The Force

The Force was an energy field created by all living things that bound everything in the universe together. Known by many names across the galaxy, it resided in all life and was especially powerful in individuals born with a high concentration of midi-chlorians, the microscopic lifeforms that communicated the will of the Force to their host. Those who could consciously sense the Force were deemed Force-sensitive and could learn to wield it, accessing a wide range of supernatural powers. It was the basis of religious orders that held differing views of its nature, chief among them the Jedi, who followed the light side, and the Sith, who coveted the power of the dark side. Their opposing philosophies fueled millennia of cyclical conflict. (A New Hope; The Phantom Menace; Return of the Jedi)

Nature and aspects#

The Force was the energy field that bound the galaxy together, beyond the power of any machine. It existed in two symbiotic forms. The Living Force represented the energies of all lifeforms, which in turn fed into the Cosmic Force, the wellspring that bound the galaxy together and communicated the will of the Force through the midi-chlorians. When a lifeform died, it became "one with the Force," joining the Cosmic Force, which then provided power back to the Living Force. (A New Hope; The Clone Wars, "Destiny"; The Clone Wars, "Voices")

Because the Force was created by life, it resided in all living things, though droids and other artificial constructs existed outside it and could never sense it. Force-sensitives could feel a "disturbance in the Force" whenever there was a great loss of life. The Jedi Knight Gella Nattai, asked why the Force was not simply magic, described it as existing everywhere and being everything, essential to the continual flow of life. (A New Hope; The Clone Wars, "The Disappeared, Part I"; The High Republic: Convergence)

Midi-chlorians and sensitivity#

The potential a being had to manipulate the Force was determined by the amount of midi-chlorians they possessed. These were microscopic, intelligent lifeforms that formed a symbiotic relationship with their host and resided within all living cells, communicating the will of the Force. The Jedi of the Republic Era tested potential members for their midi-chlorian levels. (The Phantom Menace)

Sensitivity was not uniform. Siblings born to ordinary parents might not share a talent for it, and a being's sensitivity could remain dormant during part of their childhood. Ahsoka Tano held that anyone, given enough time and focus, could learn to wield the Force, regarding natural talent as a head start but discipline as what truly mattered. Channeling a Force power took genuine effort and was harder for those who had suffered trauma or who were surrounded by negative emotions, a weakness once exploited by Marchion Ro to hinder an imprisoned Jedi Master. (Servants of the Empire: Rebel in the Ranks; The High Republic: Path of Vengeance; Ahsoka, "Part Three: Time to Fly"; The High Republic: Light of the Jedi; The High Republic: The Rising Storm)

Powers of the light and dark#

The Force granted a great range of supernatural powers to Force-sensitives such as the Jedi and the Sith. Some techniques, including telekinesis, telepathy, and the augmentation of one's own physical abilities, were practiced by users on either side. Other powers could only be drawn from one side. The Jedi harnessed the light side through a mental state of peace and calm and used gentle mind tricks to influence weak minds. The dark side offered abilities such as Force lightning, used to torture and kill, and the Force choke, by which a user could strangle a victim with a crushing gesture. Those who served the light and gained the necessary knowledge could become Force spirits, achieving a form of immortality by retaining their identity after becoming one with the Force. (A New Hope; The Empire Strikes Back; The Force Awakens; Revenge of the Sith; The Clone Wars, "Sacrifice")

Schism and the rise of the Sith#

Thousands of years before the Clone Wars, the unity of the Jedi Order was fractured by a rogue Jedi who came to believe the true power of the Force could be reached only through passion rather than calm. Banished from the Order, the rogue was followed into exile by a group of renegades, producing a schism that gave rise to the Hundred-Year Darkness and the Sith Order. As open hostility grew into war, the Sith and Jedi fought countless conflicts for control of the galaxy and to impose their own philosophies. The Sith sacrificed Jedi in ancient chambers on their homeworld of Moraband and fought catastrophic battles such as the one that left Malachor scorched with no survivors. Control of the kyber crystals, which had a strong connection to the Force, mattered to both sides. (Star Wars (2015) 9; The Clone Wars, "Sacrifice"; Rebels, "Twilight of the Apprentice"; The Clone Wars, "The Gathering"; Rogue One)

The age of light and the fall#

In the waning days of the Old Republic, the Sith had nearly destroyed themselves through infighting and the Jedi emerged victorious. A modern Galactic Republic rose from the ruins, with the Jedi as its guardians and advisers, beginning an age of peace that lasted a thousand years. Yet the Rule of Two ensured the survival of the Sith in hiding, plotting their revenge. In the closing days of the Clone Wars, Anakin Skywalker was seduced to the dark side through the machinations of Darth Sidious. After Skywalker was defeated and maimed by Obi-Wan Kenobi on Mustafar, Sidious recovered him and sealed him in a suit of life-support armor as Darth Vader. The Jedi Order was all but annihilated during the Imperial Era, hunted by Vader and the Inquisitorius, a group of dark-side agents operating under the Grand Inquisitor. (The Phantom Menace; The Clone Wars, "Sacrifice"; Revenge of the Sith; Rebels, "Rise of the Old Masters")

Balance restored#

In fulfilling his destiny, Anakin Skywalker turned on his master and died, becoming one with the Force; through his final actions the Sith were destroyed and balance was restored. Luke Skywalker then set out to rebuild the order that his father and the Emperor had decimated, training over a dozen students, among them his nephew Ben Solo, in whom he saw great raw strength. That strength was also noticed by Supreme Leader Snoke, ruler of the First Order and master of the Knights of Ren, and Ben Solo's turn would help spark the First Order-Resistance War. Throughout galactic history, many cultures perceived the Force in their own ways, from the Lasat who called it the Ashla and saw it as the spirit of the galaxy, to the Chiss who knew it as the Sight, to the witches of Dathomir who wielded it as Magick. However it was perceived, the Force remained present in all living things, everywhere. (Return of the Jedi; The Last Jedi; The Force Awakens; Rebels, "Legends of the Lasat"; Thrawn Ascendancy: Chaos Rising; Rebels, "Visions and Voices"; Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order)