User:NadirAli/The Force

The Force is a metaphysical and ubiquitous power in the Star Wars fictional universe. It is wielded by characters in the franchise's films and in many of its spin-off books, games, and comics. The Force has been compared to aspects of several world religions, and the iconic phrase "May the Force be with you" has become part of the popular culture vernacular.

Depiction

Obi-Wan Kenobi describes the Force as "an energy field created by all living things" in Star Wars. In The Phantom Menace, Qui-Gon Jinn 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 Force. Dave Filoni, who developed several Star Wars animated projects, said in 2015 that all characters are "Force intuitive": some characters, like Luke Skywalker, are aware of their connection to the Force, while characters such as Han Solo draw upon the Force unconsciously. In 1981, Lucas compared using the Force to yoga, saying any character can use its power.

Some characters sensitive to the Force can derive special powers from it, such as telekinesis, mind control, and extra sensory perception. The Force is sometimes referred to in terms of "dark" and "light" sides, with villains like the Sith drawing on the dark side to act aggressively while the Jedi use the light side for defense and peace. The Force is also used by characters who are neither Jedi nor Sith, such as Leia Organa and Kylo Ren. Characters throughout the franchise use their Force powers in myriad ways, including Obi-Wan using a "mind trick" to undermine a stormtrooper's will, Darth Vader choking subordinates, Luke Skywalker having a vision of the future, and Kylo Ren stopping weapons fire mid-air. Film and television use of the Force is sometimes accompanied by a sound effect, such as a "deep rumble" associated with the dark side or a more high-pitched sound associated with benevolent use.

Anakin Skywalker's rise as a light-side Jedi, descent into becoming the Sith Lord Darth Vader, and ultimate redemption to the light side of the Force is the main story arc for the first six Star Wars films. The Force allows "ghosts" of some deceased characters to interact with the living, and Obi-Wan's ghost provides Luke Skywalker with guidance at "critical moments" in The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. Yoda's arc in the final season of Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008–2014) depicts him exploring "bigger questions" about the Force. In The Force Awakens, Finn's exposure to the Force helps make him question his upbringing.

Concept and development

George Lucas created the concept of "the Force" to address character and plot developments in Star Wars (1977). He also wanted to "awaken a certain kind of spirituality" in young audiences, suggesting a belief in God without endorsing any specific religion. 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 of good and evil. Lucas said there is a choice between good and bad, and "the world works better if you're on the good side".

Lucas used the term the Force to "echo" its use by cinematographer Roman Kroitor in 21-87 (1963), in which Kroiter 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". 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".

The first draft of Star 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". The power of the Force of Others is kept secret by the Jedi Bendu of the Ashla, an "aristocratic cult" in the second draft. The second draft offers a lengthy explanation of the Force of Others and introduces its Ashla light side and Bogan dark side. The Ashla and Bogan are mentioned 10 and 31 times, respectively, and the Force of Others plays a more prominent role in the story. In the second draft, "Luke Starkiller"'s mission is to retrieve the "Kiber Crystal", which can intensify either the Ashla or Bogan powers. 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 Kiber Crystal. Lucas finished the fourth and near-final draft on January 1, 1976. This version trims "the Force of Others" down 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 Kiber Crystal. Producer Gary Kurtz, who studied comparative religion in college, had long discussions with Lucas about religion and philosophy throughout the writing process. Kurtz told Lucas he was unhappy with drafts in which the Force was connected with the Kiber Crystal, and he was also dissatisfied with the early Ashla and Bogan concepts.

"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."

—George Lucas describing the Force during an Empire Strikes Back production meeting

Lucas and screenwriter Leigh Brackett decided that the Force and the Emperor would be the main concerns in The Empire Strikes Back (1980). The focus on the Emperor was later shifted to the third film, Return of the Jedi (1983), and the dark side of the Force was treated as The Empire Strikes Back's main villain.

The Phantom Menace (1999) introduces midi-chlorians to explain some characters' Force sensitivity. Lucas discussed the microscopic creatures and their connection to the Force as early as August 1977. Lucas based the concept on symbiogenesis, calling midi-chlorians a "loose depiction" of mitochondria. He further said:

[Mitochondria] probably had something – which will come out someday – 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.

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. After selling his Star Wars rights to Disney in 2012, Lucas said his biggest concern about the franchise's future was the Force being "muddled into a bunch of gobbledegook". When writing The Force Awakens (2015) with Lawrence Kasdan, J. J. Abrams respected that Lucas had established midi-chlorians' effect on some characters' ability to use the Force. As a child, though, he interpreted Obi-Wan Kenobi's explanation of the Force in Star Wars to mean that any character could use its power, and that the Force was more grounded in spirituality than science. Abrams retained the idea of the Force having a light and a dark side, and some characters' seduction by the dark side helped create conflict for the story.

