A Brief History of the Lightsaber and its Fighting Forms

by Sephiroth Deus

An in-universe history of the Jedi and Sith, the lightsaber and the way they fight covering most of the Classic Expanded Universe. Written more as a speech or lecture, I developed this using the known facts of the EU combined with some logical assumptions and some creative storytelling to come up with this missing piece of Star Wars lore.

A Brief History of the Lightsaber and its Fighting Forms

36,453 BBY The founding of the Je'daii Order

The Tho Yor (almost certainly a big middle finger from the Celestials to the Rakata) deposit Force-sensitives on Tython. Their descendants form the Je'daii Order predicated on the balance between the Light and Dark sides of the Force. This is because Tython erupts with violent Force Storms whenever someone starts to become too much of one over the other. Such individuals would be banished to the moon corresponding to their alignment before such storms could develop until they saw the error of their ways.

25,793 BBY - 25,783 BBY The Forcesaber and the Force Wars

The Forcesaber is introduced to the Je'daii Order by Rakatan Force Hound, Xesh. With the invasion of the Tython System by the Rakatan Infinite Empire the Je'daii Order set about creating and using the weapon in battle. The weapon however required the use of Dark Side power to operate and this inevitably resulted in the user's fall to the Dark Side. After defeating the Rakata it immediately created a schism between those who used the weapon (and those who wished to) and those who didn't and/or saw it as a threat. The pro-Forcesaber camp began identifying with Bogan (the Dark Side) while the anti-Forcesaber faction began identifying with Ashla (the Light Side). After fighting for ten years the Ashla side won using their Force Imbued weapons. Renaming themselves the Jedi Order, they destroyed most of the Forcesabers and tried to rebuild their civilization but gave up after 730 years and moved to Ossus.

25,200 BBY The development of Classic Jar'kai

Sometime during this time the Yovshin Swordsmen (of the planet Atrisia) developed a dual wielding sword fighting style in the city Jar'kai. It was developed to utilize the Jar'kai dueling sabers (two swords of standard length). Given that the Yovshin Swordsmen were how the Atrisian Empire maintained control it is likely they were Special Forces meant for open warfare or quick black-ops strikes (as the twin Jar'kai dueling sabers length would make them difficult to use in CQC situations). Following this logic Classic Jar'kai (along with its later iterations) would also reflect this mentality. If this is true it would explain the sweeping strikes (useful in battle situations against multiple opponents; less useful in one-on-one duels) of Rising Whirlwind and the power blow of Twin Strike.

24,500 BBY The First Great Schism and the development of Classic Niman

The Legions of Lettow (under the command of Xendor and Arden Lyn) had secretly left the Jedi Order to establish their own (Bogan focused) academy on Lettow. Realizing conflict with the Jedi was inevitable (despite the Legion's wish to be left alone), the Legion needed a new fighting style to combat their former Jedi brethren (who mostly focus on sword fighting but all forms of combat could be found among their number); Xendor (a Kashi Mer exile whose homeworld of Kashi was destroyed when its sun went supernova in 25,000 BBY) looks to the Royale Macheteros of his homeworld (the personal guard of the Kashi Mer dynasty) and their Niman fighting style.

Given that the Royale Macheteros were personal guards it is likely their training focused on fighting individuals or small groups and focused on dueling over warfare. This explains why they use a Shoto (excellent for defense or surprise attacks in dueling situations; the shorter blade of the shoto limits its effectiveness in battlefield situations however) and why the maneuvers Draw Closer and Pushing Slash (probably added by the Legion with the adoption of the style) are against single opponents. Further the lightsaber form is noted as easy to learn and highly adaptable. In short Classic Niman was exactly what the Legion needed. An easy to learn, adaptable, dueling style that had strong offensive and defensive advantages that could be used against the Jedi (since the Jedi had only left Tython 53 years before the destruction of Kashi; it is highly unlikely that they encountered Classic Niman and therefore would be at a disadvantage).

However the individualism called for in the Legion's philosophy (in addition to the one-on-one dueling style of Niman) made coordinated actions difficult if not impossible and the Jedi's focus on order and control allowed them to work as a group and overcome the Legion. Despite the Legion's use of Classic Niman (and likely because of it) the Jedi Order adopted the style and consistently practiced it enough over the millennia that it eventually was made into the lightsaber combat form Niman. (Incidentally this probably makes Niman the most popular Jedi fighting style of all time.)

