The Force

From the Encyclopedia of Speculative Fiction - http://encyclopedia.wizards.pro

"The Force is what gives a Jedi his power. It's an energy field created by all living things. It surrounds us, it penetrates us, it binds the Galaxy together."

– Obi-Wan Kenobi (Image:Gnome-speakernotes.pngHear this quote)

The Force was a mystical power which was the object of the Jedi and Sith monastic orders.

Contents 1 Definition of the Force 2 Sides of the Force 2.1 The light side: Orthodox Jedi philosophy 2.2 The dark side: Sith philosophy 2.3 Potentium and unitary views of the Force 2.4 The Living Force 3 Philosophical view 3.1 The Greater and Lesser Force 3.2 Destiny and the Force 3.3 The dark and light side 4 Force Abilities 5 Disturbances in the Force 6 Organized Force Traditions 7 Behind the Scenes 7.1 May the Force be with you … 8 Trivia 9 References

Definition of the Force

The Force was divided into four aspects: The light side (often referred to as "the Force"), the dark side, the Unifying Force, and the Living Force. The first two aspects were concerned with the moral compass of the Force in its various manifestations. The light side of the Force was the facet aligned with good, benevolence, and healing, while the dark side of the Force was the element aligned with fear, hatred, aggression, and malevolence. The latter two aspects were defined by prominent Jedi philosophies. The Unifying Force essentially embraced space and time in its entirety. The Living Force dealt with the energy of living things. To some Jedi, "The Force was life, and life was the Force." Though the force was categorized in this way, there were no specific abilities or powers that were only usable by a follower of a different path of the Force; the Force partially existed inside the life form that used it, and drew energy from their emotions.

Some beings, especially the Sith, believed that the dark side of the Force was more powerful than the light, though it was possible that the dark side was just more tempting to those who used it (or desired to use it). Others thought of the Force as an entity capable of intelligent thought, almost as a sort of god. Anakin Skywalker, who was believed to have been conceived by the Force itself, gave credit towards the view of the Force as sentient entity.

Though the Force was thought to flow through every living thing, it could only be harnessed by a minority of beings described as "Force-sensitive". This Force-sensitivity was attributed to a high count of internal micro-organisms called midi-chlorians that were found in a Force-sensitive's blood: the higher the count, the greater the being's potential Force ability. Force-sensitive beings were able to tap into the Force to perform acts of great skill and agility as well as control and shape the world around them. Sometimes this ability was described as having a strong Force "aura", and it is quite probable that the two traits were connected.

Sides of the Force

The light side: Orthodox Jedi philosophy

"A Jedi uses the Force for knowledge and defense. Never for attack."-Yoda

The light side of the Force was concerned with the ideals of goodness, benevolence, and healing. A follower of the light side strove to live in harmony with the world around them, acting out of wisdom and logic rather than anger and hasty judgment. In order to achieve harmony with the light side of the Force, its practitioners would often meditate to clear themselves of emotion; particularly negative emotions such as aggression, anger, and hatred, since these were thought to bring on acceptance of the dark side. Some believed that positive emotions such as love, compassion, and courage nurtured the light side of the Force and provided insight into its ethical use.

The largest group of proponents and teachers of the light side were the Jedi Order, who strove to maintain peace and justice throughout the galaxy. The Jedi were well aware of the dangers of the dark side of the force and frowned upon its use, as it represented corruption and a disregard for the natural order of the universe. The dark side was considered the domain of the Sith, whom the Jedi attempted to destroy in order to keep the Force in balance. The Jedi embodied their feelings about the Force in their Jedi Code.

The Force played a major part in the Jedi use of a lightsaber, giving them a heightened awareness that kept them from accidentally injuring themselves in combat and allowing them to perform other feats, such as using a lightsaber to deflect incoming fire (as from a blaster bolt). The Force came into play during the construction of a Jedi's lightsaber as well, for both assembling its intricate innards and the initial charging of the power cell.

The dark side: Sith philosophy

"The Dark Side of the Force is the pathway to many abilities some consider to be unnatural." - Palpatine

The dark side of the Force was the element aligned with fear, hatred, aggression, and malice towards all living things. A practitioner of the dark side of the Force sought to increase their own personal power and destroy or rule those who opposed them. Followers of the dark side usually acted only for themselves. The negative emotions of the dark side increased the strength and abilities of a user, and as a result use of the dark side of the Force was extremely addictive. Every time a follower of the dark side called on its power they became more and more attached to the corruption it brought.