Impact

See also: Cultural impact of Star Wars

National Geographic compared the Higgs boson's role as "carrier" of the Higgs field to the way Jedi are "carriers" of the Force. A previsualization video highlighting the idea of "kicking someone's ass with the Force" steered LucasArts game designers toward producing The Force Unleashed (2008), which sold six million copies as of July 2009. In 2009, Uncle Milton Toys released a Force Trainer that used electroencephalography to read users' beta waves.

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. A Daily Mail headline announcing Richard LeParmentier's death highlighted that Darth Vader uses the Force to choke LeParmentier's character in Star Wars.

Practitioners of Jediism pray to and express gratitude to the Force. io9 described a kind message to a fan from Mark Hamill, who played Luke Sykwalker, an example of the light side of the Force.

Critical response

John Simon wrote in his 1977 review of Star Wars for New 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.

In her 1980 Washington Post review of The 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."

The introduction of midi-chlorians in The Phantom Menace was controversial, with Evan Narcisse of Time writing that the concept ruined Star Wars for him and a generation of fans because "the mechanisms of the Force became less spiritual and more scientific". Film historian Daniel Dinello argues, "Anathema to Star Wars fanatics who thought they reduced the Force to a kind of viral infection, midi-chlorians provide a biological interface, the link between physical bodies and spiritual energy." Referring to "midi-chlorians" became a screenwriting shorthand for over-explaining a concept. Although Chris Taylor suggested fans want less detail, not more, in explaining the Force, the introduction of midi-chlorians provided depth to the franchise and fomented engagement among fans and franchise writers. Religion expert John 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".

"May the Force be with you"

"May the Force be with you" redirects here. For other uses, see May the Force be with you (disambiguation).

The expression "May the Force be with you" is iconic of the franchise. In 2005, "May the Force be with you" was chosen as number 8 on the American Film Institute's 100 Years... 100 Movie Quotes list. May 4 is Star Wars Day, taken from the pun "May the Fourth be with you".

President Ronald Reagan in 1985 said "the Force is with us", referring to the United States, to create the Strategic Defense Initiative. The Gospel According to Star Wars asserts that his use of the phrase

was actually perverting [Star Wars]'s "self-dispossessing" (or other-focused) ethos. [The] blessing "May the Force be with you" is the expression of a hope for others ("May the Force be with you), not for ourselves as with Reagan ("The Force is with us"). Moreover, the [Star Wars] blessing is precisely a request for hope for others ("May the Force be with you"), whereas Reagan's claim sounds like a possessive assertion ("The Force is with us").

Religious comparisons

In his 1977 review of Star Wars, Vincent Canby of The New York Times called the Force "a mixture of what appears to be ESP and early Christian faith". Chris Taylor called the Force "largely a mystery" in Star Wars. Taylor ascribes the "more poetic, more spiritual ... and more demonstrative" descriptions of the Force in The Empire Strikes Back to Lawrence Kasdan, who co-wrote the film, but says the film does little to expand audiences' understanding of it. According to Rob Weinert-Kendt, the "Force theme" in John Williams' score represents the power and responsibility of wielding the Force.

The Magic of Myth compares the sharp distinction between the good "light side" and evil "dark side" of the Force to Zoroastrianism, which posits that "good and evil, like light and darkness, are contrary realities". Taylor identifies similarities between the Force and a Navajo prayer, the Tao Te Ching, prana, and qi. Gary Kurtz said the expression "May the Force be with you" was intentionally similar to the Christian dominus vobiscum, "the Lord be with you". Taylor added that the lack of detail about the Force makes it "a religion for the secular age". According to Jennifer Porter, professor of religious studies at the Memorial 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".

Responding to the arguement that many people have interpreted Star Wars as profoundly religious, Lucas replied: "I don't see Star Wars as profoundly religious. I see Star Wars as taking all of the issues that religion represents and trying to distill them down into a more modern and more easily accessible construct that people can grab onto to accept the fact that there's a greater mystery out there."

