makashi users were elegant, precise, calm, confident, even arrogant (as befit Dooku's personality). Form II users were supremely confident in their chances for victory, and often looked relaxed when they were fighting, or even appeared to be dancing.

For more Information on lightsaber combat, and a list of Sources see lightsaber combat.

Behind the Scenes
Mace Windu's comment to Obi-Wan Kenobi comes from the novelization of Revenge of the Sith.