15,500 BBY - 7,003 BBY The development of the Archaic Lightsaber, Tràkata and Shii-Cho

After over 10,000 years the few remaining Forcesabers were eventually studied and new developments in "frozen blaster technology" were used to develop the Protosaber. For the first few thousand years of its existence it was mostly used as a ceremonial blade or for siege operations in police or warfare raids. This was due to its tendency to overheat from extended use and the cord connecting the hilt to the battery pack was an obvious point of weakness. Because of these problems someone specializing in the use of a lightsaber in melee combat would probably be looked upon as someone who is insane. (It would be the equivalent of claiming to be a C4 melee specialist. One could conceivably do it, but one's companions would be rightly alarmed at such a development. Also don't forget that there are Jedi as late as 3996 BBY who weren't completely convinced of the lightsaber's superiority over other melee weapons.)

The problems with the Protosaber would be ironed out over the millennia and it would be adopted for use with the many other weapons on hand to the Jedi. Eventually a fighting style would develop around the unique qualities of the lightsaber (specifically its ability for the blade to turn off). Tràkata was initially developed as a way to compensate for the weakness of the Protosaber's power cord. Because this style does not utilize dual phase technology (a development made later) despite it being tailor made for the style; it stands to reason it was developed during this time (as opposed to later) as it would be the only time where experimenting on the specific qualities of the lightsaber would really make sense.

As practitioners of lightsaber combat learned the lessons of Tràkata they would eventually combine it with other popular sword fighting styles (such as Classic Jar'kai and Niman) to develop a basic lightsaber fighting style. Form I or Shii-Cho was the backbone of all the later lightsaber forms. The attacks, blocks and footwork were all from basic moves of classic sword fighting styles. The lessons learned from the study of the unique qualities of the lightsaber, the development of Tràkata and the unique abilities of the Jedi would lead to the development of projectile deflection and other uses of the Force in combat scenarios (such as releasing oneself into the Force). Given that most opponents the Jedi would face would be projectile wielding criminals or soldiers; Shii-Cho would be developed with a focus on battlefield combat over dueling (as demonstrated by the Sarlacc Sweep). Though Shii-Cho isn't necessarily bad for dueling either given its development of the Disarming Slash. On the whole Shii-Cho is a good all around fighting style but when taken to its highest form the practitioner was a whirling dervish striking everything around them in a spastic, random attack pattern.

And for several thousand more years it would make the Jedi the ultimate fighter. With no other opposing Force traditions (let alone practitioners of lightsaber combat) the Jedi would appear to be superhero's to the people of the Republic (if they weren't already). This Golden Age of Shii-Cho would not last however. A new Great Schism was on the horizon and it would forever change the Jedi Order and how it fought.

7,003 BBY - 6,900 BBY The Second Great Schism and the Hundred-Year Darkness

The Second Great Schism developed much the same way the first had. New developments in using the Force (specifically how to modify living beings) lead to questions regarding its use (or restriction as is usually the case). Believing the Jedi Order was intentionally holding its members back, a group of Jedi begin researching the forbidden techniques. However these dissenters learned the lessons of the Legions of Lettow and developed a new form of lightsaber combat: Form II or Makashi. A style designed specifically for lightsaber-to-lightsaber combat, this "new school" of lightsaber combat was specifically meant for combat against the Jedi (as no other Force tradition or military organization used lightsabers). When these rogue Jedi were eventually discovered they were exiled from the Republic (or they scattered when just such an event happened depending on how you look at it); however with their new powers and Makashi the Jedi had no way of stopping the Jedi Exiles as they waged war on the Republic.

Over the course of the next century the Jedi would confront their fallen brethrine with little success. Learning Makashi from its use against them only allowed a Jedi to meet an Exile in combat. It did not give them an edge however, and survival from such confrontations was only at about 50-50. The Jedi would need a new style to defeat Makashi. While many Jedi learned Makashi to combat their foes the remaining practitioners of Shii-Cho would follow a different path. One that did not sacrifice their morals to achieve victory.

They developed Form III also known as Soresu. Soresu was the ultimate defensive lightsaber form. Dropping all of the attacks (except for a few counter attacks) of Shii-Cho and focusing on the defensive aspects of the form; the Jedi had found the solution to their problems. Soresu is the most energy efficient of all the Forms (even Makashi) allowing the user victory through attrition. Additionally the Form was nearly impenetrable by blades, lightsabers or projectiles of all kinds. Given that blaster technology was at least as old as the Rakatan Infinite Empire (and the most recent development happened over 800 years earlier with the development of the Pulse-wave blaster) it is highly unlikely Soresu was developed specifically with blaster wielding opponents in mind. Even if these dates are wrong Jedi had been encountering blaster wielding opponents for millennia (with blaster deflection already an integral part of Shii-Cho tactics). To develop Soresu specifically because of blasters would have required an astronomical leap in blaster technology that would have overwhelmed the Jedi and there doesn't seem to be any evidence that happened with Pulse-wave blasters.

