Dun Möch

"Master Kenobi, you disappoint me. Yoda holds you in such high esteem."

- Count Dooku

Dun Möch was a form of combat that used distraction and doubt, usually through taunting, in conjunction with lightsaber battle.

The Sith aimed to completely dominate an opponent's spirit through whatever means possible by employing their own lightsaber combat doctrine. Dun Möch commonly involved spoken taunts, jeers, and jests that exposed the opponent's hidden, inner weaknesses and/or doubts, which had the end result of eroding the opponent's will. Such a thing can be quite deadly, especially against Jedi, since concentration was a must when using the Force. Doubts can easily break that connection. Other variations on Dun Möch involved usage of the Force to throw large, weighty objects at the Sith's opponent during combat, which both distracts the opponent from the battle and could potentially cause damage.

Dun Möch in use
"Make him doubt himself, his beliefs, or his intentions. Such things disrupt connections to the Force–and death soon follows."

- HK-47

Darth Vader used this against Luke Skywalker in their duel on Bespin's Cloud City. Darth Tyranus used it on Geonosis, taunting Obi-Wan Kenobi, Anakin Skywalker and Yoda respectively. Tyranus would later focus this skill on Anakin during their rematch onboard the Invisible Hand. Darth Sidious also used this form against Yoda in his duel against the Grand Master.

Another incident of Dun Möch being used by a Jedi was the confrontation between Darth Sion and the Jedi Exile on Malachor V. Sion was not killable by conventional methods, as he was capable of regenerating all his health instantly. The Exile instead used taunts and arguments to erode Sion's will, Sion in the end sacrificing his own life to the Force.

Kyle Katarn was repeatedly exposed to Dun Möch during the Valley of the Jedi crisis against the Seven Dark Jedi. During Katarn's duel with Boc Aseca, the Twi'lek never ceased laughing and taunting with gibes such as "You're an angry one, aren't you?" and "Feisty!", combining them with his evasive jumping technique to frustrate Katarn into making a mistake. After their respective defeats, both Maw and Jerec attempted to goad Katarn into turning to the dark side by striking them down. Maw, in a sense, succeeded. By the time Katarn faced Jerec, however, his emerging maturity in the light side caused him to react uniquely to the Dun Möch: Katarn neither struck Jerec down nor spared him; instead, he rearmed the murderous Dark Jedi so as to kill him in honorable combat.

Desann's Reborn warriors utilized Dun Möch to frustrate the members of the New Jedi Order that they encountered in combat. Kyle Katarn once again exposed to Dun Möch, managed to ignore their taunts and emerge victorious in every duel he had with the Reborn. The New Reborn of Tavion Axmis's Sith cult carried on this tradition and were often heard taunting Jedi with expressions like "Do you fear me?" and "I thought Jedi were powerful."

Desann himself took Dun Möch to the level of plotting: by faking the death of Jan Ors and taunting Katarn about his powerlessness, Desann successfully tricked the enraged Katarn to reveal the location of the Valley of the Jedi.

Boomerang effect
Dun Möch could harm the user if not carefully used. Taunted by Darth Tyranus, Anakin Skywalker called upon the dark side of the Force to enhance his combat ability onboard the Invisible Hand and ultimately defeated the experienced Sith Lord. The same happened to Maw who, injured, taunted Kyle Katarn with details of his father's death. This resulted in Kyle giving in to anger and striking down the unarmed Dark Jedi.

Inverse Dun Möch
In addition, Luke Skywalker used the very opposite of Dun Möch onboard the second Death Star. The young Jedi attempted to turn Darth Vader to the light by infusing love through spoken words. Luke was successful, and Anakin Skywalker ultimately redeemed himself and brought balance to the Force. Around 4000 years earlier, this method was also used by Revan on the Star Forge to redeem Bastila Shan.

Behind the scenes
It is possible that the term "Dun Möch" was inspired by the similar sounding Cantonese word Dim Mak, or "Death Touch"&mdash;a forbidden (and, some scholars speculate, probably mythical) martial arts practice which involves the striking or seizing of certain pressure points with the intent of killing or incapacitating the target.

Appearances

 * Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
 * Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II
 * Darth Bane: Path of Destruction
 * Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace
 * Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones
 * Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
 * Dark Lord: The Rise of Darth Vader
 * Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope
 * Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back
 * Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi