Title: Shimmering Sword: Samurai, Western, and
Star Wars Sword Fighting
Author: Nick Jamilla
ISBN: 0-9718796-0-5
Publisher: NBK Publishing
Copyright: 2002
Reviewed by Reihla.
As both an avid Star Wars fan and as a medieval re-enactor who participates in full-contact sword combat I was eager to read Shimmering Sword: Samurai, Western, and Star Wars Sword Fighting by Nick Jamilla. Given my interests, I particularly enjoyed the sections on the history of swordsmanship, especially the recap of the arms and armor employed by swordsmen through the ages. However, Shimmering Sword is not a scholarly work. The author readily admits this. Instead, it appears to be an excellent overview of swordsmanship and a discussion on how it might relate to Star Wars in general and the Jedi Order in particular.
Though the topic of swordsmanship in this book is never intentionally oversimplified, it is easily readable by the layman who knows little or nothing about it or about martial arts. I believe it is this characteristic, combined with the author’s own obvious affection for Star Wars, which will make the book enjoyable for most fans who have ever wondered just how accurate the sword combat is in most Star Wars films. The author is well-spoken on both Star Wars and his chosen fields (aikido, kendo and fencing). For the die-hard Star Wars fans, his references to the films aren’t elementary either. He expects the reader to have at least a basic – and in some cases an in-depth – knowledge of the saga.
Any reader should keep in mind that this book was written prior to the release of Episode II: Attack of the Clones and Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. As such, it gives no detailed discussions of either film, only a bit of speculation on what those two films might contain. According to the author, there will be a second edition of Shimmering Sword, taking into account many of the changes fans have seen in lightsaber combat since Episode I, so look for it from McFarland Publishing around the summer of 2008.
One word of caution. Jamilla does not appear to subscribe to the “Star Wars as a Modern Myth” theory that so many academically oriented fans follow. Rather, he explains the epic saga as a descriptive of spiritual awakening, a look at the human condition, and an exploration of the polar extremes of good and evil.
Jamilla handles the matter of Jedi philosophy with particular sensitivity. He is obviously concerned with questions such as whether or not the Jedi are warriors or sages, and whether or not they are more similar to a military or a religious order. At one point he quotes one of Obi-Wan’s tenets, the line where the Jedi master tells Luke “you must do what you feel is right, of course…” Jamilla goes on to infer that for a swordsman, this is the most important thing, knowing and understanding what they feel is right. He even references Qui-Gon Jinn to drive the point home. It is only one of many interesting points made about parallels in the philosophies of real-world swordsmen and Jedi.
Jamilla has an interesting perspective on the paradox that teaching people swordfighting encourages them to solve problems by means of combat. He seems to understand, as the Jedi did, that simply because you know how to use a sword it is not imperative that you do so to solve every problem. In fact, it is easy to grasp from his writing that there are alternatives to fighting and that they should be employed when the option exists.
If you prefer less about philosophy and more about sword combat in general this book offers plenty of that. If what you want is a more detailed and expert analysis of the sword combat found in both Prequel and Original Trilogy movies, you won’t be disappointed either. In fact, one of my favorite sections of the book was a discussion of the differences between Peter Diamond’s style (he choreographed the sword fighting in the Original Trilogy) and Nick Gillard’s methods for Episode I lightsaber combat. It was quite refreshing to read a perspective that respects the creative decisions George Lucas made when selecting who would choreograph sword combat in the films.
The author freely admits, and does not apologize for, the fact that his views and perspectives on swordsmanship aren’t run-of-the-mill and that they strongly influence his interpretations of lightsaber combat and the Jedi Order. He also states up-front that he compares Jedi techniques to Japanese swordsmanship because that is his area of expertise. He invites the reader to make their own interpretations – based on their own knowledge and experience – while reading the book.
As the title indicates, Shimmering Sword is an exploration of lightsaber combat and the Jedi philosophy, and a comparison/contrast between those ideas and real world swordfighting techniques and philosophies. If you have an interest in sword fighting and in Star Wars, I definitely recommend reading this book.