With Soresu the old Shii-Cho masters were now able to stand on equal ground with an Exile. Combined with a judicious use of Shii-Cho (or Makashi) for attack, the Soresu specialist had all he needed to defeat an Exile. A Soresu master was an immovable rock and when the new forms met on the battlefield the Jedi emerged the victor. Finally subduing the rebellious Jedi Exiles the Jedi Order once again exiled them from Republic space. Never to be seen again...

6,900 BBY - 5,000 BBY Development of Ataru, the Lightsaber and the outbreak of the Great Hyperspace War

Or not. Following their loss to the Jedi, the Exiles found their way to the Sith world of Korriban. Using their superior talents in the Force they took over the planet and it's people. Installing themselves as rulers the Exiles make their beliefs, philosophies and experiences the law of the Sith. Remembering their defeat at the hands of the Jedi the Exiles would begin development of a new lightsaber form. One that reflects their beliefs regarding how the Force should be used but also one that reflects their experiences in combat. Additionally the Sith began developing new types of lightsabers. Looking to overcome the inherent flaws in the Protosaber the Sith develop a battery able to fit in the hilt. Combined with the addition of an internal superconductor (that looped the unused energy of the blade back to the battery) unleashed the lightsaber and further enabled the development of the Dueling Saber and Saberstaff. Building off their advances in lightsaber technology and their preferred style of Makashi they created Ataru.

Ataru as a stye is defined by a few key qualities. 1) An excessive use of the Force. To enable the acrobatic move sets of Ataru the practitioner needs to use Force Augmentation to increase their speed, strength, and agility. This is completely in line with Sith philosophy and behavior. 2) It is extremely aggressive and technically demanding. Ataru has no defense (keeping with the Sith view regarding strength) with everything being put into an unrelenting assault. The goal of Ataru is to hit an opponent as hard, fast, often and from as many different angles as is possible until they fall. Using the technical attack aspects of Makashi as a basis the Sith adapt the move sets for battlefield conditions (adding hand-to-hand combat to the style). With the dropping of all the defensive aspects of Makashi (and focusing on an unrelenting attack powered by the Force) Ataru becomes a highly technical fighting style optimized for fighting mundane soldiers unable to resist the attacks from Force-users, and other Force-users who don't fight back (like Soresu fighting Jedi). 3) Makashi's influence on Ataru can still be seen in its focus on single combat however. As a dueling style Makashi is poorly suited for engagements with multiple opponents. When confronted with such a situation Makashi practitioners tend to force their opponents to fight them individually. Both of these aspects of Makashi are reflected in Ataru (keeping in line with Sith views of personal honor and accomplishment).

When Ataru was adapted for use in the military the idea must have been to use an unstoppable force as the vanguard against a mundane army unable to resist it. However nearly 2,000 years is a long time, and in that time the Sith forgot their ancient enemies the Jedi. That was not to last and in 5,000 BBY Republic scouts accidentally stumbled across Korriban and the Sith. What's worse is that it happened shortly following the death of the Sith's leader Marka Ragnos and a bitter struggle for succession was underway. Naga Sadow (one of the two Sith vying for the throne) sees an opportunity with the arrival of the Republic scouts. Helping the scouts escape captivity (secreting them away to his personal fortress) and then blaming their escape on Republic agents, Sadow convinced the other Sith Lords the Republic was on its way and that they needed to commit to a pre-emptive strike with him as their leader to prevent the attack. Sadow's rival Ludo Kressh caught on to Sadow's plan and attacked his fortress on Khar Shian. However this too was part of Sadow's plan and after allowing one of the Republic scouts to escape (thus identifying the location of the Republic) he used his enormous strength in the Force to destroy Kressh's forces (presumably with Kressh as well) and named himself Dark Lord of the Sith.

With the Sith Empire behind him Naga Sadow launched his invasion of the Republic. With surprise (and the Force) on their side the Sith cut through the Republic's defenses. However infighting disrupted the Sith's plans giving the Republic a chance to fight them off and counter attack. It was during the Great Hyperspace War the Jedi Order first encountered Ataru. The style was awe inspiring enough to merit adoption by the Jedi Order (in addition to the Sith's lightsaber developments) however the style completely failed in its original purpose. When confronted with Soresu, Ataru still came up short. Because Makashi never came up with an answer to Soresu no answer to it could be found there. Further the unique aspects of Ataru (a blitzkrieg attack with no defense and prodigious use of the Force) not only failed to overcome Soresu's staunch defense, it also worked in Soresu's favor by tiring out their opponents faster. The failures of their army's primary fighting form, in addition to dissent and disorganization resulted in a Republic victory over the Sith. With the revelation of the Sith Empire's location the Republic counter-attacked. With their army and navy in disarray (following an ambush by the not dead Ludo Kressh against Naga Sadow) the Sith Empire was completely incapable of defending itself and was destroyed. The Sith fled to the Unknown Regions (Naga Sadow and his forces fled to the fourth moon of the planet Yavin while Lord Vitiate took his forces to the lost Sith world of Dromund Kaas) hoping one day to rise again and challenge the Republic and the Jedi who had humiliated them so thoroughly.