Responding to the question is the Force is God in the Star Wars universe, Lucas answered: "I put The Force into the movies in order to try to awaken a certain kind of spirituality in young people. More a belief in God than a belief in any particular religious system. The real question is to ask the question. Because if you have enough interest in the mysteries of life to ask the questions is there a God or is there not a God, that's for me the worst thing that can happen. You know if you asked a young person is there a God and they say 'I don't know' I think you should have an opinion about that. I think that there is a God. No question. What that God is or what we know about that God I am not sure. The one thing I know about life and about the nature of the human race is that the human race has always believed it's known everything. Even the cavemen thought they had it all figured out. And they knew everything there was to know about everything because that's where mythology came from. It's constructing some kind of context for the unknown."

Comparison to magic

Paranormal abilities like the Force are a common device in science fiction, and the Star Wars series has also been labeled a fantasy work, with the Force as an equivalent of magic. H. G. Stratmann categorizes the series as "science fantasy". Further, the 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 Darth Vader's "sorcerer's ways". Christina Flotmann distinguishes between the depiction of the Force in the Star Wars franchise and the depiction of magic in the Harry Potter fantasy series, and she describes the Force as a spiritual energy.

Eric Charles argues that the television films Caravan of Courage: An Ewok Adventure (1984) and Ewoks: The Battle for Endor (1985), intended for children, are "fairy tales in a science fiction setting", featuring magic and other fairy tale motifs rather than the Force and science fiction tropes. Mark Clark wrote the Ewok Adventure films depict "sorcery" that is completely different than the Force powers depicted in the original and prequel Star Wars films.

Scientific and parascientific views on The Force

Interconnected energy

Former NASA astrophysicist, science fiction writer, and longtime Star Wars fan Jeanne Cavelos has written and commented much about Star Wars from a scientific perspective. Although she is not known to be certified or educated in psychology, parapsychology or in the fields of other paranormal studies, she makes detailed discussions on the Force from both scientific and parascientific perspectives, including commentaries from other scientists and psychologists.

Quoting various scientists on the phenomenon, Cavelos gets mostly skeptical answers about the nature of the Force, all but one linking it to quantum physics, another to parapsychology, and another to extremely advanced knowledge of science that physics can be manipulated in the future, making it appear as though magic by modern standards.

She begins by addressing the question of the Force from a physics perspective, analyzing that if the Force is an energy field, it would be carried by quanta. Such electromagnetic forces are caused by exchanges in photons. In such a model, gravity would be caused by the warping of space, but instead by the exchange of tiny packets of gravitational energy, or gravitons, which pressure matter toward other matter. For it to be manipulated to push objects around, it must be everywhere and exist in some form of an interconnected network or field.

Cavelos covers the ancient Greek phenomena of the ether, a supposed material or "fifth element" that interconnected all matter, energy as well as empty space. According to her, Sir Isaac Newton proposed that the human brain might be able to trigger waves in the ether, giving humans psychic powers. Cavelos explores the field of virtual particles that constantly pop in and out of existence on the quantum level; the vacuum of space actually foams with activity. Tapping into this vacuum energy would be the challenge in order to manipulate gravitational fields, but poses several scientific problems.

Cavelos says the Force "suggests a universe quite different than the one we think we're living in", and that some unknown fields or particles might explain the Force. If the Force were to exist in a universe dominated by particle interactions, Cavelos suggests vacuum energy is one option to power physical Force feats. In a universe instead filled with continuous force fields, a fifth force beyond the four fundamental forces might account for the Force. Skills like precognition are more challenging to explain because of the implied time travel of information, but Cavelos suggests tachyons traveling faster than light might carry such information.

Telekinesis

There is also the analysis she makes of telekinesis and producing and manipulating energy from the brain by the use of technology, some examples being brain implants that amplify neurological electrons to help paralyzed patient move. Similar implants would send brain signals to operate computers. Even more advanced functions would allow computers to recognize brain patterns in order to obey commands, though not yet fully developed. Dr. Michio Kaku is quoted comparing Luke Skywalker's training on Degobah in the use of The Force with learning to control his brain waves and an electronic chip in his clothing that would pick up the signals.

Cavelos draws a distinction between telekinesis of the Force as seen in the Star Wars universe from that produced by the use of technology; also by pointing to the fact that many alien races with different brains can also connect to the Force. Aerospace engineering consultant Dr. Charles Lurio is claimed to have suggested as far that human biology might already possess telekinesis, to be reproduced naturally.

Precognition

Addressing the issue of precognition (predicting or sensing events before they happen), Cavelos discusses the phenomenon of time travel, a possibility many scientists are resistant to. Still, there is the belief that on the quantum level, particles may move at faster than light. This, when applied to Einstien's theory of relativity, technically at least in theory, allows time to be reserved for the object or person traveling at that speed. Such particles with the capability of such speeds are only theoretical and called tachyons. If these tachyons were channeled by Luke Skywalker through the Force, they could allow him to prevision Han Solo's torture from Degobah before it actually happened. While this could be a theoretical possibility, Cavelos points to other scientific problems such as the famous grandfather paradox and the fact that even in the Star Wars universe, time might not be preordained also quoting master Yoda "always in motion is the future".

