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May the Force be with you

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"Good bye, old friend. May the Force be with you."

―Obi-Wan Kenobi, to his former PadawanAnakin Skywalker before traveling toUtapau^[1]

"May the Force be with you" was a phrase used to wish luck or good will, generally when individuals parted ways or the object of the expression was facing some sort of imminent challenge. The phrase implied the speaker's wish that the power ofthe Force would be working alongside the addressee, in order that the addressee's goals would be more effectively accomplished.

Jedi[]

The phrase originated with the ancientJe'daii Order as "May the Force go with you."^[2] Sometimes the phrase used was simply "The Force be with you."^[3]

"May the Force be with you" was known to be used as a formal "'Goodbye' and 'good luck'" amongJedi, and members of theJedi High Council often recited it after assigning missions to theirJedi Knights. After theGreat Jedi Purge it was adopted, even among non-Jedi, as a means of conveying good luck and hope before a battle, as a show of the ongoing struggle against theGalactic Empire and admiration for the Jedi Order after their failed attempt to survive the corruptEmperor's power struggle.

Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi was known to have used a variation of this phrase, tellingLuke Skywalker,"The Force will be with you. Always." shortly after joining with the Force, and shortly after Luke Skywalker successfully shot a pair ofproton torpedoes into the exhaust port of thefirst Death Star, destroying it completely. Another variation was uttered by Luke, when he said "May the Force be with me" before entering theCavrilhu Pirates' base.

Another variation is also"Then may the Force be with you" whenJuno Eclipse wishesGalen Marek good luck, when he enters the Emperor's observation dome to free the rebels.

Non-Jedi[]

In3986 BBY,Zayne Carrick did a practice fight with his friendJarael. After the duel, Jarael andCamper went in their ship with their droidT1-LB, Jarael said goodbye to Zayne with "May the Force be with you".

Gar was saying goodbye toRevan with "Farewell, then. May the Force be with you, is that how it goes? Yes, may the Force be with you".

TheBounty hunter Durge mockingly said"May the Force be with you,meatbag" to theJedi Master Glaive after he wasdecapitated byAsajj Ventress.^[4]

After explaining the plan to destroy the firstDeath Star,General Jan Dodonna said "May the Force be with you" to the pilots ofRed Squadron andGold Squadron before the mission.

Although not a firm believer of the Force,Han Solo, before leavingYavin 4, said to Luke Skywalker"May the Force be with you" as a way of saying "good luck."^[5]

Additionally, the phrase was used byAdmiral Gial Ackbar just before the mission to destroy thesecond Death Star. To be precise, as Ackbar was personally leading the mission, he said"May the Force be withus".^[6]

Sith[]

Another similar phrase, which Darth Vader used onBespin to greet Luke Skywalker saying "The Force is with you, young Skywalker," which perhaps expresses recognition and estimation of the foe's value and strength. Similarly, Vader insisted to a skepticalTarkin that "Obi-Wan is here ... the Force is with him," before engaging in their lastduel. On a more negative note, he also states, "May the Force.... give you what you deserve" to Leia Organa onAargau.Uthar Wynn andYuthura Ban during a mission in the Sith Academy onKorriban state a different version of the saying, namely "May the Force serve you well. This, along with another variation; "May the Force ever serve you," was utilized three centuries later by the Sith LordLana Beniko. Another Sith variation of this saying was stated byDarth Vader to hisapprentice shortly after his "death" saying "Remember that the dark side is always with you."

Behind the scenes[]

"The Force will be with you. Always."

―Obi-Wan Kenobi^[5]

The phrase is used by some characters in (and fans of) the films, 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 inA New Hope, eventually uses this expression to wishLuke good luck. In the expanded universe, it is revealed that the Alliance for the Restoration of the Republic used the phrase to call upon the legendary Jedi order, a symbol of the Old Republic, and also to differentiate themselves from the Empire.

The expression has found its way into popular culture as a result of the popularity of the films. In 2005 it got the 8th position in theAFI's 100 years....100 movie quotes ranking.

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 once used a different form that expressed a reminder rather than a wish: "The Force will be with you, always", stating that Luke would succeed, as he was working alongside the power of the Force.

Some fans celebrate May 4th as "Star Wars Day" by paraphrasing the phrase as "May the fourth be with you".