The dark side of the Force was innately tied to the negative ethical view of the Sith. While the Jedi believed that emotions such as fear, uncertainty, doubt, anger, and attachment were "inevitably" self destructive and lead to the dark side, the Sith philosophy was to use such emotions to fuel their willpower, ego, and selfishness. Sith philosophy saw no need to rationalize or apologize for the destruction and conflict to which it lead; they believed that using the dark side gave them enough power to take that which was rightfully theirs. Striking down a living creature with the Force out of anger or fear was both a tool of and a path to the dark side.

The path of the dark side was both mentally and physically corruptive: just as use of the dark side of the Force lead to further use over time, the raw power caused the body of a dark side adept to waste away. This happened to Senator Palpatine. Many dark side relationships and organizations were also inherently unstable. The pupil-master relationship of the Jedi, for instance, was perverted under the Sith, as both the apprentice and the master began to plot against one other. Most apprenticeships ended when one side killed the other, and every time a dark side force rose in the Galaxy it eventually collapsed from within due to its own unstable nature. The Empire was no exception: if there were no enemies (mainly Jedi) for Sith Lords or Dark Jedi to face, the practitioners of the dark side often consumed themselves. Palpatine, for example killed his master, Darth Plagueis, in his sleep. Darth Vader also used the addictive and corruptive nature of the dark side to his advantage when he tried to turn his son, Luke Skywalker. Vader thought that if he could convince the young Jedi hopeful to call on the dark side often enough the boy would find it more difficult to resist in the future.

Other practitioners of the dark side included Darth Sidious and his successive apprentices Darth Maul, Darth Tyranus, and Darth Vader.

The Sith Lord Darth Bane considered the Force to be finite, and thus ideally restricted to the use of the Sith Lord. He eliminated the practice of having vast numbers of Sith at the same time and concentrated the dark side of the Force into two individuals: a Sith Master and on apprentice. This tradition, or "rule of two," was still in practice with the Sith Order, which underwent a small reformation by Dark Lady Lumiya after the deaths of Darth Vader and Emperor Palpatine at Endor.

Potentium and unitary views of the Force

The Potentium view of the Force, considered heresy by Old Republic Jedi, held that the Force and the galaxy in general were given a master plan which was inherently good, and that there was no dark or light side to the Force. Padawan Jolee Bindo saw 'everything gray' and left the Order, refusing to become a Jedi and allowed emotion to guide his actions. This view gained greater acceptance under the New Republic, mostly due to the influence of Vergere, a surviving Jedi from the days of Old Republic.

Emperor Palpatine (aka Darth Sidious) claimed that there was only one Force: the only difference worthy of note was that the Sith saw the Force as a means to an end while the Jedi saw it as an end in itself. This view was echoed by what Vergere taught Jacen Solo; she told him that there was no light side or dark side of the Force—only the Unifying Force. Vergere also told Solo that "the Force was everything, and everything was the Force"; that the Force did not have sides and never took sides. Later, it was revealed that the living planet Zonama Sekot supported the Potentium theory of the Force.

Many Jedi were thought to be proponents of the Unified Force, wherein they focused on the past, present, and future as a whole, ignoring primary use of the Living Force. Visions of the future were of particular significance in the conservative Jedi mindset.

The Living Force

The Living Force was thought to be present in most living beings. The Jedi had the ability to sense the Living Force inside of life forms. Sick or dying organisms had little Living Force, while healthy ones possessed a level corresponding to their midi-chlorian count. The connection to the Living Force apparently also allowed Jedi Masters to retain their identity when they became one with the Force.

The only species known to exist without the Living Force were the extragalactic Yuuzhan Vong—the Force had no effect on them. As the Yuuzhan Vong could still use the Force to manipulate their surroundings, it was thought that they once existed alongside of the Force but were stripped of it by the Yuuzhan'tar, a living planet which was the parent of Zonama Sekot. After the Yuuzhan Vong were attacked by a technologically advanced species they used biotechnology to conquer and enslave other civilizations. This caused Yuuzhan'tar to strip them of the Force in anger. Yuuzhan'tar was later destroyed by the Yuuzhan Vong, and as a result the Yuuzhan Vong deny the existence of the Force, worshipping a pantheon of gods in its stead.

