The Force is ametaphysical, mysterious, andubiquitous power in theStar Warsfictional universe. Characters refer to the Force as an energy that interconnects all things in the universe, maintaining cosmic balance. Particularly "Force-sensitive" characters, usually through rigorousself-discipline, training, andmindfulness, are able to connect to the Force and thus access and wield certainsuperpowers.
Heroes like theJedi, a peacekeeping group of warrior-monks, largely seek to "become one with the Force", matching their personal wills with the will of the Force. This is evidenced by their ability to channel its powers, which they do towards selfless goals. Meanwhile, theSith and other villains try to bend the additional abilities gained through the Force toward their own selfish and destructive desires. Throughout the franchise, this distinction is referred as the light side versus the dark side of the Force. Characters' actions are often described as either helping to bring balance to the Force or, its opposite, causing a disturbance in the Force.
The Force and theJedi religion have been compared to aspects of several real-world religions, such asBuddhism andTaoism. The Jedicatchphrase andvalediction "May the Force be with you" has become part ofpop culturevernacular.
George Lucas created the concept of the Force to address character and plot developments inStar Wars (1977).[1] He also wanted to "awaken a certain kind of spirituality" in young audiences, suggesting a belief in God without endorsing any specific religion.[2] He developed the Force as a nondenominational religious concept, "distill[ed from] the essence of all religions", premised on the existence of God and distinct ideas ofgood and evil.[1] Lucas said there is a conscious choice between good and bad, and "the world works better if you're on the good side".[3] In 1970sSan Francisco, where Lucas lived when he wrote the drafts that becameStar Wars,New Age ideas that incorporated the concept ofqi and other notions of a mystical life-force were "in the air" and widely embraced.[4]
Lucas used the termthe Force to "echo" its use by Canadian cinematographerRoman Kroitor inArthur Lipsett's21-87 (1963), aNational Film Board production, in which Kroitor says, "Many people feel that in the contemplation of nature and in communication with other living things, they become aware of some kind of force, or something, behind this apparent mask which we see in front of us, and they call it God".[2] Although Lucas had Kroitor's line in mind specifically, Lucas said the underlying sentiment is universal and that "similar phrases have been used extensively by many different people for the last 13,000 years".[5]
The first draft ofStar Wars makes two references to "the Force of Others" and does not explain the concept: King Kayos utters the blessing "May the Force of Others be with you all", and he later says "I feel the Force also".[6] The power of the Force of Others is kept secret by the Jedi Bendu of the Ashla, an "aristocratic cult" in the second draft.[7][8] The second draft offers a lengthy explanation of the Force of Others and introduces its Ashla light side and Bogan dark side.[8] The Ashla and Bogan are mentioned 10 and 31 times, respectively, and the Force of Others plays a more prominent role in the story.[9] In this draft, Luke Starkiller's mission is to retrieve theKyber Crystal, which can intensify either the Ashla or Bogan powers.[7] The film's shorter third draft has no references to the Ashla, but it mentions the Bogan eight times and Luke is still driven to recover the Kyber Crystal.[10][11]
Lucas finished the fourth and near-final draft on January 1, 1976.[12] This version trims "the Force of Others" to "the Force", makes a single reference to the Force's seductive "dark side", distills an explanation of the Force to 28 words, and eliminates the Kyber Crystal.[13] ProducerGary Kurtz, who studiedcomparative religion in college, had long discussions with Lucas about religion and philosophy throughout the writing process.[14] Kurtz told Lucas he was unhappy with drafts in which the Force was connected with the Kyber Crystal, and he was also dissatisfied with the early Ashla and Bogan concepts.[14]
"The act of living generates a force field, an energy. That energy surrounds us; when we die, that energy joins with all the other energy. There is a giant mass of energy in the universe that has a good side and a bad side. We are part of the Force because we generate the power that makes the Force live. When we die, we become part of that Force, so we never really die; we continue as part of the Force."
