The original Jedi hero that Star Wars fans grew up watching was Luke Skywalker, the original Star Wars trilogy’s main character responsible for defeating and redeeming Darth Vader. Of course, Luke showcased his immense skill as a lightsaber combatant by defeating Vader, who was one of the strongest duelists of his time. So, what lightsaber combat form did Luke Skywalker use?
Luke Skywalker mastered and preferred to use Form V: Djem So, the same lightsaber combat form that his father, Darth Vader, used. However, Luke also mastered other forms of lightsaber combat, including Form I: Shii-Cho and Form III: Soresu, while learning the basics of Form IV: Ataru.
Of course, Luke Skywalker likely went on to master all forms of lightsaber combat (except for Form VII) because he needed to teach his students all of these forms when he rebuilt the Jedi Order. Still, from what we’ve seen and read, he preferred Form V, which has always been the lightsaber form most associated with the Skywalker family.
When Jedi are trained in lightsaber combat, they must learn six of the seven combat forms. Of course, while most Jedi Knights know how to use all of the six forms of lightsaber combat taught in the Jedi Temple, they usually have their own preferences in terms of the forms that they want to use. That is why some of the Jedi Knights and Masters are known to be masters of certain lightsaber forms. And the same holds true for Luke Skywalker.
Even though Luke’s lightsaber combat training started at an older age than when most Jedi start training, he was a quick study. As such, he quickly picked up the basics of lightsaber combat under the tutelage of Obi-Wan Kenobi and, later on, Yoda. But it was during his time with Yoda that he eventually learned how to fight like a true Jedi.
Training with Yoda on Dagobah taught Luke all the lightsaber combat basics. However, he had a preferred lightsaber form even though he was knowledgeable in all of the other forms. As such, he preferred to use Form V: Djem So.
Form V has two sub-forms, which are Shien and Djem So. The first one developed was Shien, which emphasizes blaster redirection and counterattacks against those who prefer to use blasters. But when lightsaber duels became more common during the wars between the Jedi and the Sith, the need to develop a lightsaber-oriented Form V variant grew. As such, Djem So was created to focus more on melee combat.
Djem So is a style that combines the basic principles of lightsaber offense and defense in a style that is very demanding on the part of the duelist. That’s because Djem So incorporates a lot of parrying and counterattacks. The user must make quick transitions from defense to offense and offense to defense. As such, the user must use a dedicated defensive stance to parry or block lightsaber strikes before going for all-out attacks.
In a way, Djem So is a style that requires the user to always be on the move and the lookout for openings. Most users of this style go for parries that allow them to go for quick counterattacks and ripostes before returning to a defensive stance. In Luke’s case, he was seen using Djem So against Darth Vader in their fated duel in Death Star II.
Luke and Vader Used the Same Form
While Luke favored Djem So and even used it against his father in their duel in Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi, let’s not forget that Darth Vader was also one of the masters of this form. In fact, before he became Darth Vader, Anakin Skywalker was known as arguably the best in the Jedi Order in using Form V: Djem So.
In that regard, Luke used the same lightsaber combat form that made his father one of the greatest lightsaber duelists of his time and one of the most feared people in the entire galaxy when Anakin became Darth Vader. Of course, we did see how the basics of Djem So were used in the duel between Luke and Vader, as both incorporated parries and blocks before going on the offensive.
Han or Luke? Here’s Who Kissed Princess Leia First
It is also worth noting that Form V has always been associated with people close to the Skywalkers or part of this family. As mentioned, both Anakin and Luke favored Form V: Djem So. Meanwhile, Anakin took in a Padawan named Ahsoka Tano, who also favored Form V: Shien and Djem So. Rey, who took on the Skywalker name, also favored Form V.
How Many Lightsaber Forms Did Luke Use?
When Jedi are trained in the art of lightsaber combat, they are taught the basics of all forms except for Form VII: Juyo and Vaapad. As such, most of the Jedi of the old Jedi Order knew how to use all of the different lightsaber combat forms even though they favored certain forms over others. That means there’s a good chance that Yoda also taught Luke how to use all the different lightsaber combat forms.
Of course, in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, Obi-Wan Kenobi taught Luke Skywalker the basics of Form I: Shii Cho, which is the easiest lightsaber form to learn because of how it emphasizes simple strikes and footwork that form the fundamentals of all of the other forms. It is possible that Luke also picked up Obi-Wan’s favored form, Form III: Soresu, the most defensive lightsaber combat form.
There’s also a good chance that Luke learned how to master Form IV: Ataru, which is the form that Yoda favored. Because Luke learned under Yoda, he might have mastered Ataru as well. But because Ataru is only useful in certain situations and was one of the riskiest lightsaber forms of all time due to how it leaves plenty of openings, he must have decided to focus more on using Form V: Djem So instead.
The likelihood of Luke mastering all forms of lightsaber combat is also pretty high, considering that he sought to rebuild the Jedi Order. As such, because he needed to teach all of the forms to his students, he must have mastered all forms between the conclusion of Return of the Jedi and the events before the sequel trilogy.
