Sai tok In lightsaber combat , a sai tok , frowned upon by the Jedi because of its Sith - like nature , was the act of cutting an opponent in half , usually separating his or her legs from the at the . Sometimes , sai tok could vertically bisect an opponent too . It was one of the lightsaber techniques known as The Marks of Contact . Notable uses . Before even beginning any formal Jedi training , Nomi Sunrider took up her newly - deceased husband ' s lightsaber , and literally " halved " the space pirate Quanto , as described by his companion Gudb . Sunrider ' s use of sai tok was unique in that she cleaved Quanto lengthwise rather than through the waist . A Jedi used the strike on Myles during the Battle of Galidraan . The Dathomirian Zabrak Sith Lord Darth Maul performed this maneuver when defeating Mighella , Nightsister and bodyguard of Black Sun lord Alexi Garyn . Ahsoka Tano performed sai tok on three IG - 100 MagnaGuards during her journey to Jabba ' s Palace . She bisected the MagnaGuard with a cloak on vertically and the others horizontally . Jedi Master Jai Maruk defeated an assassin droid using sai tok at Phindar Spaceport during the Mission to Vjun , cleaving his opponent cleanly in two . Jedi Master Quinlan Vos also killed both the dark side Master Volfe Karkko , and the Dark Jedi Kadrian Sey in this manner . Klatoonian Barada received a sai tok strike from Luke Skywalker in a battle over the sarlacc on Tatooine . During their final duel on board the Death Star , Obi - Wan Kenobi would have received a sai tok from Darth Vader had Kenobi ' s body not disappeared into the Force upon his death . Vader also used the technique to kill several members of a hyenax pack on the planet of Vaal , including the pack ' s leader . In 10 ABY , Dark Jedi Vill Goir died from a sai tok strike , severed from left shoulder to right torso , delivered by Jedi Kam Solusar during their duel on the planet Ossus . A year later , while confronting Dark Jedi Krdys Mordi on New Alderaan in defense of Master Luke Skywalker , Jem Ysanna killed Mordi through use of sai tok . During that same battle , Princess Leia Organa Solo also performed a sai tok maneuver against Executor Tedryn - Sha , slicing him from his left shoulder down to his right waist . During the duel in the Dathomir landing meadow , Ben Skywalker killed a Sith Saber by performing sai tok . An unidentified Aqualish Sith received a sai tok strike from Master Wolf Sazen in 137 ABY . The same year , Vul Isen was sliced in half by Cade Skywalker while trying to poison Utapau ' s water supply . Survival cases . In rare instances , it was possible however for the recipient of sai tok to survive , either by use of the Force or some other means . One such case is that in an impressive display of lightsaber technique , Jedi Padawan Obi - Wan Kenobi used sai tok to defeat Darth Maul during the Second Battle of Theed . Maul , however , survived , his spirit kept intact by his intense feelings of hatred fueling the dark side of the Force , and escaped to Lotho Minor , replacing his severed lower body with a 6 - legged cybernetic apparatus via the Force . This shabby replacement was replaced years later by Mother Talzin on Dathomir with two legs similar to that of General Grievous . Shortly after , they were replaced by Death Watch Leader Pre Vizsla . Another example would be the Dark Jedi Maw , who received a sai tok from Jedi Master Qu Rahn . Maw managed to survive this usually fatal attack by drawing on his anger through the dark side of the Force . His new disfigurement consequently made him a prime candidate for a completely unique form of lightsaber combat : Trispzest . One other classic example would be General Grievous when his cybernetic apparatus was severed by Kit Fisto . The general managed to survive and escaped the Jedi . Soon after , EV - A4 - D replaced his legs .