Force Lightning
From the Encyclopedia of Speculative Fiction - http://encyclopedia.wizards.pro
Force lightning was a well known dark side Force ability.
It was a purely energy-based attack used most commonly by, but not restricted to, the Sith. Force energy took the form of lightning bolts which exit the Force-user's body through his fingertips or palms; Force lightning could be executed with either one or two hands. The greater the user's aptitude, the more power the lightning bolts possessed and the more they forked, allowing the possibility of striking multiple foes at once. This Force power was often used as a form of torture as it not only caused severe physical damage but also extreme agony to the victim's emotional and spiritual capacities. However, a single powerful blast may have been sufficient to kill a person instantly. It is unclear why Palpatine kept electrocuting Luke Skywalker for so long, but it is likely that Palpatine, harboring extreme antipathy toward the Jedi, sought to maximize the intensity and duration of Luke's suffering in order to satisfy himself with the tormenting of the last of their kind.
The intensity varies based on a number of factors, but it can render a target unconscious with only a short burst.
Depending on the level of intensity, Force lightning could apparently ground itself on an ignited lightsaber. Strong lightsiders are sometimes able to resist Force lightning, and it can also be blocked with a lightsaber. (It is unclear what role, if any, Force proficiency plays in using a lightsaber to deflect Force lightning.) Nevertheless, a sufficiently powerful Force-user could blast through the defenses afforded by a lightsaber, as seen when Darth Sidious blew Jedi Master Yoda's lightsaber right out of his hand during their duel in the Senate chamber. Force lightning could also be absorbed and redirected by a Jedi of sufficient skill; Yoda demonstrated this ability by both reflecting and absorbing it during a fight with Count Dooku (probably Force Absorb).
There is a less powerful, light side version of Force Lighting, called Electric Judgement. This light side version was used by Jedi Master Plo Koon and Jedi of the New Order.
Effect of Force Lightning
It is thought that prolonged use of Force lightning could drain the user physically, and possibly result in severe facial and body deformations. This was shown when Darth Sidious unleashed a barrage of Force lightning on Mace Windu, but it reflected back upon him by the Jedi Master's lightsaber. Nevertheless, this view is controversial; it is thought by some that Sidious's physical appearance as Chancellor Palpatine was an illusion created with Force energy, and that the lightning merely melted the illusion away. Nevertheless, it is clear that Palpatine's lightning caused him some physical damage, though to what extent is unknown.
Force Lightning users
Though a powerful Sith Lord, Darth Vader was unable to use Force lightning for much of his reign, as both of his arms were mechanical for most of the time he was a dark side practitioner. Vader's cybernetics also made him much more vulnerable to the effects of Force lightning, and this vulnerability would eventually contribute to his death.
Darth Malak used Force lightning as a means of torture to turn Bastila Shan to the dark side. It was intended to give her "a taste" of the dark side's power and hatred.
Emperor Palpatine used Force lightning to punish Luke Skywalker for his refusal to join him, beginning with an agonizing but nonlethal quantity and working his way gradually upwards toward lethality. When Darth Vader turned on the Emperor, Palpatine used the lightning at a much higher intensity, yet Vader was still able to endure it long enough to hurl his master into the reactor pit.
Darth Tyranus used the technique to incapacitate Anakin Skywalker during the Battle of Geonosis. He also attempted the technique on Obi-Wan Kenobi, who was able to block with his lightsaber, and Master Yoda, who managed to reflect and dispel the energy with his bare hands.
Force lightning is not strictly available only to those powerful enough who have fallen to the dark side. Jedi and other lightsiders who are strong of will and character can learn this power without falling to the dark side–but its use is always inherently corrupting, and shunned by most Jedi. Force lightning is a purely offensive power, but it can be used in ways other than destroying your opponent. The New Jedi Order also uses Electric Judgment, but it remains very controversial among it's members.
Other Force-sensitives known to have used the power include Vialco, Shaardan, Atris, Quinlan Vos, Mara Jade Skywalker, Luke Skywalker, Jacen Solo, Jaina Solo, Mighella, and Plo Koon.
In his fight with Mace Windu, Darth Sidious used Force lightning against the Jedi, though Windu arced it back into Sidious's face with his lightsaber, permanently disfiguring the Sith Lord's face. It has been theorized that the disfigurement was not the direct effect of the lightning (which has never been seen to have such physical effect before), but merely removed the illusion Palpatine had been projecting.
Likewise, it is suggested that the lightning had no physical effect at all, but it was rather Palpatine's own malice that disfigured him. This theory states that Palpatine merely used the attack as a cover for his change. This holds some weight when the fact that Palpatine's eyes changed in the manner of Sith is also considered.
Appearances
- Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
- Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords
- Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones
- Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
- Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi
- Star Wars: Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II
- Star Wars: Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast
- Star Wars: Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy