Recently I've been getting really into the philosophic elements of the 7 forms and looking deeper than the Wookieepedia entries. One thing that has really stood out to me is the conception of Niman as a weak form. As the form hasn't had all that much love on these boards I thought I would talk about some of the key culprits in perpetuating this misconception.
All the Jedi that were killed in the battle of Geonosis were Niman practitioners.Manipulation of statistics comes to mind here. These Jedi didn't die because of the form they practised, they died because they were less likely to practise martial skills (I'll touch on this in the next section), this was peacetime. The Jedi of the time spent more time fighting gangs of thugs than disciplined armies. If all the Jedi were practitioners of Soresu or Makashi (or any other form) the outcome would be the same.
Niman was for diplomats, not warriors.True, the idea of Niman is usually described to be a form that trains the user to be well rounded in the basics of all aspects of Lightsaber combat. The idea being that Jedi who spend more time partaking in less hazardous activities would be able to call of a variety of skillsets to defend themselves should the situation arise. Niman was created for the Jedi who spends more time sharpening his wit than his blade.
This doesn't mean that the form can't be taken further. In the Darth Bane trilogy (read them, they're great) there is a character named Johun Othone who is described as a Niman practitioner. He was the padawan of the Jedi master who lead the Army of Light, this dude isn't going to let his student study a path that will get him killed. The book mentions that Johun spent many years in the rough areas of the Outer Rim and had seen many battles, going on to state that his training in Niman had served him well - especially due to its emphasis on adaptability. However, after 10 years (off the top of my head) of peace following the Russaan Reformations Johan had spent all of his time acting as the Chancellor's bodyguard. The book mentions that the lack of intense battles had caused him to cease constant practising of his martial skills.
"Is Form VI the most worthy of study? No, but in general it is the most practical."
―Cin DralligThis is a pretty contradictory statement, he's telling us that this style is the less worthy of study because it is the most practical? Hmm.
I could go on for pages and pages about these points and other little things mentioned, but I don't want to bore anyone and it would probably come across as a bit of a rant. Maybe it does anyway..
Something that surprised me at first about the Niman philosphy is the animal it is named for. The Rancor.
We all know the Rancor don't we. You know, this guy -
Doesn't seem like the diplomatic type does he?
Seems like a funny creature to name a scholar's form.
It's entirely possible the guy that created the forms just thought of the first Star Wars animal that came to mind at attached it to Form 7. But that's no fun.
Lets think about the Rancor. It is one of the most widespread creatures in the Galaxy, they can survive pretty much anywhere with prey, solid land and breathable air. Not only this, but they are almost always top of the food chain. How do they survive? Well - aside from being great big fang wielding beasts - they are adaptable.
And adaptability, I believe, is the key to mastering Niman. Perhaps the Niman practitioner believes that a balanced mind makes for an adaptable fighter.
I have a few more thoughts but I think it would be good to see if anyone has anything to add, let's get talking