The Force simply is. It has existed as long as life has flourished in the galaxy, and will endure as long as life remains. It has been called an energy field, and in many ways this is true, though it cannot be measured by conventional or technological means. It binds the galaxy together, though in more than just a physical sense. Although it eludes the grasp of pure intellect, the rival traditions of Force users have learned much about its power over the millennia. Those who would use that power today must understand these lessons.
The Force consists of two related, but distinct, elements: the Living Force and the Cosmic Force. The Living Force is generated by the energy of living beings throughout the galaxy. This is the Force at its most immediate and instinctive level. It is this aspect of the Force that allows for many of the impressive abilities that have fueled the aura of legend around the Jedi and Sith, and that still excites the galaxy’s imagination. The ability to trick the minds of other beings, to sense their presence, and to manipulate physical objects all come from the Living Force.
As life in all its myriad forms cycles endlessly, so does the Living Force. It can ebb and flow, growing stronger in some places than others, especially in locations of great significance for life or death. However, this sequence of renewal forms the foundation of the Force’s other half—the Cosmic Force.
Ultimately, all energy from the Living Force passes into the Cosmic Force. This includes not only the energy of the Living Force at a particular point in time, but the energy of all things that have ever lived in the galaxy. For this reason, the Cosmic Force transcends normal conceptions of time and space. In this way, it also connects all things in the galaxy together: not only what is, but what was and what has yet to come.
The Cosmic Force is the more difficult of the two for a Force user to access. It requires meditation, openness, and harmony to attune oneself to its rhythms. It is also from here that perhaps the most powerful Force abilities come— to see distant places and events, and even to catch glimpses of myriad potential futures. These abilities are seldom featured in the derring-do of a holo- drama, but comprehending the deeper mysteries of the galaxy and possessing the gift of foresight is a route to power savored only by a few.
This intimate link between life and the Force means that—despite rumors of Force-attuned technology- only living organisms can sense its presence. Sentient beings in particular can be born Force-sensitive or become so during the course of their lives. The Force is particularly strong within some individuals, and some say that this trait can be passed down in families. Indeed, certain family names have been associated with the most famous, or infamous, Force users in the galaxy’s history.
The Force also appears to have its own will. Many powerful Force users have long hinted at this phenomenon, especially after communing with the Force or experiencing events of mystical significance. They believe not only that the Force derives its energy from life, but that it also guides the actions of the living.
Some have stated that it responds most strongly to actions taken by those who consciously seek to use it, and that it aids or opposes individuals according to its own remote designs. Given these observations, those sensitive to the Force understand that it has
Midi-chlorians are micro-symbiont organisms that live within the bloodstreams of all living things. The Jedi of the Old Republic studied them, and believed them to be fundamental to the connection between life and the Force, though the exact nature of this relationship remains mysterious.
Testing an individual’s midi-chlorian count is one of the few known ways to measure Force ability using technological means, as higher counts are associated with greater potential for Force sensitivity. However, as with many matters related to the Force, there are few absolutes. Unexpected individuals have been known to develop an affinity for the Force, regardless of testing results.
Since the fall of the Jedi, active study of midi- chlorians has become increasingly rare. The subject is treated with ridicule by disinterested scientists and with official discouragement by Imperial authorities.
The Force reflects the patterns of life, and life seeks At the opposite end lies the dark side. Its users seeks to perpetuate itself. Despite their endless variety throughout the galaxy, most life forms are driven by instinct to seek the necessities for survival. At the most primordial level, whether on a steaming jungle world or a sun-baked desert planet, life struggles to exist.
However alien their ecosystems may be from each other, all cycles of life encompass both creative and destructive impulses. On a grand scale, species arise and adapt, and then thrive for a time. Most are eventually extinguished, either by some cataclysm or a gradual fading as conditions change, and then are replaced by still others. To take a closer view, there are predators and prey, and many species that must be both, in order for life to continue. Life includes the act of birth, but also death.
As it is so intimately linked to life, the Force also has a duality that encompasses both creation and destruction. As long as sentient beings have been able to wield the power of the Force, they have been aware of this division, for it is an inherent part of its nature. They gave names to these opposed sides, taking their understanding from the most intuitive of relationships: that between light and dark.
Sentients have learned to build civilizations, to travel between the stars, and perhaps most importantly, to interact with the Force. They are able to make conscious choices and to desire more than mere survival. It is this ability to impose one’s will on reality that gives a moral dimension to existence and to both the light and dark sides of the Force. The capacity for choice and intent in using the Force goes beyond the natural cycles of creation and destruction that feed it.