Lucas and screenwriterLeigh Brackett decided that the Force and theEmperor would be the main concerns inThe Empire Strikes Back (1980).[16] The focus on the Emperor was later shifted toReturn of the Jedi (1983),[16] and the dark side of the Force was treated asThe Empire Strikes Back's main villain.[17]
The Phantom Menace (1999) introducesmidi-chlorians (ormidichlorians), microscopic creatures that connect characters to the Force. Lucas later requested a passage about midi-chlorians be retroactively added to notes written in August 1977 expanding on the nature of the Force.[18][19] Lucas based the concept onsymbiogenesis,[20] calling midi-chlorians a "loose depiction" ofmitochondria.[21] He further said:
[Mitochondria] probably had something ... to do with the beginnings of life and how one cell decided to become two cells with a little help from this other little creature who came in, without whom life couldn't exist. And it's really a way of saying we have hundreds of little creatures who live on us, and without them, we all would die. There wouldn't be any life. They are necessary for us; we are necessary for them. Using them in the metaphor, saying society is the same way, says we all must get along with each other.[21]
In a rough draft ofRevenge of the Sith (2005), Palpatine says he "used the power of the Force to will the midichlorians to start the cell divisions that created" Anakin Skywalker.[22] This line was removed as the script progressed.
Lucas' story treatments for a potential sequel trilogy involved "a microbiotic world" and creatures known as the Whills, beings that "control the universe" and "feed off the Force." He elaborated that individuals function as "vehicles for the Whills to travel around in", and that midi-chlorians "communicate with the Whills [who] in a general sense ... are the Force."[23] After sellingLucasfilm toDisney in 2012, Lucas said his biggest concern about the franchise's future was the Force being "muddled into a bunch ofgobbledegook".[24]
When writingThe Force Awakens (2015) withLawrence Kasdan,J. J. Abrams respected that Lucas had established midi-chlorians' effect on some characters' ability to use the Force.[25] However, as a child, he interpretedObi-Wan Kenobi's explanation of the Force inStar Wars to mean that any character could use its power, and that the Force was more grounded in spirituality than science.[25] Abrams retained the idea of the Force having a light and a dark side, and some characters' seduction by the dark side helps create conflict for the story.[26]Pablo Hidalgo of the Lucasfilm Story Group gave his "blessing" for writer-directorRian Johnson to introduce a new Force power inThe Last Jedi (2017) "if the story required it and if it felt like it stretches into new territory but doesn't break the idea of what the Force can do."[27] Johnson observed that everyStar Wars movie introduces new Force powers to meet that film's story needs.[27]
Star Wars Rebels producerDave Filoni cites several influences on how the Force is used in the show. The characterBendu—named in homage to the term Lucas originally associated with the Jedi—does not align with the franchise's normal dark-or-light duality, and this role is an extension of Filoni's conversations with Lucas about the nature of the Force.[28] Filoni credits the prequel films for better developing the concept of the Force, particularly the idea of a balance between the light and dark sides.[29]
Obi-Wan Kenobi describes the Force as "an energy field created by all living things" inStar Wars. InThe Phantom Menace,Qui-Gon says microscopic lifeforms called midi-chlorians, which exist inside all living cells, allow some characters to be Force-sensitive; characters must have a high enough midi-chlorian count to feel and use the Force. Midi-chlorians are sentient,[1] and arguably were the first species to emerge in theStar Wars universe.[31] The species was a foundation of all life, as some deemed life impossible without midi-chlorians,[32] and ultimately resided in all living beings, connecting two aspects of the Force.[31] The Living Force (also known as a spirit or life essence)[33] is the energy generated by all living things.[34] Through midi-chlorians, it is fed into the Cosmic Force, which bounds all things and communicates with living sentient beings.[35]
