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This Star Wars-related article or section describes an aspect of Star Wars in a primarily in-universe style. Please rewrite this article to explain the fiction more clearly and provide non-fictional perspective. |
In the fictional Star Wars universe, created by George Lucas, the Force is a binding, magical and ubiquitous power that is the object of the Jedi and Sith monastic orders.
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Depiction
Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi (Alec Guinness) in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope describes the Force as "an energy field, created by all living things, that surrounds us, penetrates us, and binds the galaxy together." Qui-Gon Jinn (Liam Neeson) uses the term "Living Force" in Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace. It can only be harnessed by a minority of beings described as "Force-sensitive". Force sensitivity has been defined as either having a high count of microorganisms called midi-chlorians — the more midi-chlorians, the greater the person's Force ability — or having a strong Force "aura". The Living Force, thought to be in most living beings, is what "makes you sensitive to other living things, makes you intuitive, and allows you to read other people's minds, et cetera".[1] Jedi can sense Living Force in life-forms; sick or dying organisms have little Living Force, while healthy ones usually have the quantity of their midi-chlorian count. The connection to the Living Force apparently also allows Jedi Masters to retain their identity when they become one with the Force. The Unifying Force is the other side of the Living Force; it is the "greater, cosmic Force" that "has to do with destiny".[1] The Old Order, including those in the Jedi Council, was more focused on the larger view of the future universe and fulfilling destiny rather than the compassion to other living beings. For example, the Jedi Council would not allow young Anakin Skywalker (Jake Lloyd) to train because he posed a threat to the future.
Light side
The term "Light side" is never used in any of the Star Wars films, although the term "the good side" is used by Luke Skywalker in Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi. The Jedi order is associated with the restrained use of the Force, for knowledge and defense, and this can be viewed as the morally superior alternative to the unrestrained usage of the force for power and domination that is characterized by the Dark Side. Jedi Master Mace Windu states that "Jedi do not fight for peace; that is a slogan and is misleading as slogans naturally are. Jedi fight for civilization, as civilization creates peace."[2] This respectful and restrained interaction with the Force is also associated with the phrase "May the Force be with you", which is used by some characters throughout the series as a farewell that wishes good luck and embodies the spirit of the all-pervading Force.
Dark side
- See also: Dark side (Star Wars)
The Sith are associated with the dark side; in the Star Wars movies, the Sith are Darth Sidious (Ian McDiarmid) and his successive apprentices Darth Maul (Ray Park), Darth Tyranus (Christopher Lee), and Darth Vader (Hayden Christensen and David Prowse).
The Sith believe that instead of living alongside the Force, one must master it and use it as a tool: "'They [the Jedi] allowed the Force to direct them; Dooku [a Sith] directed the Force'".[3] Overall, dark side relationships and organizations are inherently unstable. For instance, the pupil-master relationship of the Jedi is perverted under the Sith, as both the apprentice and the master plot against one other, and one will eventually kill the other. When Emperor Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid) and Vader discovered that Luke Skywalker is Vader's son, both want to turn Luke to the dark side: Vader wants his son to help him kill Palpatine and rule the galaxy together, but Palpatine wants Luke to take Vader's place as his apprentice. Darth Sidious tells Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christiansen) in Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith that one must study the entire Force, including the dark side, in order to truly understand it. In the Expanded Universe, Sidious states that there is only one Force, and that the Sith see the Force as a means to an end while the Jedi see it as an end in itself.
Force abilities
Manifestations of the Force, which are mentally-based abilities and tapped through the practitioner's willpower, include telepathy, psychokinesis, prescience, enhanced physical and metaphysical perception as well as the abilities to bend the will of the weak-minded and improve one's own physical ability. The Force can also be used to allow an adept's body to be guided by the Force itself: such action enable Luke Skywalker to launch proton torpedoes into an extremely difficult target on the Death Star in A New Hope. Force-users are also capable of attacks through the Force by producing "Force lightning" from their hands, which inflicts terrible pain on its victims and can be lethal. Because of the philosophical beliefs of the Jedi, they rarely use this ability, so much that it's virtually exclusive to the Sith and other powerful dark Force-users. Adherence to the light side allows its user to transcend death and become "One with the Force", allowing the deceased to exist as an energy being who can interact with other Force sensitive individuals. According to Kenobi, this can only continue for a while before the Jedi must "move on" to a spirit realm[4]. The Jedi were unaware of the possibility of speaking from beyond until a time during the Clone Wars, when Qui-Gon Jinn revealed to Yoda what must be done to accomplish this, though Qui-Gon-Jinn described this state as "eternal"; Yoda passes this teaching on to Kenobi.[3] However, Darth Sidious claims in Revenge of the Sith that the Sith Darth Plagueis discovered a method to use the dark side to prevent death in the first place.
