Quote:
Originally Posted by Voltron64
The use of melee weapons like blades and cutlasses aboard starships and among the various Imperial services has its roots in the Ziru Sirka. The Vilani of course, being so traditionalist and hidebound to actively use swords and polearms even in the days of automatic firearms.
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It's actually practical for such things as excercise and grudge matches. I once (I think in an earlier entry) invented a scoresuit: a purpose built armor set for martial arts contests that records the blow as well as protecting from it. Thus contests can be done without artificially prohibiting the most efficient blows. There is a variant called a pain suit. It was really adapted from a torture device that delivers electric shocks to a someone forced to wear it. It was adapted to the more honorable usage of free people settling disputes without causing enough damage to lose their labor to their families.
In ISW the Legion of the Frontier does in fact use hand-to-hand weapons according to the book.