The Force was a mystical energy field generated by all life that connected everything in the universe. Throughout galactic history, it was known by many names. The Lasats called it the Ashla, the Mustafarians knew it as the Life Current, and the Lew’elans referred to it as the Tide. The Chiss called it the Sight, while the Zeffonians named it the Life Wind. Other names included the Great Presence, used by the Pathfinders of the Chaos, and the Luminous Mist, used by the Mist-Weavers. The Sorcerers of Tund called it the Unity, while the Magys and her people knew it as the Beyond. Aniseya’s coven of witches referred to it as the Thread, and the dianoga Omi simply called it “It.”
Since the Force was created by life, it existed in all living things. It was especially strong in certain individuals born with high numbers of midi-chlorians in their blood. Midi-chlorians were tiny, intelligent life forms that lived inside cells and communicated the will of the Force. People with high midi-chlorian counts were called Force-sensitive and could consciously feel and use the Force. This allowed them to access various Force powers.
Unlike living beings, droids and other artificial things existed outside of the Force. They had no connection to the energy field created by life, though the physical effects of the Force could still impact them.
Besides its scientific aspects, the Force was the basis for various religious groups. These groups had different ideas about what the Force was and what it was for. Some of these groups included the Church of the Force, the Guardians of the Whills, and most famously, the Jedi and Sith Orders. The Lasats believed the Force was the “spirit” of the galaxy.
The idea of the Force had been known for over twenty-five thousand years. There were two main parts of the Force that worked together. The Living Force was the energy of all life, which then fed into the Cosmic Force. The Cosmic Force connected everything and communicated the will of the Force through midi-chlorians.
The Jedi followed a code of selflessness and helping others. They used the light side of the Force, which was one of two ways to use the all-encompassing energy field. The Sith, who were the Jedi’s enemies, wanted strength and power through the dark side of the Force. Their opposing beliefs led to thousands of years of back-and-forth conflict between the two groups. This eventually resulted in the Sith being wiped out and the Jedi nearly being destroyed.
1. Understanding the Force
The Force was everything. It was in the seas, the canyons, and the current within all living things. It was the energy that made life flow. Those who believed in the Force were always certain it was with them.
The Force connected all life in the galaxy through a mystical energy field. Distance meant nothing to the Force, which linked life forms across the galaxy. Many believed nothing was impossible for the Force, which was beyond the power of any machine made by people. Every living thing in the universe had a place in the Force, even small insects.
The Force manifested in two distinct forms: the Living Force and the Cosmic Force. The Living Force represented the energies of all living things, and those energies fed into the Cosmic Force, which was the source of the Force. The Cosmic Force interconnected the galaxy and conveyed the will of the Force via midi-chlorians. When a living thing died, it became “one with the Force” by joining the Cosmic Force, which then gave power to the Living Force.
Scholars had long debated where the Force came from and when civilizations first learned about its power. There were many answers, but none were considered final. Different species had their own names for the Force, as well as their own ways of understanding it and techniques for learning its powers. Force-sensitive children without training were often good at one aspect of the Force instead of many. Though only certain individuals were Force-sensitive, the Force lived within all living things. Ahsoka Tano believed that anyone, with enough time and focus, could learn to use the Force. She thought those with natural sensitivity had a talent for it, but said that discipline was what really mattered. Force-sensitives could feel a “disturbance in the Force” when many lives were lost. The Force could be taken from living beings.
When asked why the Force wasn’t simply “magic,” Jedi Knight Gella Nattai described it as existing everywhere and being everything. She explained it was vital to the constant flow of life. The Sunset Prayer of the Guardians of the Whills linked the Force to life itself, saying that life and the Force could be found in each other. The prayer also said that the Force was eternal. Droids, being mechanical creations without midi-chlorians, could never sense the Force. Although the Force was everywhere, even in deep space, it was strongest in areas of life. Force-sensitives in such lively places didn’t need to spend time or energy looking for a deep connection to the energy field, as it was all around them.
Force-sensitivity could often be passed from parent to child as an inherited trait, though this wasn’t always the case. The Force was strong in the Skywalker family and the Palpatine family. The twins Luke Skywalker and Leia Organa were born Force-sensitive like their father, Anakin Skywalker, as was Organa’s son, Ben Solo. Unlike Anakin Skywalker’s descendants, the son of Galactic Emperor Sheev Palpatine (the Sith Lord Darth Sidious) did not inherit his father’s connection to the Force. The Emperor’s son was an artificial clone, a result of the Sith Eternal cult’s cloning experiment with Sidious’ genetic material. However, the Emperor’s cloned son had a natural-born daughter, Rey, who was Force-sensitive because of her descent from Sidious, her grandfather.
It was possible for siblings born to normal parents to not share a talent for Force-sensitivity. This was the case with Zare and Dhara Leonis. While Dhara could always sense her brother’s presence from a young age, Zare never had this ability or any special skills that could be linked to the Force. The technique of “Magick” was an aspect of the Force, with the Nightsister Talzin claiming it allowed her to become a Force-user through unnatural means. Despite what non-Force-sensitives often thought, using a Force power wasn’t as simple as waving one’s hands. Channeling the Force took effort, especially for individuals like Ty Yorrick, who had experienced trauma. Being surrounded by negative emotions also made it hard for a light side user to focus on their abilities—a weakness that was once exploited by Marchion Ro, who surrounded an imprisoned Jedi Master with people being constantly tortured to hinder his ability to call on the Force.