Multidimensional energy

Attempting to define the Force as an interconnected entity as described by Obi-Wan in a A New Hope and it's novelization, Cavelos discusses the multi-dimensional theories such as the super string theory, suggesting the Force exists in multiple dimensions. She refers back to nineteenth century German mathematician Carl Gauss proposal of "bookworms" or hypothetical creatures inhabiting only two dimensions. Further citing Dr Kaku that such feats of 'magic' are possible in hyperspace physics, an impossibility by modern means, at least for another century.

Mind control and psychic abilities

Commenting on the Jedi mind trick and drawing various examples as seen in the films, Cavelos covers the well-known Jedi mind trick. The closest thing to such phenomenon on our world she claims is hypnosis, which allows an individual's mind to be controlled under the right conditions. This includes making them see or hear things that are not actually there. Citing clinical psychologist Dr. Micheal Yapko, she briefly discusses all the characteristics of hypnosis and the philosophy on it being neither "good" nor "bad", but rather depending on how it's applied -as in the case of The Force and it's usage in the Star Wars universe. The use of hypnosis works in diverse ways, depending on the subject according to Dr. Yapko.

Hypnotherapy instructor, C. Roy Hunter, favors using present tense commands under hypnosis, as Obi-Wan does with a stormtrooper in A New Hope. Future tenses, according to him, should specify when the deed is done, as Luke does with Bib Fortuna in Return of the Jedi. Cavelos also discusses the pace and swiftness of the hypnosis which is compared to the Star Wars films. Most current hypnotic techniques work slowly; wheras the films depict a rapid command and obedience tense. One technique most like the films is when the hypnotist gives a sudden and surprising forceful command which could have two possible outcomes: Resistance or a fall into the trance, but may require some preconditions in order to submit.

One would be telling the subject they are in a certain condition in an informative manner, such as their eyes stuck with glue, and then testing that information to see weather the subject can move their eyes after giving them a command to do so in the imperative manner. This is considered the most similar the Jedi mind trick.

Discussing phenomenon of telepathy Cavelos mentions scientific establishments going back to the 1800s. Still no current scientific theory can cope with can cope with psychic phenomenon according to Dr. Ray Hyman, emeritus professor of psychic phenomenon. Parapsychology is also distinct from other scientific disciplines because it cannot be tested and experimented by conventional means. At the same time, it cannot be disproved either since typical physical experiments result in proving or disproving theories.

The telepathy as seen in the films is preferably termed by parapsychologists as "anomalous information transfer". One example of tests conducted on this phenomenon was to cancel out any distraction for the human test subjects. The subjects would then be sent messages by "senders" or those individuals related to the test subjects. They would be shown up to four different videos, which were then later shown to the "receivers" after coming out the isolation chambers. It showed a 35 percent match rate, something apparently chance cannot explain. Other similar tests are claimed to show up to a 50 percent match rate.

Cavelos's chapter also mentions the CIA's apparent involvement in psychic experiments and attempts to develop technology to manipulate the phenomenon. However, most studies have not been able to prove or disprove anything at this point. As in the beginning of her investigation of the science of Star Wars, she re-quotes skeptical and inconclusive comments from scientists on it's probability.

She also brings up compelling questions of apparent situations such as slot machines apparently giving out huge payments during full moons or can humans affect the growth of algae with their minds or even cockroaches having psychokinetic powers.

She ends all this first by citing another experiment conducted with chicks and a robot, which apparently was given random programming, but appeared to be going in direction of the chicks since it had a candle on it's top after the lights went out. The suggestion was that since chicks are startled by the sudden absence of light, they somehow influenced the supposedly randomly programmed robot to go in their direction 71 percent of the time.

The second bit of her conclusion is citing all the previous experiments conducted on the phenomenon, including those by the US military, going back about a century and a half with quotations from Dr. Utts that despite not very good evidence existing, it still exists while even skeptics like Dr. Hyman arguing the opportunity to resolve the issue of weather "psi" exists should be left open, though not in his lifetime or so he believes. The National Research Council in spite of negative findings in their results still recommends that future research in psychokinesis, remote viewing, and telepathy be monitored by the US military for security purposes.

Cavelos ends all her observations by stating that the future of the world in the next few thousand years will look more like Star Wars.