Battlemaster
Regular Member
Well, I came across this thread: http://www.killermovies.com/forums/f86/t407223.html
And it seemed that people hadn't really read The Unifying Force (or Shatterpoint for that matter) in a long time, because they overestimated Shimrra and underestimated the superior fighter, Kar.
Funnily, I came across a thread with Shimrra versus Grevious, and after people were stumping for Shimrra, a wise debator reminded them with this:
(On The Unifying Force)
Originally posted by Allankles
...did you guys actually read the fight? He had every advantage on NJO Luke and he still got decapitated. First he set Luke up in a nearly impossible situation. He had his best guards fight Luke while he controlled the gravtity of the platform Luke was fighting on.So every time Luke would have an advantage in the fight, he'd adjust the gravity and bring Luke down. Not to mention Luke had fought hundreds of Vong before facing Shimrra's elite guard.
After Luke had killed Shimrra's elite, Shimrra took him on but not without first blind siding Luke. Luke was pinned down to the platform and he still decapitated Shimraa with just about the first strike he aimed at him. Shimrra just had brute strength. Luke was exhausted when he faced Shimrra and had to deal with a huge distraction on top of that.
1. Shimrra is essentially a one-dimensional fighter that has two things going for him:
- Extremely enhanced genetic strength
- A very large and powerful Amphistaff, that was technically doing most of the work against Luke in the book, and not Shimrra himself
2. Kar Vastor is a Lor Pelek - a Witch Doctor/Warrior that has access to certain exotic techniques in the Force that even Mace Windu admitted neither Jedi nor Sith seemed to possess.
He acts as a conduit for Force energy - specifically the energy emanating from the monstrous Jungle - effectively making him an Avatar of it's Force power.
- Being a large and heavy black man, he's already physically strong - now add in his Lor Pelek training - and that fact that he was stripped naked and made to survive in Haruun Kal's Jungles by himself at a young age means that he developed himself and survived physically by taking down and eating raw, any animals that he could, by any means necessary.
Nick Rostu even exclaims at how Kar had filed his teeth down on purpose to make them sharp, and how Kar's teeth seemed to have all kinds of bacteria on them, from eating various types of meat - raw (Meaning the guy tracked down prey and killed them, like an animal)
So this is a guy, Force enhanced-strength aside, who is a physical beast with a primal Predatory-mindset.
- As mentioned before, Kar is an Avatar of the Jungle - one chapter had Mace describing Kar along the lines of, "..A beast that sat in the shadows, drawing in breath after icy breath of the Force, wafting in power" (Paraphrase)
Kar acts as a living conduit of energy - drawing in the life and death of the Jungle - feeding off of it, using it to strengthen his already ridiculously-strong body.
Even though he doesn't have as much formal technique as some Jedi Masters do, his Force reserves of energy are staggering - likely approaching those of Anakin or Dooku in a raw sense.
- Kar's damage-soak is ****ing ridiculous - during one point in his fight against Mace Windu, Mace double-fist punched him with "every erg of power he could summon" and Kar went flying end over end and landed on the back of his neck - which would ordinarily paralyze or kill a person.
Kar is so solid and tough, that he just stood up afterward and smiled. Showing his filed-down fangs/teeth.
After beating Mace in the fight, even despite Mace's Vapaad, he and Windu had a chance for a final fight at the end of the book.
- At the end of the book, Mace essentially admits that he wouldn't have a chance against Kar in a swordfight on his best day.
Mace during Shatterpoint was more or less on par with Count Dooku, who was himself a few notches below Yoda and Sidious.
It can be estimated that RotS Mace=Kar Vastor in dueling ability, since that was the peak he reached after accomplishing everything he needed to after Shatterpoint.
In other words, Mace, who was on par with Dooku, was outclassed by Kar, who was at least a few notches above.
So, mathematically, more or less you could say that Kar's swordsmanship was on par with Sidious, who Mace defeated in dueling.
Either way you mathematically cut it, Kar's dueling skills are incredible - and as with Sidious, only a fully mastered (RotS) Mace could have a chance of taking either of these two down.
Kar probably has even more feats than what I could remember, but I don't have the book with me at the moment. Even so, as you can see, Kar is more than a match for Shimrra, even if at least slightly.
Kar can handle Shimrra's strength, and is fast enough and savvy enough to avoid the Amphistaff.
The Lor Pelek has the one-dimensional mook, outclassed.
Edit: Seriously, seriously - they need to make Shatterpoint into a f*cking movie. 😕