Proponents of the Living Force view espoused a philosophy of "living for the moment" and relied heavily on their instincts. Had the Jedi Order adopted this viewpoint, it might have allowed them to stave off the conflict that gave rise to the Galactic Empire, as many its members lost themselves in looking forward rather than analyzing the events unfolding before them.

Philosophical view

The Force was thought to be the pure energy of awareness and consciousness itself. It linked all sentient and non-sentient things, all space, and all time. Thus, if you were aware of your contact with the Force, you were potentially aware of all things, places, persons and even all times: past, present and future.

The Force touched everything. The Jedi believed that if they were in touch with the Force they were in touch with the world around them - it was through the Force that a Jedi could move objects without physically pushing them. The Force was thought to reside in a person's heart, and the Jedi taught that knowing the Force would allow them to know the feelings hidden inside someone else. A Jedi could also use the Force to peer into the myriad possibilities of the future, for the Force permeated through the very fabric of time itself.

The galaxy, the universe, and everything else existed within the Force, which supposedly originated from an ultimate and para-cosmic Will.

The Greater and Lesser Force

The Force existed in the universe by assuming two aspects: The Greater "Cosmic" Force, which was an expression of the Ultimate Will, and the Lesser "Living" Force; an intrinsically distinct emanation from the Greater Force, which constituted the individual wills of creatures.

The Greater and the Lesser Force were inherently linked, and were capable of interacting with and affecting one another. Their interaction left a "footprint" trace in the form of mysterious living particles in the blood known as midi-chlorians. These midi-chlorian traces also served to facilitate and enhance further communication between the Greater and Lesser Force.

In ancient times many people believed that midi-chlorians were not distinct entities, but rays of the Greater Force itself. This view was held by many Jedi.

It was thought that there were an infinite number of Living Forces, each with a unique and intrinsic identity, emotional temper, cognitive bent, and will. Each individual Living Force could interface with or influence any other individual Living Force, whether sentient or not, through a "bridge" established in the Cosmic Force. This meant that a Jedi could understand and influence the people and objects around him or her in ways that often appeared to be mystical.

Destiny and the Force

The Cosmic Force was believed to witness the thoughts and feelings of the Living Forces, and to give them the ability to act of their own free will. The thoughts and actions of the Living Force were able to shape its destiny, which the Cosmic Force recorded and administered.

One could choose to embrace his own destiny or to defy it: a Jedi's sensitivity and courage allowed him to understand his own destiny and embrace it as the will of the Greater Force. Thus, the Jedi could open a channel linking the Lesser and Greater forces together more strongly. The power of the Greater Force could then flow into the Jedi, who was able to work with amazing power in the world around him.

The dark and light side

The Lesser Force was divided into two aspects: positive and negative, widely known as "the light side of the Force" and "the dark side of the Force." These sides are further described in Sides of the Force, above.

Force Abilities

See also: Force Powers for a detailed description of many Force abilities

Manifestations of Force-skills could take many forms, and included telepathy, psychokinesis, and enhanced physical and metaphysical perception. The Force could be used to bend the will of weak-minded beings and guide an adept's body. Users who were very good at using the Force could cease merely reacting to their surroundings and actually predict events in the very near future, such as the next blow in a duel. Guidance like this enabled Luke Skywalker to launch a proton torpedo into an extremely difficult target on the Death Star in the Battle of Yavin.

In addition to enhancing their own skill, Force users were capable of channeling the energy of The Force directly into the world around them. The Sith were infamous for making heavy use of this ability to conjure Force-lightning, or Force-choke enemies by constricting their windpipe. The Jedi preferred to use their abilities to heal and protect; closing wounds and shielding others with barriers of Force energy. Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn discovered that Jedi could achieve near-immortality through the Force by existing as a Force ghost after death.¹

Some Force users even learned how to transfer their spirit into another body. Senator Palpatine used this technique in order to prolong his life, and later Callista transferred herself to the body of a dying friend so that she could stay alive. Callista, unfortunately, lost her ability to touch the Force in the process of transference.