5,000 BBY - 3,996 BBY Development of the Djem So, Shien, Niman and Juyo Lightsaber Forms, the Third Great Schism and the Great Sith War

The Great Hyperspace War had a profound effect on the Jedi. For the first time since they adopted the lightsaber another Force-using civilization met them as equals in open combat using lightsabers and fighting styles similar (and perhaps superior) to their own. It is unclear though highly unlikely the Jedi were aware the Sith were descendants of the Jedi Exiles from the Second Great Schism. This unprecedented event forced the Jedi Order to re-evaluate their fighting styles, methods and tactics. A large part of the Order adopted the fighting style of the enemy: Ataru. Dazzled by the complex movesets and displays of swordsmanship (despite its failure to overcome Soresu; though no one truly believed it was possible to beat Soresu anyway); practitioners quickly learned the value of the form, facing off against the numerous mundane criminals and armies they frequently fought against in their day-to-day lives.

The practitioners of Soresu (again having won the war) had something of a problem the war forced them to face. Soresu is the ultimate in SELF defense. While keeping the practitioner alive was the goal of Soresu; seeing their mundane comrades-in-arms cut down because their form wasn't designed to protect them could not be ignored. This was a problem before the Sith attack certainly, but the arrival of another Force-using, lightsaber wielding army magnified the problem tenfold. Combined with the possibility of other lightsaber wielding Force civilizations hidden in the Unknown Regions made this problem a top priority.

Their solution? Shien. By taking Soresu back to the basics of Shii-Cho they began looking at ways to improve their combat effectiveness in battle without sacrificing their defensive viability. Again focusing on battlefield combat over dueling they returned to the basic attacks of Shii-Cho and updated them by using Soresu's focus on efficiency and economy of motion. Against groups wide, precise slashes bring down multiple enemies. Against individuals it is the ultimate in-your-face fighting style using evasion to bypass an opponent's defenses all the while looking for a place to knife them in the back. The reason for this in-your-face mentality is that the defensive focus of Soresu combined with the initiative of Shii-Cho creates a strong impulse to use the lightsaber(s) as a shield while charging the enemy. The goal is to dispatch the enemy before they can do more damage to the Jedi's forces (incidentally this attack is known as the Shien Deflection). This strong focus on counterattacks is the centerpiece of a Shien offense. Turn the enemy's attacks back onto themselves and force them to reconsider their actions. A very Jedi way of looking at things.

Not surprisingly they also began to focus heavily on blaster deflection. Not only were they able to deflect the projectile harmlessly away; they were also highly adept at redirecting the attack back at the attacker or some other target. Controversially some practitioners began wielding their lightsabers with a reverse grip. For other lightsaber forms this would be a crazy thing to do as it drastically reduces one's offensive viability by using body language signals to broadcast what they were going to do. Additionally it reduces the defense of the area directly in front of the user. However what it loses in offensive viability it more than makes up for with an overall increase in defensive coverage and defensive strength. For other forms a reverse grip is crazy. In the hands of a Shien practitioner it allows them to not only defend themselves but others as well (particularly when paired with another lightsaber).

Despite these advantages Shien does have several weaknesses. Because of the style's battlefield focus, fighting individuals of equal or superior skill is incredibly difficult. Doubly so for reverse grip practitioners. Additionally a reverse grip practitioner needed to be particularly cautious regarding attacks coming from in front of them. Because it takes slightly longer to raise a forward defense with a reverse grip (as opposed to a standard grip) the opening created could be exploited by skilled duelists or marksmen. However when Shien was complete the masters were satisfied and saw these flaws within the context of the greater whole.

There were those however who were not satisfied. Some of the masters believed their comrades (with Shien) completely failed to learn the real lessons of the Great Hyperspace War. The threat the Sith embodied and made manifest with the Great Hyperspace War was not the slaughter of soldiers on the battlefield. The threat the Sith represented was that of other lightsaber wielding Force traditions that could rival or surpass the Jedi and destroy the Republic. They needed a dueling style capable of defeating any other lightsaber wielder. The majority (satisfied with Shien and believing the dissenters fears overblown) ignored them. Effectively told to do something about it if they were so worried, the dissenters went their own way and began developing a new lightsaber dueling style.