Those who draw upon the light side know it by the feelings that invite its presence: peace, understanding, compassion, and even love. In action, its use is closely associated with life-affirming and selfless motives. For those who have gained the deepest understanding, wielding the light side is less about imposing their own will than about allowing that of the Cosmic Force to shape destiny.
know that their strength flows from raw emotion. Fear, anger, jealousy, and hatred are all conduits to the power of the dark side. Those who believe they have gained mastery over it know, too, that it is most effectively bent to their will when used for destructive actions and focused by the burning need to fulfill personal desires.
The two great Force-using traditions of the galaxy— the Jedi Order and the Order of the Sith—each developed following the path of one side to the exclusion of the other. Though their exact origins are ancient and mysterious, they have remained enemies throughout galactic history. For this reason, some believe that the Jedi and Sith must share an ultimately common origin, and that their creation in the distant past embodies the opposition between the light and dark sides. As their relative power has increased or diminished over the centuries, it has only reinforced another deeply held belief about the Force: that it has a balance, and that this balance can shift over time.
Amid this discussion of the Jedi and Sith, it is worth noting that the Force is not set apart solely for interaction with those who can directly manipulate it. All sentient beings can choose to act in life-affirming or destructive ways. Most view their actions (and lapses) within the moral code of their species or world, or in keeping with some personal creed. This does not mean that they are not acted upon by the Force, or that their actions do not contribute to the balance between light and dark.
However, those who use the Force itself to further these competing moral ends operate on a different level. By embracing one side over the other, they are actively engaging in the unceasing struggle between the light and dark sides. More than any others, it is the Force-sensitive beings of the galaxy who have the greatest influence upon the balance of the Force.
Still, even the greatest of light side users can seek only to understand the will of the Force. In the twilight days of the Old Republic, the Jedi Council came to believe that the Force was dangerously out of balance. To them, the lessening of their contact with the Cosmic Force and the return of the Sith meant the dark side was growing dangerously ascendant.
__________________ "There is only Revan. Only he can shape this galaxy as it is meant to be shaped."
The power that the Force confers to a user can vary widely, but its capabilities are traditionally broken into three broad categories:
POWERS OF THE BODY:
Force users can control and harness the Living Force within themselves to heighten their own physical prowess. Abilities of this type gave the Jedi and Sith their astounding agility and strength, among other talents such as healing from terrible injuries, or hibernating through long periods of deprivation.
POWERS OF MANIPULATION:
The second category of ability allows Force users to alter and manipulate the physical environment surrounding them. This allows for such feats as moving objects in seeming defiance of normal physical laws and directing or even projecting energy. This control can also involve the subtle manipulation of the minds of other beings. Those impressed with raw power— whether Force-sensitives or not—have always been drawn to this grouping of talents.
POWERS OF THE MIND:
The final category of ability encompasses those involved in sensing or gaining awareness of the greater galaxy around the Force user. As mentioned before, the highest levels of these abilities involve communing directly with the Cosmic Force. Though the present and future are always in motion, the Force has much influence over both, and an individual armed with knowledge can sometimes direct events to his own ends.
LIGHTSABERS AND THE FORCE:
There is one other arena in which Force sensitivity bestows a power not available to most individuals: the ability to wield the lightsaber, the ancient weapon of the Jedi and Sith. Rarely seen even at the height of the Old Republic, the lightsaber has all but disappeared with the Jedi, becoming a weapon of legend or an item of curiosity.
There are many who believe lightsaber prowess to be the signature attribute of an accomplished Force user, as it arguably draws upon all three of the areas of Force ability. Only those capable of supernaturally fine physical control can wield a lightsaber’s massless blade without great risk to themselves. To be a truly effective combatant, they must also have a considerable degree of spatial awareness, gained through opening themselves to the Force. Finally, it is rumored that a lightsaber is best constructed by a Force user capable of making delicate manipulations to align its focusing crystals. Indeed, this act was considered a rite of passage for the Jedi.
__________________ "There is only Revan. Only he can shape this galaxy as it is meant to be shaped."
Only those capable of supernaturally fine physical control can wield a lightsaber’s massless blade without great risk to themselves. To be a truly effective combatant, they must also have a considerable degree of spatial awareness, gained through opening themselves to the Force. Finally, it is rumored that a lightsaber is best constructed by a Force user capable of making delicate manipulations to align its focusing crystals.
^This is the concept I was referring to the other day in the Sidious thread. Any Jedi who has been stripped of the Force's various enhancements would be unable to properly wield a lightsaber.
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Last edited by NewGuy01 on Nov 8th, 2015 at 08:55 PM
Well it's just...I figured it would be obvious given only Jedi/Sith are actually wielding them to full effect, that and as I recall other books say similar things in regards of their full use.
Some interpret that as meaning all their Force applications diminished and that their combat abilities were therefore inferior. I've only ever seen it refer to clairvoyance, precognition, and farsight.
This book appears to favor the latter interpretation.
Nov 8th, 2015 08:16 PM