Studying the Force was a lifelong commitment for a Jedi. While Luke Skywalker devoted his life to the Force, his sister did not finish her Jedi training, choosing her family and political career instead of the Jedi way of life. The Jedi Code restricted members of the Jedi Order from forming personal relationships. Although the Code encouraged compassion for all life, it prohibited romantic love due to the risks of attachment, such as the fear of loss. The Jedi of the Republic Era were identified by their midi-chlorian levels; the Force-sensitive population of the Galactic Republic was more easily identifiable than that of the territories outside of the Republic’s domain. The Order sought to protect its members from fear, anger, hatred, and other emotions that were considered dangerous to the Jedi. As such, the Order preferred to recruit younglings, although exceptions could be made for older children at the discretion of the Jedi High Council.
A Force-bond was a connection between two Force-sensitive individuals; the bond between a Force dyad was extremely rare and as powerful as life itself. A Force-bond could span across space and time, allowing the bonded Force-sensitives to communicate over vast distances, such as separate planets across the galaxy. During the High Republic Era, Jedi Master Avar Kriss had a rare ability involving such bonds, being able to connect and strengthen the natural connections into what effectively became a communication network. Although it was inexact and best for informing each other of locations or sensations, dozens of Jedi could be brought into the network, allowing for better coordination during the connection.
Different beings saw the Force in different ways. While Kriss saw it as a song, Jedi Knight Elzar Mann, partly because he knew that the Force would never end, saw it as an endless, deep, storm-tossed ocean. The Wookiee Burryaga Agaburry thought of it as a massive tree with deep roots and high branches, while Jedi Douglas Sunvale compared the energy field to an interlocked series of gears made from an endless number of materials. Master Loden Greatstorm felt that using the Force was like dancing with the wind, while his Padawan, Bell Zettifar, thought of it as dancing with fire. According to Chirrut Îmwe of the Guardians of the Whills, the Force moved darkly around any being that was about to kill. Despite the beliefs of the Path of the Open Hand, the Force could not be “damaged” from “overuse” by Force-users. The Path incorrectly believed that, if the Force was used, it would strike back to establish balance; for example, the Path believed that, if the Force was used to save a life in one location, the Force would arrange for another life or several more to be taken elsewhere in the name of balance. As such, the Path believed the Force needed to be “freed” from use and that Force-users were abusing it.
Although the Force is in all living things, it is seen differently by many species. For example, the Force is called Third or Second Sight for the Chiss, and is viewed as a tool to be used for lightspeed travel. A Force-sensitive for a Chiss is rare, but when it does happen, the sensitivity fades away when the Chiss are in their teens. For the Magys, it is only seen as the Beyond, and the afterlife. For the Nightsisters, it is seen as Magick, and the Force was gained through the lands of Dathomir. But no matter how the Force is perceived through culture, it is always there. Whether or not a being is Force-sensitive, the Force is still in the living plants and animals around the galaxy. Everywhere.
2. Powers and Abilities
2.1 Common Abilities and Techniques
The Force gave many supernatural powers to Force-sensitives such as the Jedi and the Sith, as well as entities like the Bendu and the Mortis gods. The potential a being had to use the Force was determined by the amount of midi-chlorians they had.
Among their various psychic abilities, Force-sensitives were capable of moving objects with their minds, manipulating others’ thoughts, putting people to sleep, and seeing the future. The ability to see the future allowed Jedi mystics and other seers to predict events far into the future, forming prophecies about the Chosen One or the Force dyad in the Sith Eternal’s lore. Force-users’ ability to see the future allowed them to see an opponent’s attacks before they came, and even navigate a ship through hyperspace.
Quick reflexes were the more immediate effects of a Force-sensitive’s ability to see the future; even without formal training, an untrained child was capable of developing Jedi-like traits. Force-sensitives’ physical strength, energy, movement, and toughness could also be increased by the Force, allowing them to crush objects with their bare hands, jump very far, float, or survive injuries that would seriously hurt or kill normal beings. During the fight on Kef Bir, for example, the Jedi apprentice Rey and Supreme Leader Kylo Ren used the energies of the Force to increase their speed, agility, and other physical traits. Although Rey gained a slight advantage in speed, Ren was physically stronger than her.
2.2 Light Side vs Dark Side Powers
Some Force techniques were used by those on either the dark side or the light, such as moving objects with the mind (telekinesis), telepathy, and enhancing one’s physical abilities. However, certain powers could only be accessed depending on the user’s alignment with the Force. Jedi younglings were taught that the Force could be used for many purposes, including protection, persuasion, gaining wisdom, manipulating matter, and performing great physical feats.
Yet while the Jedi used the light side’s abilities through a mental state of peace and calmness, the Sith relied on their passion for strength, giving them access to many abilities some considered to be unnatural.