What they came up with was Djem So. Like with Shien these masters took Soresu back to basics with Shii-Cho. However they used Makashi as the template from which to build from. Both Makashi and Soresu share an emphasis on efficiency and economy of motion. This shared trait resulted in a high level of precision. In Soresu's case this was to improve one's defensive viability. With Makashi it was to improve one's offensive viability. Like Shien, Djem So took Soresu's blaster deflection and polished it until they could redirect attacks back at their opponents. Also like Shien a focus on efficiency forced their attacks to be as precise as possible. However where Shien took Shii-Cho's initiative and battlefield strikes, Djem So took its aggression and power attacks. Using its precision a Djem So practitioner probes an enemy dualists defenses searching for a weakness. Once they find one they smash it with a sledgehammer. While they did this search they used the strong defense inherited from Soresu to protect themselves all the while using counterattacks to punish their enemies.

However like Shien, Djem So had its problems. Unlike Shien, those problems could be directly tied to Djem So's parent Forms. The aggression of Shii-Cho forced the practitioner to always press their advantage and dominate the fight. In the hands of a calm and focused practitioner this wasn't a problem. In the hands of an unbalanced individual (such as from poisons or emotional trauma) the results could be disastrous (See Ulic Qel-Droma and Anakin Skywalker). From Makashi a focus on dueling and engaging opponents one at a time limited Djem So's effectiveness (relatively speaking) on the battlefield. From Soresu and Makashi the emphasis on efficiency and economy of motion resulted in a lack of mobility. Like with Shien's weaknesses some of this was by design. The aggression and dueling aspects were seen as an essential element to overcome Makashi. The lack of mobility a simple shift in focus. Djem So wasn't so much a jackhammer come to split you in two as much as it was a glacier come to grind you down beneath it. Slow, methodical and unrelenting were the hallmarks of a Djem So master.

When these masters were finished they submitted the Form to the Order with great pride in their accomplishment. Here was a Form capable of defeating every other Form! Even the great Makashi could not stand against Djem So! However the rest of the Order wasn't as convinced of Djem So's greatness as its creators were. They pointed out the various flaws in the Form and reiterated their belief that the Djem So creator's fears regarding other lightsaber wielding, Force-using civilizations were overblown. It had been over 700 years since the Sith attacked the Republic in the Great Hyperspace War and no trace of the Sith Empire had been found in all that time. Telling their friends to give up their fears and the new Form they had worked so hard on did not go over well with the creators of Djem So. Determined to prove the worth of their fighting style and the threat posed to the Republic and Jedi the creators of Djem So became the enemy they had so feared. In 4,250 BBY they initiated the Third Great Schism. Turning their newly minted Form on their brothers in the Jedi enclave on Coruscant, open war broke out on the Capital planet.

Initially the Order believed they could subdue their rebellious members. Confident in their new Shien form (and failing that the speed of their Ataru practitioners over their slower Djem So counterparts) the Order engaged their fallen brothers. However Shien and Ataru work terribly together. The Shien practitioner's in-your-face style constantly getting in the way of Ataru's hit-them-from-every-angle strategy. Given these two Forms accounted for most of the Order this was a problem. As for the few Makashi practitioners the Order had; the Djem So masters made good on their promise of their Form's superiority and cut most of them down. Shii-Cho was too random in its attacks to effectively overcome Djem So's defenses and was vulnerable to it's powerful counterattacks. Soresu practitioners were able to hold off a Djem So assault (just like with everything else) however its lack of an offense meant they weren't able to take the fight to their enemy.

With little time to waste the Jedi Order needed a new dueling lightsaber form. One that was easy to learn and capable of getting past a Djem So practitioner's dedicated defense while also able to withstand its powerful offense. It didn't take them long to realize they already had another lightsaber form that most of the Order already had some training with. They just needed to tweak it a little. That form was the most consistently practiced form in the Jedi Order for the last 20,000 years: Classic Niman. Classic Niman held a place in the Jedi Order fighting hierarchy similar to Jar'kai. It was a dual wielding sword fighting technique used mostly as a supplement for other fighting forms. The prime difference between the two is that Niman's focus is on dueling while Jar'Kai is optimized for the battlefield. Classic Niman (like Jar'kai) was a complete fighting style on its own; however it's incredible adaptability made it ideally suited for blending techniques and creating hybrid fighting styles (such as the combination of Forms I or II with III during the Hundred-Year Darkness).

