Most of the wars in Star Wars have two methods of conflict resolution. Most films depict massive, sweeping battlefields with countless soldiers, vehicles, and enough casualties to fill several large nations. They also use one-on-one laser sword duels that often carry the weight of the galaxy on a couple of people’s actions. Most duelists carry a lightsaber and use the Force, but everyone else needs something to keep them in the fight. Teräs Käsi is a martial art designed to defeat the Jedi Knights.
Jedi are complicated figures. They are noble knights, cops, government servants, wise advisors, and several other critical functionaries in the Republic. Combining those jobs didn’t fix any of the problems with them. The Jedi make frequent and terrible mistakes, often leading the galaxy into disaster or failing to notice upcoming issues. Given how often they get things wrong, it makes sense that the non-Jedi would work out a way to fight the ones that go wrong.
What is Teräs Käsi?
Teräs Käsi is a powerful martial art developed to fight and defeat Force-sensitive foes. Its most notable target was the Jedi Knights. Many practitioners wield melee weapons, but their bare hands seem to deal damage akin to blaster fire. Teräs Käsi warriors discovered ancient meditative techniques that allowed them to punch through body armor, move faster than Force-enhanced senses can track, and heal wounds through meditation. The modern canon doesn’t provide a backstory for the martial art, but the Legends continuity developed a partial story. According to that scrapped timeline, the denizens of a planet called Palawa lost their home after a war involving the Jedi. The details remain vague, leaving potential Jedi wrongdoings implied at best. These Followers of Palawa fled to an Outer Rim planet and mastered meditation, somehow connecting with the Force without the necessary training or blood content. Very few people learned Teräs Käsi, as any prospective student needed to seek out a master from Palawa. Some mercenaries, bounty hunters, criminals, and other notable figures learned the ways and put them to work.
The Legends continuity also digs into the techniques that make up Teräs Käsi. Most examples take inspiration from creatures from the galaxy. The Wampa of Hoth, for example, lends its name to two notable techniques. Most named moves feel like they stepped out of a fighting game because most of them did. Teräs Käsi is most notable as an unarmed style. Most of its techniques have elements designed to accommodate empty hands and incredible acrobatic skill. Many practitioners add weapons and tools to their mastery of the art. Some carry knives, with or without an energy coating. Other warriors wield clubs, sticks, or other simple weapons. Rare cases see Teräs Käsi practitioners wield blasters, becoming gunslingers with staggering speed and accuracy. At least a few masters of the art form combined it with a lightsaber, a technique so effective that everyone should try it.
Where did Teräs Käsi first appear?
The first appearance of Teräs Käsi came in Steve Perry’s 1996 Shadows of the Empire novel. That book takes place between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. The concept saw very little exploration before its more notable use in the Star Wars: Masters of Teräs Käsi video game. Released in October 1997 for the Playstation, Masters of Teräs Käsi became one of the least-loved fighting games of its era. Taking inspiration from games like Tekken and Soul Calibur, LucasArts put together a messy 3-D fighter that sits on many “Worst Fighting Game” lists. True fighting game fans know that there are several levels of awful beneath Masters of Teräs Käsi, but it still isn’t very good. Teräs Käsi took its name from the Finnish word for “steel hand.” That creative choice borrowed from the Tekken franchise, which centers around the King of Iron Fist Tournament. After 18 years, Star Wars: Uprising introduced the martial art to the new canon. It came up again in Solo: A Star Wars Story. In all appearances, Teräs Käsi takes inspiration from the indigenous Indonesian martial art pencak silat. Star Wars popularized silat before The Raid.
Who practices Teräs Käsi?
Several eclectic warriors in the Star Wars universe wield Teräs Käsi. Some use it as their primary fighting style, but many others use it as an afterthought. Here’s a short list of characters confirmed to use the martial art:
- Darth Maul: The villain of The Phantom Menace is the only character known to practice Teräs Käsi in both continuities. It enhances his combat with and without a lightsaber. He attributes his success as an assassin to his training in Teräs Käsi.
- Dryden Vos: Paul Bettany’s character in Solo learned Teräs Käsi from Maul when they worked together in the Crimson Dawn crime syndicate. Vos enhanced his practice with two twin petar blades, which functioned like knuckle-knives with laser blades.
- Qi’ra: Vos’ lieutenant, portrayed by Daisy Ridley in Solo, also learned the martial art. She defeated Vos with her electrical swords, but she also mastered the blaster.
- Phow Ji: A figure from the Legends continuity who grew up among the Followers of Palawa and learned Teräs Käsi from the source. He became a gifted gunslinger who could dispatch a small army with accurate blaster fire and acrobatics.
- Plo Koon: The Kel Dor Jedi Master added Teräs Käsi to his lightsaber combat skills in the Legends continuity.
Teräs Käsi is an excellent worldbuilding concept that could appear in several new Star Wars projects. The Acolyte, for example, follows a Padawan who hunts Jedi. The show’s martial arts inspirations could allow for tons of fun innovations like this one. Teräs Käsi should be a part of more Star Wars material. Look forward to Disney’s take on The Raid with lightsabers.
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