The Force in George Lucas' Star Wars films is a (fictional) mystical power which is the object of the Jedi and Sith monastic orders.

Definition

The Force is described by Obi-Wan Kenobi as "an energy field created by all living things. It surrounds us, penetrates us, and binds the galaxy together." The Force is life, and life is the Force. It can only be harnessed by a minority of beings described as "Force-sensitive." These have 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." Force-adepts are able to tap into the Force to perform acts of great skill and agility.

Some think of the Force as an sentient entity that may be capable of intelligent thought—almost as if it were a sort of God—while others simply consider it a thing that can be manipulated. Anakin Skywalker was conceived by the messengers of life, the midi-chlorians, and other events have occurred which some say point towards an understanding of the Force as sentient. In this way, the Force is quite similar to Philip Pullman's "Dust."

Sources

Although fictional, the Force does contains many similarities to existing philosophical and religious principles. Many have related it to the concepts of Chi/Ki/Qi (China and Japan), Prana (India), Mana (Polynesia) and other similar traditions focused around the idea of a spiritual energy that exist within the universe. With Taoism, the primary focus for Star Wars originates in the idea of Yin and Yang – the two diametrically opposed forces of the universe. Everything from good and evil (as metaphysical concepts) to hot and cold temperatures are considered as being part of this, and it is from here we see the most prominent comparison to the Light and Dark sides of the Force in Star Wars.

The sides of the Force

Orthodox Jedi philosophy

The Jedi and others refer to two sides of the Force, a dark side and a light side. This echoes the concept of Yin Yang in Eastern philosophy, but is not a straight translation, as the emotional dark side is denoted as a force of evil by the Jedi. The dark side is not made up of specific "parts" or "abilities" of the Force: the dark and light sides of the Force exist inside of the life form which uses it, made from their emotions. George Lucas compared the light and dark sides to the processes of symbiosis and cancer. A follower of the light side tries to live in harmony with those around him. Mutual trust, respect, and the ability to form alliances give the Jedi their distinct advantage over the Sith. In contrast, a follower of the dark side is only out for themselves. To strike down a living creature with the Force out of anger, fear or other emotion is of the dark side. To refrain and clear one's self of these emotions is of the light side. Use of the dark side of the Force is distinctly frowned upon within the Jedi order, and is strictly considered the domain of the Sith. The Force plays a major part in the Jedi use of a lightsaber in that their heightened awareness keeps them from accidentally injuring themselves while in combat using the weapon. Similarly the Force allows a Jedi to use his/her lightsaber to deflect incoming blaster bolts. The Force also comes into play during the construction of a lightsaber, either in assembling its intricate innards, or the initial charging of the power cell.

Jedi are keen to keep the Force in balance. They attempt to achieve this by destroying the Sith and denying the dark side, as the dark side is corruption. This involves the purging of negative emotions such as aggression, anger, and hatred, since they can easily bring on acceptance of the dark side. In contrast, positive emotions such as love, compassion, and courage nurture the light side of the Force. The Jedi Code compares such feelings and provides insight into the ethical use of the Force.

Sith philosophy

The dark side of the Force is innately tied to the distinctly negative ethical paradigm of the Sith. It is largely based on emotions and passion rather than peace and serenity which are preached by the light side of the force. The dark side of the Force comes from the hate, vengeance, and malice in all living things. In the Star Wars movies, the practitioners of the dark side are Darth Sidious and his successive apprentices Darth Maul, Darth Tyranus, and Darth Vader.

The Jedi believe that emotions such as fear, uncertainty, doubt, anger, suffering, and attachment are "inevitably" self-destructive, and lead to the dark side. The Sith philosophy, on the other hand, is to use such emotions to fuel one's own will to power, ego, and selfishness. The inevitably destructive havoc caused by the actions of a dark side practitioner are conveniently forgotten or excused as serving a greater purpose under this philosophy.

The negative emotions increase the strength and abilities of a dark side practitioner. As a result, the dark side of the Force is extremely addictive: every time one calls on its power, one becomes more and more attached to it. Darth Vader desired to use this to his advantage during his time trying to turn his son, Luke Skywalker, to the dark side. If he could convince the young Jedi hopeful to call on the dark side enough times, the boy would find it more difficult to resist in the future. The dark side is not only mentally corruptive, but also physically corruptive: over time, the raw power wastes away the body of a dark side adept (see Palpatine).

The Sith also believe that instead of living along side the Force, one must master it and use it as a tool.