Force ghosts
In Return of the Jedi, Luke Skywalker sees spirits of the dead Obi-Wan Kenobi, Yoda, and a redeemed Anakin Skywalker. In Revenge of the Sith, Yoda reveals that he learned from the spirit of Qui-Gon Jinn how to retain one's identity within the Force after death and thus influence the living. Qui-Gon had learned this technique from a Shaman of the Ancient Order of the Whills, although it is believed that Exar Kun is the first person to attain this ability. Ajunta Pall, an ancient Sith Lord, may also be encountered by the player in Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic as a Sith ghost.
Disturbances in the Force
When Alderaan is destroyed in A New Hope, Kenobi senses "a great disturbance in the Force, as if millions of voices cried out in terror and were suddenly silenced". Darth Sidious tells Vader that he has felt a disturbance in the Force upon realizing that Luke Skywalker poses a threat to him. Qui-Gon Jinn felt a "vergence" in the Force when encountering Anakin Skywalker in The Phantom Menace. In Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones, Yoda feels a disturbance in the Force when Anakin, enraged by his mother's death, destroys a village of Sand People. Likewise, Yoda senses a disturbance in the Force when Anakin becomes a Sith and when Jedi are killed as a result of Order 66 in Revenge of the Sith. Sometimes, other things are defined as disturbances: life creates small disturbances, and Force adepts and people with a high midi-chlorians count even more so. Dark side practitioners create strong, evil-feeling disturbances.
Cultural impact
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The expression "May the Force be with you" has achieved cult status and is symbolic of the Star Wars legacy. The quote appears at #8 on the AFI's 100 Years... 100 Movie Quotes list, compiled by the American Film Institute in 2005 to showcase the all-time best lines in American cinema history. The player's ability to use the Force is a feature in several LucasArts titles, ranging from real-time strategy games like Empire at War to first-person shooters such as Jedi Knight. LucasArts, Del Rey, Hasbro, Lego, and Dark Horse Comics currently are developing the multimedia project, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed.
References
- ^ a b The Making of Episode I
- ^ Stover, Matthew (2004-05-06). Shatterpoint. ISBN 0099410486.
- ^ a b Stover, Matthew (2005-04-02). Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. ISBN 0-345-42883-8.
- ^ Zahn, Timothy. Heir to the Empire, The Thrawn Trilogy.
- Star Wars Roleplaying Game: Revised Core Rulebook, hardcover, 2002. Bill Slavicsek, Andy Collins, J.D. Wiker, ISBN 0-7869-2876-X
- Star Wars Roleplaying Game: Power of the Jedi Sourcebook, hardcover, 2002. Michael Mikaelian, Jeff Grubb, Owen K.C. Stephens, James Maliszewski, ISBN 0-7869-2781-X
- The Dark Side sourcebook, Wizards of the Coast, 1st printing, 2001. Bill Slavicsek, J. D. Wiker, ISBN 0-7869-1849-7
- The Tao of Star Wars, John M. Porter, Humanics Trade Group, 2003, ISBN 0-89334-385-4.
- The Dharma of Star Wars, Matthew Bortolin, Wisdom Publications, 2005, ISBN 0-86171-497-0.
- The Making of Episode I: The Phantom Menace, Laurent Bouzereau, Jody Duncan, ISBN 0-345-43111-1
- Galaxy Guide 4: Alien Races (Revised and Expanded), Troy Denning, West End Games, 1994, ISBN 0-87431-208-6
- Empire Building: The Remarkable, Real-Life Story of Star Wars, Garry Jenkins, Citadel Press; Revised & Updated Edition, 1999, ISBN 0-8065-2087-6
See also
External links
- The Force on Wookieepedia, a Star Wars wiki
- Force ghost on Wookieepedia, a Star Wars wiki
- Philosophy and the Force
