In Jedi Apprentice-The Uncertain Path, Obi Wan leaves the Jedi Order and is rendered nearly powerless as a result. Qui Gon remarks this upon observing his lightsaber
That is well and good, but there is also a way to quantify how much power the lightsaber held in the force as well.
Despite being nearly powerless in the book, this is what happens when he makes contact with his lightsaber again
This also happens
The biggest thing here is that Obi Wan is Qui Gon's padawan only for a few months here. He is only 13 years old in this book. His lightsaber is already a decently powerful nexus 12 years before TPM, which is pretty impressive when you consider that only among the most powerful of Sith Lords in history like Darth Sidious and Exar Kun have managed to do the same( although the power would vary, obviously) to their lightsabers in SW material.
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Interesting that it’s imbued with Force energy, especially since Qui-Gon seems surprised that it’s happened. An impressive feat, but definitely not quantifiable in the way you’re suggesting. So much of a Jedi’s ability to use the force is mindset based, it’s unsuprising that an incredibly conflicting time in his life led to a reduced ability to channel the force. His power coming back with his lightsaber is more symbolic than literal.
__________________ "i admire u choose cersei as ur avi sel. at least u know that ur one sick *****, i can respect that" - Inturpid.
If Obi-Wan needed his lightsaber to access The Force, compared when every other Jedi can use The Force without a lightsaber, its pretty dumb, especially when the Force is intertwined with everything.
I think, it's the residual Force Aura left by a Jedi, hence why the Jedi never again used the sabers of their fallen comrades and held said sabers in high regard, as the saber is shapened by the will and character of the Jedi(see the first Jedi Quest book.) and is unique to them.
Like the others said, the entire narrative of having lost the Force is merely mental, as Jedi have their abilities hindered/amplified by emotions.
Registered: Jul 2014
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I think this is still more important than people seem to be giving it credit for, Qui Gon isn’t an idiot and fully aware of what a saber should feel like in the force.
Kenobi’s is evidently still uncharacteristically strong
__________________ "i admire u choose cersei as ur avi sel. at least u know that ur one sick *****, i can respect that" - Inturpid.
Obi Wan doesn't need the lightsaber to use the force, lol. It says that the force surged through him and he was capable of using it to deflect blaster bolts. That doesn't mean he is at full power. Just that he can use the force.
Evidently, as per Qui Gon the lightsaber is imbued with extra force energy than is normal in any other Jedi's lightsaber. I mean, come on, denying that is just reaching.
I agree however with Sel's point about it not being quantifiable in the way I suggested, good observation. Though it is strange that the force surged through him as soon as he touches the lightsaber, which caused me to arrive at the conclusion I did.
All Jedi lightsabers/kyber crystals are strong with the force to some extent, though -- and much like the wielder(s), every crystal is sentient and therefore unique in its own way. That could very well be why Qui-Gon sensed something from Kenobi's lightsaber that was not present in his own... I don't think that necessarily makes it a literal 'force nexus', however. /shrug
Have we evidence that Kenobi's second lightsaber possessed a similar trait, or was it exclusive to his first blade?
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Last edited by Galan007 on Jul 1st, 2018 at 07:38 PM
Kenobi, especially as a Jedi Knight, has vast amounts of material. There may be evidence, but I don't really have the patience to look for it. If I find it later, obviously I will post it.
Your theory doesn't really fly though, because every lightsaber crystal is attuned to the force. Attunement to the force doesn't mean that the crystal will actually radiate force energy when not activated.
That said, even if you ignore that, it is clear that Qui Gon is not expecting the lightsaber to be "charged" and to "pulse" with the force when deactivated. Considering he is a Jedi Master with many decades of experience, you would basically have to say that Obi Wan's lightsaber is a statistical anomaly among a great many, many number of lightsabers which is not only unlikely, but assuming that Obi Wan's lightsaber "crystal" is the one that gives off force energy, the phenomenon would at least be common or expected or at least recorded as a phenomenon. Evidently, Qui Gon has neither experienced, nor heard of such a phenomenon( pertaining to lightsaber crystals), and considering his hype, he is one of the foremost people in the Jedi Order you would expect to know about such matters.
So, either Qui Gon of all people doesn't know the various properties a lightsaber crystal can exhibit which is a stupid assumption, or Obi Wan's lightsaber crystal is a specific type of crystal never before seen in the entire history of the order, one which is actually a sort of force nexus which actually radiates force energy when not activated which is another even more stupid assumption, or Obi Wan simply imbued the lightsaber with force energy. As we see in Legends, it is pretty easy to do so passively. I could go on, but we see many cases of not just lightsabers, but objects and locations being imbued with force energy.
Last edited by LordOfTheLight on Jul 1st, 2018 at 08:08 PM
When this junior novel was originally published back in 2000, the concept/purpose/function of lightsaber crystals hadn't really been explored much at all -- certainly not like it has been in more recent years.
IOW, the intrinsic qualities that we now know are inherent in a Jedi's lightsaber/kyber crystal obviously wouldn't have been much of a consideration for Jude Watson when he wrote this novel nearly two decades ago. Given the knowledge we have about the crystals now, however, we can deduce that it is possible the crystal in Kenobi's first saber was unique to an extent -- at least unlike anything Qui-Gon had sensed in a lightsaber he'd personally held up to that point. Does that make it a literal 'force nexus', though? Nah.
...And why are you getting so angry, lol?
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"I am tired of Earth. These people.
I am tired of being caught in the tangle of their lives."
I don't think the term Force Nexus should be used here, strong in The Force perhaps might be better. Otherwise items that get imbued by a Jedi/Sith/Force Adept could also be as such. It's not like it's a difficult thing to do in Legends.
Strong in The Force fits better, Force Nexus suggests something else.
Exactly. The concept of items being imbued with the force was very much a thing in Legends however at the time, so we can assume that Jude Watson( she is a female) was referring to such a concept when she wrote it, not about the inner workings of lightsaber crystals.
But even if she wasn't, crystals don't radiate force energy when deactivated. At least, I have never seen evidence of such a thing.
It is also not just about Qui Gon "sensing" it. He must surely have been educated well on how a lightsaber crystal is "supposed" to behave and act, including anomaly cases. It is one thing for each crystal to be unique, it is a completely different thing for a crystal to literally be so unique that it radiates force energy when no other crystal does and that is very unlikely.
You are basically asserting here, that the lightsaber crystal in question is so unique, its properties have not been explored by the Jedi in general, which is not a feasible assumption at all. If for no other reason, than the fact that Qui Gon would have undoubtedly have heard of such a "unique" crystal entering the Jedi Temple, even before Obi Wan would have acquired it and used it in the blade.
Lastly, doesn't "imbued with the force" and "nexus" basically mean the same thing? If you feel an object radiate the force, it is obviously imbued with the force, but doesn't that make it a nexus too( however weak the so called nexus may be)?
Literally what in my post indicated that I was angry, lol? Don't tell me you drew that conclusion from me writing "stupid assumption"?
Last edited by LordOfTheLight on Jul 1st, 2018 at 10:24 PM
As Zenwolf mentioned, there is a significant difference between an item being "strong in the force" and it being a literal "force nexus". Per that novel, Kenobi's saber was certainly unique in the way the force manifested itself within it -- but again, I wouldn't go so far as to call it a nexus. /shrug
__________________
"I am tired of Earth. These people.
I am tired of being caught in the tangle of their lives."