In 1981, Lucas compared using the Force toyoga, saying any character can use its power.[36] Dave Filoni said in 2015 that allStar Wars characters are "Force intuitive": some characters, likeLuke Skywalker, are aware of their connection to the Force, while characters such asHan Solo draw upon the Force unconsciously.[37] Filoni said the most potent Force users are characters whose midi-chlorian count provides a natural affinity for using the Force and who undertake intense training and discipline.[38]Rogue One (2016) portrays the Force more as a religion "than simply a way to manipulate objects and people".[39] In the years following theGreat Jedi Purge depicted in the prequel trilogy, some characters have lost faith in the Force,[40] and theGalactic Empire hunts down surviving Jedi and other Force-sensitive characters. By the time of the events inThe Force Awakens, some characters think the Jedi and the Force are myths.[41]
Some Force-sensitive characters derive special,psychic abilities from it, such astelekinesis,mind control, andextrasensory perception. The Force is sometimes referred to in terms of "dark" and "light" sides, with villains like theSith drawing on the dark side to act aggressively while theJedi use the light side for defense and peace.[42] According to Filoni, Lucas believed a character's intentions when using the Force—their "will to be selfless or selfish"—is what distinguishes light and dark sides.[29] The Force is also used by characters who are neither Jedi nor Sith, such asLeia Organa andKylo Ren.[43][44] Characters throughout the franchise use their Force powers in myriad ways, including Obi-Wan using a "mind trick" to undermine astormtrooper's will,[45][46]Darth Vader choking subordinates without touching them,[47]Qui-Gon Jinn repelling severalbattle droids at once,Rey lifting a large pile of rocks, and Kylo Ren stoppingblaster fire in mid-air.[48][49] Film and television use of the Force is sometimes accompanied by a sound effect, such as a deep rumble associated with aggressive use or a more high-pitched sound associated with benevolent use.[50]
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Jedi with special training can continue to exist after death, and some interact with the living as "being[s] of light"[51] referred to as "Force ghosts."[52][53] Obi-Wan's spirit provides Luke with guidance at key moments in the original trilogy,[53][54] and Yoda appears as a spirit to guide Luke inThe Last Jedi.[55] Voices of past Jedi help Rey at the climax ofThe Rise of Skywalker, and Luke's and Leia's spirits watch over her at the film's conclusion.[56] In an early draft ofReturn of the Jedi, Lucas planned to resurrect Obi-Wan and Yoda at the climax,[57] and some drafts included scenes of the two helping Luke stop the Emperor.[58] The final arc ofThe Clone Wars' sixth season reveals that Qui-Gon Jinn learned how to transition into the "cosmic Force" from entities who represent various emotions;[53] Yoda hears the deceased Qui-Gon's voice inAttack of the Clones (2002), and he reveals inRevenge of the Sith that he has contact with Qui-Gon.[53] A short story byClaudia Gray depicts Obi-Wan learning this technique from Qui-Gon in the years leading up toStar Wars.[59]
The Force plays an important role in severalStar Wars plot lines. Anakin Skywalker's rise as a Jedi, descent into the Sith Lord Darth Vader, and redemption back to the light side of the Force is the main story arc for the first sixStar Wars films.[60]Yoda's arc in the sixth season ofThe Clone Wars depicts him exploring "bigger questions" about the Force and taking various inspirations from thefranchise's expanded universe.[61] InThe Force Awakens,Finn's exposure to the Force helps make him question his training.[62] Writer Rian Johnson used the Force to allow Rey and Kylo Ren to communicate inThe Last Jedi, developing the characters' relationship.[27]
Chris Taylor called the Force "largely a mystery" inStar Wars.[3] Taylor ascribes the "more poetic, more spiritual ... and more demonstrative" descriptions of the Force inThe Empire Strikes Back toLawrence Kasdan, who co-wrote the film, but says the film does little to expand audiences' understanding of it.[3] In 1997, Lucas said that the more detail he articulated about the Force and how it works, the more it took away from its core meaning.[63]Kotaku suggests Rian Johnson depicted more nuance in the Force inThe Last Jedi than Lucas did in his films.[64] According to Rob Weinert-Kendt, the "Force theme" inJohn Williams' score represents the power and responsibility of wielding the Force.[65]
