I would imagine that Force Lightning is the user drawing energy from the Force to generate a shitton of electrons and somehow get them to arc towards the target.
1.Force Push is likely direct force, otherwise the lack of air in space would make tk impossible up there.
2."Palpatine raised his spidery arms toward Luke: blinding white bolts of energy coruscated from his fingers, shot across the room like sorcerous lightning, and tore through the boy's insides, looking for ground." Based on that qoute from ROTJ i assume FL is energy and not electricity.
Both. There are at least a dozen examples of someone being described as hurling out or stockpiling and then unleashing "energy" of some sort; Dooku in AotC and Bane in PoD come to mind. Quinlan Vos once hit Rex with a "fist" of compressed air that picked him off of the ground and knocked him out cold in Republic.
So both apply.
Dooku describes it as "manifested hatred" in LoE, and I don't think I've ever heard a SW pseudoscientific explanation for it. I guess I would go with a physical manifestation of the Force.
__________________ Recently Produced and Distributed Young but High-Ranking Political Figure of Royal Ancestry within the Modern American Town Affectionately Referred To as Bel-Air.
Force lightning was a purely energy-based attack used by practitioners of the dark side, especially the Sith. Because of this association, the ability was commonly referred to as Sith lightning. The attack channeled Force energy down the user's limbs, hurling arcing bolts of electricity from the wielder's fingertips or palms; Force lightning could be executed with either one or two hands. Powerful discharges would branch out into dozens of smaller forks; thus, skilled practitioners could target several foes at once.
They know what Force lightning is; TG's been here for three and a half years. The question was about the mechanics of the attacks, the "scientific" explanation.
Ahhhh, hmmmm, my personal say would be that the practitioner focuses their own Force energy into their arms, and they project it outward with killing intent, or the will to cause their opponent harm. Their connection with the Force senses that they want to harm or kill their target and it does so. Although it's energy, it's effects are similar to lightning. But I know that's not the only way to channel the Force into pure energy.
My interpretation is that the practitioner uses the Dark Side to "collect" energy from the surrounding environment, heat, light, UV etc. all converted in to electricity and projected through the appendages. The specific nature of the "collection" left unknown to maintain the nostalgic image of the Force being a mysterious entity.
__________________ Recently Produced and Distributed Young but High-Ranking Political Figure of Royal Ancestry within the Modern American Town Affectionately Referred To as Bel-Air.
Hmm I wonder if a Force user could create fire by telekineticly accelerating the molecules in the air to the point where a enough friction was created to spark a flame.
I like the idea of that. But I'm also in favour of the idea that to perform such actions at the molecular level, you have to be immensely powerful--corresponding with my personal opinion I talked about in Gideon's EU thread, about Force-user decreasing in ability.
__________________ Recently Produced and Distributed Young but High-Ranking Political Figure of Royal Ancestry within the Modern American Town Affectionately Referred To as Bel-Air.
Well, it's possible, because in the new Coruscant Nights series, a 14-16 year old Force Sensitve named Kaijin Savaros, was strong enough in the Force to reach his hand inside a repulsor shield that was malfunctioning so much that it distorted the air, and grab the energy as if it were a solid object, then he threw it at an inquisitor. He also reduced another inquisitor to ash with a Force Repulse of unbelievable power.