Disturbances in the Force

The Force existed in all life, and when great amounts of life passed away a disturbance was created, running through the Force like a scream that Force-adepts could hear. This was how a "hole" in the force was created at the battle of Malachor V during the Mandalorian Wars when the Mass Shadow Generator was unleashed. This happened again when Alderaan was destroyed; Obi-Wan Kenobi sensed "a great disturbance in the Force, as if millions of souls cried out in terror and were suddenly silenced.…". It was suggested that Yoda could not defeat Darth Sidious in battle, being overpowered by the disturbance caused by the many simultaneous Jedi deaths.

Other things were also defined as disturbances: life forms themselves created small disturbances in the Force, and Force-adepts even larger ones. Dark side users created strong, evil disturbances that could be felt by any Force-sensitives nearby.

Organized Force Traditions

The Jedi and Sith Orders taught the Force as described above, but there were other traditions which instructed different philosophies and uses of the Force, or use of powers similar to the Force.

• The Aiki Monks
• The Aing-Tii Monks
• The Baran Do
• The Believers of Cularin
• The Bendu Monks
• The Dark Jedi
• The Disciples of Ragnos
• The Ee Worms
• The Emperor's Hands
• The Ewok shamans
• The Fallannassi
• The Followers of Palawa
• The Gand Findsmen
• The Gesaril
• The Golden Sun
• The Guardians of Breath
• The Heresiarchs
• The Infinite Empire of the Rakata
• The Inquisitorius
• The Jal Shey
• The Jarvashqiine shamans
• The Jedi Order
• The Jensaarai
• The Kilian Rangers
• The Krath
• The Matukai
• The Nightsisters of Dathomir
• The Order of Shasa
• The Peranus Order
• The Potentium heretics
• The Prophets of the Dark Side
• The Scitrok Warriors
• The Seyugi Dervishes
• The Sith Order
• The Sorcerers of Tund
• The Ta-Ree
• The Theran Listeners
• The Tyia
• The Witches of Dathomir
• The Wyrd
• The Ysanna
• The Zeison Sha

Behind the Scenes

May the Force be with you …

The Force is associated with a phrase used by some characters in (and fans of) the films: "May the Force be with you," meaning something like "Good luck", although usually only Jedi and other believers in the Force use the expression. Han Solo, who expresses his doubt about the Force in A New Hope, eventually uses this expression to wish Luke good luck. George Lucas used the Christian phrase "May the Lord be with you and with your spirit," as the model for it.

In Old Corellian, the phrase was said as Mahn uhl Fharth bey ihn valle.

The expression has found its way into popular culture as a result of the popularity of the films. Recently it got the 8th position in the TOPS AFI'S LIST OF 100 GREATEST MOVIE QUOTES OF ALL TIME list (the #1 being 'Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn'.)

Some might believe that, as the Force exists between all living things in any case, the phrase reflects a misunderstanding of its nature. In fact, the phrase implies a wish that the power of the Force is working alongside you, in order that your goals are more effectively accomplished. Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi always used a different form that expressed a reminder rather than a wish: "The Force will be with you, always," stating that his apprentice would succeed, as he working alongside the power of the Force.

Trivia

The principles of the Force resonate with those of some real world religions, including the Shinto religion of Japan and certain Celtic druidic concepts. The Force also bears a close similarity to the Chinese notion of qigong, or "chi", and the splitting of the Force into light side and dark side components echoes the concept of "Yin Yang" in Eastern philosophy (though is not a straight translation, as the emotional dark side is denoted as a force of evil by the Jedi).

In truth, the Force is an amalgamation of many religions and philosophies, and is intended as a metaphor for spirituality itself. As in real world spirituality, there is the potential for a "light" and a "dark" side in each person as well as the universe at large.

George Lucas has compared the light and dark sides of the Force to the processes of symbiosis and cancer. For more comparisons of the Force with other religions see here.

References

• The Tao of Star Wars, John M. Porter, Humanics Trade Group, 2003, ISBN 0893343854.
• The Dharma of Star Wars, Matthew Bortolin, Wisdom Publications, 2005, ISBN 0861714970.