Paranormal abilities like the Force are a common device in science fiction,[66] and the Force has been compared to the rolemagic plays in thefantasy genre.[67] TheStar Wars films illustrate that characters not familiar with the particulars of the Force associate it with mysticism and magic, such as when an Imperial officer alludes to the "sorcerer's ways" of Darth Vader.[67] The depiction of the Force inStar Wars has been compared to that of magic inHarry Potter, with the former being described as more of a "spiritual force".[68] According toThe A.V. Club,The Last Jedi depicts the Force "closer to the sorcery of fairy tales and medieval romance than it's ever been."[69]
Eric Charles points out that the television filmsThe Ewok Adventure (1984) andEwoks: The Battle for Endor (1985), intended for children, are "fairy tales in a science fiction setting" which feature magic and other fairy tale motifs rather than the Force and science-fictiontropes.[70] TheseEwok films have been described as depicting "sorcery" that is distinct from the Force powers depicted in the first sixStar Wars films.[71] Drawing from theStar Wars roleplaying game sourcebook he co-authored in 1987,Bill Slavicsek says that "The Ewoks' mystical beliefs contain many references to the Force, though it is never named as such."[72]
In his 1977 review ofStar Wars,Vincent Canby ofThe New York Times called the Force "a mixture of what appears to be ESP and early Christian faith."[73] It has been studied in a religious context from an academic perspective.[74]The Magic of Myth compares the sharp distinction between the good "light side" and evil "dark side" of the Force toZoroastrianism, which posits that "good and evil, like light and darkness, are contrary realities".[42] The connectedness between the light and dark sides has been compared to the relationship betweenyin and yang inTaoism,[75] although the balance between yin and yang lacks the element of evil associated with the dark side.[76] Taylor identifies other similarities between the Force and aNavajo prayer,prana, andqi.[19] It is a common plot device injidaigeki films likeThe Hidden Fortress (1958), which inspiredStar Wars, forsamurai who master qi to achieve astonishing feats of swordsmanship.[77] Taylor added that the lack of detail about the Force makes it "a religion for the secular age".[3] According to Jennifer Porter, professor of religious studies at theMemorial University of Newfoundland, "the Force is a metaphor for godhood that resonates and inspires within [people] a deeper commitment to the godhood identified within their traditional faith".[78] According toChristian Pastor Clayton Keenan, "the spirituality of 'Star Wars' has to do with the Force. It's depicted as ... something supernatural within this universe, but it's not the same thing as a personal god that Christians or Jews or Muslims might believe in. It's this impersonal force that is in some ways this neutral, impersonal energy that is out there to be used for good or for evil."[79]
At one point,Francis Ford Coppola suggested to George Lucas that they use their combined fortunes to start a religion based on the Force.[80] Practitioners ofJediism pray to and express gratitude to the Force.[81]
Scientists are mostly skeptical about a "real world" explanation for the Force.[82] AstrophysicistJeanne Cavelos says inThe Science of Star Wars that explaining the Force is particularly difficult because "it does so many different things".[83] Force powers likeprecognition imply thetime travel of information.[84] Cavelos explores the possibility of brain implants or sensors being used to detect users' intent and manipulate energy fields, and compares such discipline to contemporary patients learning to controlprosthetics.[85]
A scientific explanation of the Force would require new discoveries in physics, such as unknown fields or particles[86] or afifth force beyond thefour fundamental interactions.[87] Flavio Fenton of theGeorgia Institute of Technology School of Physics suggests a fifth force would carry two types of charge—one for the light side and one for the dark—and that each would be carried by its own particle.[88] Nepomuk Otte, also from Georgia Tech, cautions thatNewton's third law of motion says telekinesis would apply a force back on the Force-wielding character.[88] Fabien Paillusson from theUniversity of Lincoln argues that the Force of theStar Wars universe reflects our own quest for understanding the forces of the world we live in.[89]
National Geographic compared theHiggs boson's role as "carrier" of the Higgs field to the way Jedi are "carriers" of the Force.[90] Aprevisualization video highlighting the idea of "kicking someone's ass with the Force" steeredLucasArts game designers toward producingThe Force Unleashed (2008),[91][92] which sold six million copies as of July 2009.[93] In 2009,Uncle Milton Industries released a toy, called theForce Trainer, which usesEEG to read users'beta waves to lift a training droid-themed ball with a shaft of air.[94][95]