With the dueling focused Classic Niman as a foundation its adaptability allowed it to absorb the movesets of all the other lightsaber Forms. This allowed a Niman practitioner to act like water to Djem So's hammer. Constantly changing. Constantly moving. Constantly shocking their opponent in new and innovative ways. The Niman practitioner was able to use whatever attack or strategy worked to bypass Djem So's defense. And Djem So has no answer to it. Its probing offensive can't predict what a Niman practitioner will do next. A defense that looks weak suddenly is strong. One minute the Djem So practitioner is fending off Makashi Ripostes, the next he's holding off an Ataru Saber Swarm. And what's worse is that no two Niman practitioners do the same thing so you can't use past experiences to anticipate the behavior of future Niman combatants.

This advantage is also its weakness. To make such wildly different movesets work requires a watering down of the form to get everything to work together. Balance and moderation were the focus of Niman. This made Niman not particularly suited for any particular situation but potentially had an answer for all of them. The only limit was the practitioner's willingness and ability to learn. When they finished their tweaks to standardize the form they unveiled Form VI Niman. This easy to learn, extremely adaptable and already familiar form spread like wildfire throughout the Order. When the new Niman practitioners met the Djem So masters in open combat the Djem So masters watched with contempt as their form cut down their foes. But with each loss the Niman fighters grew stronger. They learned what worked and what didn't. With time they found a combination of moves that worked and began to turn the tide.

To the Djem So masters this development was crazy. The transformation of Niman from a supplementary dual wielding dueling style into a fully developed lightsaber form was seen as an insult. What's worse is that it was working. The maddening lack of form discipline would eventually be enough to drive off the Djem So rebels off Coruscant and to the Vultar system. Once there they discovered a planet sized superweapon called the Cosmic Turbine, activated it and accidentally blew up the system with them in it. Thus ended the Third Great Schism. Though the creators of Djem So failed in their revolution they did both prove the value of their form and the danger of the Jedi Order's complacency. To honor their sacrifice Djem So was added as the companion form of Shien. As for Niman, its success and popularity following the Third Great Schism meant that it would become the form taught to Padawans (like Shii-Cho is taught to Initiates) as essential to understanding lightsaber combat and for them to develop their own styles (thus enabling future discoveries). Most Jedi were at least proficient with both Shii-Cho and Niman following this point in history.

The Djem So masters were not wrong however. The Sith were still very much alive (even their dead conspired against the Jedi and the Republic) plotting their terrible revenge. The legacy of Naga Sadow would eventually culminate in the rise of Ulic Qel-Droma and Exar Kun as new Dark Lords of the Sith in 3996 BBY. They would wage a terrible war that would tear the Jedi Order in two. To some in the Order the Great Sith War would even be viewed as a result of the Third Great Schism. In a way that was true, but it ignores the true threat the Sith posed to the Republic. The Sith Empire survived the assault on Korriban and the other planets in their dominion in 5,000 BBY. Under the Sith Emperor (formally known as Lord Vitiate) the Sith Empire rose from the ashes with one purpose: to destroy the Jedi and their Republic. It took centuries to locate the resources and build the infrastructure necessary to carry out their plans. As they were marshalling their resources they were simultaneously laying the groundwork for their eventual invasion.

Infiltrating the Republic and the Jedi Order, the Sith collected all kinds of valuable information about their foes. One of these pieces of information was the fact the Jedi Order was developing new lightsaber forms. Sensing an opportunity, the Sith Emperor ordered the development of a new lightsaber form. One that could be introduced to the Jedi in a time of crisis. A fighting style that was devastatingly effective but also brought its practitioners dangerously close to the Dark Side as well. The form they developed was Juyo. To make the form as palatable to the vigilant Jedi Order the Sith did everything the Jedi did in developing Shien and Djem So by going back to basics with Shii-Cho. They would do this to Ataru. Since they were the ones who first developed the style they were intimately familiar with it. Additionally both Shii-Cho and Ataru are long established fighting styles in the Jedi Order, so inquires about either by their agents during the development of Juyo would go completely unnoticed.

Fine tuning Ataru with Shii-Cho principles the Sith Empire created a monster of a fighting form. Juyo was more a state of mind as (like Niman) it worked best in conjunction with other fighting styles. Unlike Niman, Juyo does not actually consist of these other fighting styles. It just requires a previous understanding of combat to function properly. Following the Jedi Code principle of "Emotion, yet Peace" Juyo acknowledges the emotion of the individual and yet to the outside observer a Juyo practitioner was the picture of calm and peace. However where the other forms discard the emotion Juyo uses it. Arguing that not to do so would be a waste and that so long as peace (or the appearance of peace at least) was maintained the code was not violated. Using this emotion and channeling it through Shii-Cho's aggression vastly increased the practitioner's offensive capability. Following Ataru's principle of an unrelenting offensive (the Sith also couldn't help but put their stamp on the form) combined with this new ferocity Juyo's attacks were nothing short of overwhelming.