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 naturally plot against one other, and one will eventually kill the other. Every time a dark side force has risen in the Star Wars galaxy, it has collapsed from within due to its own unstable nature. The Empire is no exception.

The Sith Lord Darth Bane considered the Force to be finite, and thus best restricted (ideally) to the use of a single 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 apprentice. This tradition, or "rule of two," is still in practice with the current 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, holds that the Force, and the galaxy in general, were given a master plan which was inherently good, and that there was no evil side to the Force. 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 (Darth Sidious) says that there is only one Force: the only difference worthy of note is that the Sith see the Force as a means to an end; the Jedi see it as an end in itself.

This is echoed by what Vergere teaches Jacen Solo in the New Jedi Order, (part of the Expanded Universe of Star Wars). She tells him that there is no light side nor dark side of the Force – only the Unifying Force.

Organized Force Traditions

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

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

The abilities of a Jedi

See also: Force Powers

Manifestations of Force-skills include telepathy, psychokinesis, 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 enabled Luke Skywalker to launch a proton torpedo into an extremely difficult target on the Death Star in the Battle of Yavin. Through this ability one can cease to react to his or her surroundings and predict the future, such as the next blow in a duel. As a consequence of these skills, the Force has occasionally been associated with the real-life concepts of Taoism and parapsychology.

In addition to the above powers, Jedi are also capable of attacks through the Force by producing "Force lightning" from their hands. Use of this ability murderously is of the Sith cult. As a contrast, adherence to the light Side allows its user to transcend death and become a "Force ghost," allowing the deceased to exist as an energy being who can interact with other Force sensitive individuals. According to Kenobi, in Timothy Zahn's Heir to the Empire book, this can only continue for a while before the Jedi must "move on" to a spirit realm. The Jedi were unaware of the possibility of speaking from beyond until a time during the Clone Wars. This is to be built upon by future installments of the Star Wars universe.

Some Jedi and Sith have learned the skill of transferring one's spirit to another body. Palpatine used this in order to preserve himself with his failing body, and later, Callista transferred herself to the body of a dying friend so that she could stay alive. Unfortunately, in the process of doing this, she lost her ability to touch the Force.

Disturbances in the Force

When Alderaan was destroyed in A New Hope, Obi-Wan Kenobi sensed "a great disturbance in the Force, as if millions of voices cried out in terror and were suddenly silenced..." The Force exists in all life, and when great amounts of life pass away, a disturbance is created, running through the Force like a scream which only a Force adept can hear.

Sometimes, other things are defined as disturbances. Life creates small disturbances, and Force adepts even more so. Dark-side users create strong, evil-feeling disturbances.

The phrase "I have a bad feeling about this" is repeated a great deal, even by non-Force-adept characters, which may point to a universal connection with the Force. However, this is usually a tension-relief or comic-relief moment; few times is this said before some dramatically bad event.

Disturbances in the Force also come from people with a high Midi-Chlorian count. Qui-Gon Jinn felt a disturbance in the Force when approaching Tatooine in The Phantom Menace, where Anakin Skywalker was.

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.

The expression has found its way into popular culture as a result of the popularity of the films.

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 would work alongside the power of the Force.

Beyond these also exist the two primary modern representations of this belief in real life. The first is Jediism, the Force-based religion, which sees the 'Force' (universal energy, subtle energy, chi, etc.) as a higher power which serves as the basis for a form of worship, whereby it acts almost as a form of God and guides those adhereing to its tenets towards particular actions. This metaphysical form is a twist on generic New Age pantheistic systems. The second is the ideological or moralistic form (by far the most prominent of the two, but later in origin) known as Jedi Realism, which uses a belief in life energy as a platform for various beliefs – the main being that life in itself should be protected and that all individuals are part of a Universal Energy (i.e. the Force) and therefore affect others by their actions. Thereby both systems seek to benefit life through intervention in dispute, ethical conduct and the pursuit of a more peaceful sense of self and community through the use of techniques such as meditation, mindfulness and various forms of energy work.

The Living Force

The Living Force is in most living beings. 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 allow Jedi Masters to retain their identity when they become one with the Force. The only known beings without the Living Force are the Yuuzhan Vong. They exist without the force and it cannot be used on them. It can be manipulated around them. The Yuuzhan Vong once existed with it but were stripped of the force by a planet like Zonoma Sekot, which was their homeworld. It is unknown exactly what happened to the planet. It stripped their force after the Yuuzhan Vong waged war on others, annihilating them.

References

• The Tao of Star Wars, John M. Porter, Humanics Trade Group, 2003, ISBN 0893343854.