The New Republic,Townhall,The Atlantic, and others have compared various political machinations to the "Jedi mind trick", a Force power used to undermine opponents' perceptions and willpower.[96][46][97][98]
Critic Tim Robley compared the Force to theruby slippers fromThe Wizard of Oz (1939), with both being entities that send the protagonist on a quest.[99] In her 1980Washington Post review ofThe Empire Strikes Back,Judith Martin described the Force as "a mishmash of current cultic fashions without any base in ideas. It doesn't seem to be connected with ethics or a code of decent behavior, either."[100]John Simon wrote in his 1977 review ofStar Wars forNew York magazine:
And then there is that distressing thing called the Force, which is ... Lucas's tribute to something beyond science: imagination, the soul, God in man ... It appears in various contradictory and finally nonsensical guises, a facile and perfunctory bow to metaphysics. I wish that Lucas had had the courage of his materialistic convictions, instead dragging in a sop to a spiritual force the main thrust of the movie so cheerfully ignores.[101][102]
The introduction of midi-chlorians inThe Phantom Menace was controversial, with Evan Narcisse ofTime writing that the concept ruinedStar Wars for him and a generation of fans because "the mechanisms of the Force became less spiritual and more scientific".[21] Film historian Daniel Dinello called midi-chlorians "anathema toStar Wars fanatics who thought they reduced the Force to a kind of viral infection."[103] Referring to "midi-chlorians" became a screenwriting shorthand for over-explaining a concept.[104] Although Chris Taylor suggested fans want less detail, not more, in explaining the Force,[3][105] Chris Bell argues that the introduction of midi-chlorians provided depth to the franchise and fomented engagement among fans and franchise writers.[104] Religion expertJohn D. Caputo writes, "In the 'Gospel according to Lucas' a world is conjured up in which the intractable oppositions that have tormented religious thinkers for centuries are reconciled ... The gifts that the Jedi masters enjoy have a perfectly plausible scientific basis, even if its ways are mysterious".[106]
Characters' faith in the Force reinforcesRogue One's message of hope.[40]The A.V. Club said Rian Johnson's depiction of the Force inThe Last Jedi goes "beyond George Lucas' original transcendental concept".[69]Polygon said Johnson's film "democratize[s] the Force", depicting Force sensitivity in characters from outside a "Force-sensitive lineage" and suggesting that the Force can be used by anyone.[107]
SeveralStar Wars characters say "May the Force be with you" (or derivatives of it) and the expression has become a popularcatchphrase.[108] In 2005, "May the Force be with you" was chosen as number 8 on theAmerican Film Institute's100 Years... 100 Movie Quotes list.[109] May 4 isStar Wars Day, taken from thepun "May the Fourth be with you".[110] The expression was intentionally similar to the Christiandominus vobiscum, "the Lord be with you".[111]
PresidentRonald Reagan in 1985 said "the Force is with us", referring to theUnited States, to create theStrategic Defense Initiative (itself often nicknamedStar Wars) to protect againstSovietballistic missiles.[112] Some weeks earlier, Reagan had compared theSoviet Union to theGalactic Empire.[113]The Gospel According to Star Wars says that Reagan's invocation of the Force was actually pervertingStar Wars' "self-dispossessing" (or other-focused) ethos:
[The] blessing "May the Force be with you" is the expression of a hopefor others ("May the Force bewith you"), notfor ourselves as with Reagan ("The Force is withus"). Moreover, the [Star Wars] blessing is precisely a request forhope for others ("May the Force be with you"), whereas Reagan's claim sounds like apossessive assertion ("The Forceis with us").[114]
The scripts for the prequel, which Lucas is finishing now, make it clear that Star Wars, taken as a whole story and viewed in chronological order, is not really the story of Luke at all but the story of Luke's father, Anakin Skywalker, and how he, a Jedi Knight, was corrupted by the dark side of the Force and became Darth Vader. When I asked Lucas what Star Wars was ultimately about, he said, 'Redemption.'
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