Using Shii-Cho's randomness and broad kinetic strikes combined with Ataru's attack bursts and Force Augmentation resulted in an unpredictable flurry of strikes seemingly coming from everywhere. Amplified by the emotional pressures cultivated by the form and you had an extremely strong extremely fast fighting style where the first strike was usually the last strike (though not necessarily the only strike given the form's brutality). Sacrificing Ataru's elaborate appearance for bold, direct motions made Juyo more efficient, with the random aspect of the attacks enhanced. When confronting groups or individuals it mattered little to the Juyo practitioner as they would be cut down like phantoms of the user's imagination. Mundanes were almost universally unable to defend against the form while Force-users usually fell not expecting such a sudden, brutal offensive.

Juyo was not without its faults and they were put there intentionally by the Emperor. The first and largest weakness was to Force attacks. Not wanting to create something that could be used against him later, the Emperor made sure his supremacy in the Force could always defeat a Juyo practitioner. Further (like Ataru) Juyo had almost no defense and wasn't the best against groups giving the Emperor an even greater advantage with his personal guards. In the event a Juyo practitioner was strong enough with the Force and the blade to withstand the Emperor's attacks; he made sure Ataru's tendency to quickly burn up the user's energy carried over to Juyo. If he could not bring down his opponent with the Force or the blade he would outlast him.

Shortly before the Great Sith War Juyo would be introduced to the Jedi Order. Added as the personal styles of their agents in Jedi Praxeums far from the Jedi's seats of power in Ossus and Coruscant, meant it could infiltrate the Order before the Jedi Masters noticed. With the outbreak of the Great Sith War the Jedi were debating the merits of Juyo as a Jedi Form. Odan-Urr was so opposed to the Form his revision of the Jedi Code explicitly rejects emotion (along with ignorance, passion, chaos and death) as a reaction to Juyo's acceptance of it. While his Jedi Code revisions were adopted following his death and the conclusion of the Great Sith War his views on Juyo were not. The Form had proven itself too useful during the conflict and the Masters were weary of starting another Schism so soon after such a devastating war to simply throw Juyo away. The Sith's plan worked. Juyo became an accepted lightsaber form and was spread throughout the Jedi like a cancer.

3,996 BBY - 1,000 BBY The Old Sith Wars, The Cold War, The New Sith Wars and the Stagnation of Lightsaber combat

Over the course of the next 3,000 years the Jedi and Sith would fight almost constantly. Following the Great Sith War was the Sith Empire instigated Mandalorian Wars in 3,976 BBY (just 20 years later). The Jedi Order was split on whether to fight or not but the official decision of the High Council was to sit out the war. This didn't sit well with many Jedi and lead by Jedi Knights Revan and Malak they attacked the Mandalorians. Winning the war, Revan and his forces began searching for the mastermind behind the wars. They found him. After what can only be assumed was fierce fighting Revan and Malak fought their way to the Sith Emperor and confronted him. They failed.

Under the mercy of the Emperor he twisted them into Dark Lords of the Sith and sent them on a mission. The final piece of his grand plan to conquer the Republic and destroy the Jedi was to find an ancient Dark Side device only hinted at in the texts of the Sith: the Rakatan Star Forge. A massive Dark Side imbued star powered weapons factory. Capable of churning out warships, wardroids, weapons and armor at phenomenal rates and quantities. The fallen Jedi found the Star Forge and recognized the potential before them. Usurping the Emperor's plans (and unintentionally all his groundwork for conquest of the Republic) Revan and Malak invaded the Republic themselves (thus starting the Jedi Civil War) and carved out an enormous empire. With a millennia of war preparation stolen The Sith Emperor was forced to pick up the pieces following the end of the Old Sith Wars and Start all over.

While it may seem like the Old Sith Wars had little impact on the Jedi and their fighting forms this could not be further from the truth. With the conclusion of the Old Sith Wars was the First Jedi Purge (in an event without precedent the First Jedi Purge involved the active targeting of individual Jedi with assassins. The purge devastated the Jedi leaving only a small number to reform the Order and carry on their legacy. However because of the Purge an untold amount of Jedi lore was lost with the Knights and Masters assassinations. How many unique tricks of the combat forms were lost because they were so ubiquitous no one bothered to record them? What hidden understanding of the Forms were lost because they were too dangerous to spread and yet too valuable to throw away? What new Forms would have developed from the hybridization styles had they only the time to mature and develop? These are the questions that will never have answers and it's because of the First Jedi Purge that a massive rest button was pushed on lightsaber combat.

Over the course of 300 years the Jedi Order would rebuild. Using the writings and Holocrons of the old Jedi masters, the Jedi Order was able to piece back together the old fighting forms. Finally achieving a level of their old strength the Jedi hoped never to have to deal the Sith or their like again. As usual this hope was dashed when the Sith Empire began their invasion of the Republic in 3,681 BBY. The Jedi and the Republic would eventually prevail over the Sith Empire, but the damage done to the Jedi fighting forms could never be undone. Spending the next several millennia relearning and forgetting due to conflict saw usage of the fighting forms vary as their practitioners understanding waxed and waned. With the conclusion of the New Sith Wars in 1,000 BBY the Jedi Order redoubled their efforts to understand the seven forms and by the time of the Rise of the Empire they had polished their understanding to such a degree that the twilight of the Jedi saw the greatest number of swordmasters in their 25,000 year history. And just before the end one brave and talented Jedi decided to do the impossible: tame Juyo.

72 BBY - 19 BBY The Final Form Vaapad

By the last century before the battle of Yavin no one truly believed there was anything more to learn about the lightsaber fighting forms let alone have a reason to change one. Everybody except Mace Windu. Mace Windu had a problem. As a human from the planet Haruun Kal he was subject to an innate draw to the Dark Side. In Windu this manifested as a visceral enjoyment of combat. For him it felt right and natural to experience these emotions while fighting; his Jedi training however absolutely rejected these feelings, so he was at an impasse. He could either reject his Jedi teachings and embrace his emotions or embrace his Jedi teachings and reject his emotions. He chose both and neither. Unwilling to give up all that he had learned and unable to separate his heart from his head he plotted a bold course. Ever since he was a Padawan he'd been developing his own fighting style through his training with Niman.

The consummate Jedi Guardian it was no surprise he followed that path. What was a surprise however was his training in the highly controversial Juyo form. For nearly a thousand years Juyo had been limited to the Jedi Order's greatest and most trusted sword fighters. Windu was clearly one of the Order's greatest sword fighters however his ancestry called into question his ability to handle the form. Windu ignored these objections and boldly proceeded to learn Juyo. Once he had mastered the form without issue it seemed he had proven his detractors wrong, but he didn't stop there. Taking what he had learned from Niman as a Padawan he began to make changes to Juyo. He didn't do anything terribly drastic to the form in an offensive sense. A change here, a refinement there it looked like Juyo… until he finished it.

Juyo as a form designed by the Sith was incomplete. It's built in weaknesses could hold back any master of the form and Mace Windu could not abide any flaw in his style. Taking the basic premise of Juyo Mace Windu turned it up to 11. Like with himself he saw the flaws inherent in the form and turned them upside down. Where Juyo had no defense Windu turned the blinding speed of the form into a defense. Where it was weak against groups Windu's drastic increase in speed made them like statues. When it came to Juyo's greatest weaknesses of a weak Force defense and a quick burnout time Windu's solutions proves his mastery of the form. He took these two weaknesses and forged them into advantages. By using his knowledge of Tutaminis he created a Force defense that would overcome both problems. In using Tutaminis' principles of drawing and directing energy Windu developed what he called the Superconducting loop. The idea is brilliant in its simplicity. Use the energy of opposing Force users to sustain the extreme energy demands of his new form. This meant that no matter what the strength of the Force user he was facing their power feeding his made victory a foregone conclusion. Because of this his strength in Vaapad was always equal or superior to the person he was fighting. But absorbing Force powers to fuel his form wasn't the only tool at his disposal. He could also redirect Force attacks back at the user. What Mace Windu did for Juyo was make it a complete Jedi fighting style (the true Form VII).

Unfortunately the Jedi Order never really had a chance to fully examine Vaapad or figure out who might be best suited to use the form. With the Second Jedi Purge (initiated by Supreme Chancellor Palpatine) the Jedi and their Order would cease to exist. Hunted to near extinction as they had done to the Sith meant that anyone wielding a lightsaber would be killed with all the knowledge they had of their fighting style. And just like the First Jedi Purge nearly 4,000 years earlier a great rest button was pushed on the lightsaber and its fighting forms.

11 ABY The New Jedi Order and beyond

The rebuilding of the Jedi Order under Master Luke Skywalker like with the First Jedi Purge saw a search for anything relating to the Old Jedi Order (including its fighting forms). Some refinements developed during this time of rediscovery (such as the Three Rings of Defense) but for the most part the New Jedi Order adopted the fighting styles of the Old Jedi Order. It remains to be seen if the Jedi will ever create new fighting styles. A third Jedi Purge a century later makes this unlikely. But both the Jedi and Sith are extremely adaptable and have proven time and again their strength against extinction. What the next 25,000 years holds for the Jedi and their fighting forms remains a mystery, but in that mystery lays the seeds necessary for the Lightsaber and its fighting forms to once again reclaim their rightful place in the galaxy.