For instance, Force lightning was a dark side ability used to torture, disfigure, and kill one’s victims. Another example of the dark side’s power was Force choke; by visualizing the ability with a claw-like or crushing hand gesture, the user could strangle a victim either to intimidate or kill them. While the Jedi used mind tricks to gently influence weak minds, the dark side could be used to force one’s way into a victim’s mind.
Through different techniques, both sides offered the ability to preserve one’s consciousness after death. Dark side users could transfer their souls into new bodies or bind their spirits to relics. Those who served the light who gained this power could become Force spirits—beings who achieved immortality by keeping their identities after becoming one with the Force.
3. The Force Through History
The Force existed as a recorded concept in the galaxy for well over twenty-five thousand years before the Galactic Civil War, with different schools of study developing separately on countless planets. The midi-chlorians, which connected the Living Force to the Cosmic Force and enabled Force-sensitive individuals to perceive the will of the Force, originated on the Wellspring of Life. Many beings believed in different myths about where the Force came from, along with myths on the right way to use and understand it. The Jedi Order once had similar stories of its own, but those were lost in a dark age.
Some believed that the origins of the Force came from Mortis. Some thought that the Force itself must have created the galaxy because of the complexity and beauty seen throughout it, but this idea wasn’t proven. Over time, the Jedi Order became the best-known organization that practiced the ways of the Force, although the galaxy had many other religions, beliefs, and practices even among those who could not control or manipulate the energy field—such as the Guardians of the Whills, who held the Jedi in high regard. The Jedi believed they were the instruments of the will of the Force, carrying out what they sensed to be its will.
3.1 Origins of the Jedi-Sith Schism
Thousands of years before the Clone Wars, the Jedi Order’s unity was shattered by a rogue Jedi who believed that true power in the Force could only be achieved through passion, rather than the serenity promoted by the Jedi way. The Jedi High Council at the time didn’t like this new direction, and the fallen Jedi was kicked out of the Order. However, a group of rebel Jedi followed the rogue into exile, resulting in a split that led to the Hundred-Year Darkness and the rise of the Sith Order.
As a result of the split between the Jedi and the Sith, the Force came to be seen as divided between their two philosophies: the Jedi’s selfless commitment to serving and defending others came to be known as the light side of the Force, while the Sith’s use of emotion and violence became known as the dark side of the Force.
3.2 The Jedi and Sith Wars
As the split between the Jedi and Sith grew, their open hostility eventually turned to open war both for control of the galaxy and to impose their own philosophy regarding the Force. During the era of the Old Republic, the Sith and Jedi fought countless wars to destroy one another. Great battles were fought between the two warring orders, and various ways of using the Force were discovered but later lost. The Sith also took to sacrificing Jedi in ancient chambers on their homeworld of Moraband, places which would remain forever tainted with the darkness of the events that happened there. The Sith also used these arts to create monsters, such as Sith snakes, which remained on Moraband until the days of the Clone Wars.
The wars between the Sith and the Jedi raged for centuries, and several worlds of the galaxy were broken by their conflict, such as Moraband, which the Sith were eventually forced to abandon, and Malachor, the site of an enormous battle that left the planet scorched with no survivors on either side. The Sith tombs in the Valley of the Dark Lords were also marked with the darkness of the deeds of those who had been buried there.
Both the Jedi and the Sith used lightsabers as their main weapons. These devices were powered by kyber crystals, special crystals with a strong connection to the Force. In addition to their study of the dark side, the Sith also took to building superweapons of power sufficient to destroy an entire planet. They would sometimes use giant kyber crystals to power these weapons. As such, gaining control of the source of the kyber crystals, which had a strong connection to the Force, was vital to both sides of the conflict.
3.3 The Jedi’s Golden Age
Eventually, in the last days of the Old Republic, the Sith had practically destroyed themselves through fighting each other, and the Jedi finally won. A modern Galactic Republic emerged from the ruins of the previous Republic and, with the Jedi as their guardians and advisors, expanded throughout the galaxy while beginning an age of peace and prosperity which would last for a thousand years. The Path of the Open Hand cult from the planet Dalna believed the Force provided for all but also, wrongly, believed the Force should not be used; to the Path, the Force needed to be “freed” from use. If used, they feared it would strike back at the universe, effectively meaning any use of the Force to save someone would bring an equal amount of destruction. As such, the Path entered into conflict with the Jedi and unleashed the Nameless. Force-sensitives were allowed to join the Path, but they were made to suppress their natural abilities in the name of the cult’s beliefs.
Later in the High Republic Era, the Jedi Order’s understanding of the Force grew because of Jedi Knight Elzar Mann, who experimented with different Force techniques. However, the Jedi of the High Republic were opposed by the Eye of the Nihil, Marchion Ro, and the Nihil raiders under his command. Ro’s family had a secret history with the Jedi connecting back to the Path, with “the faithful” amongst the Ros still believing in their alternate view of “balance.” Ro claimed that the Jedi thought themselves a group that always acted in ways that were right, only for his family to suffer because of their actions. Ro unleashed the Great Leveler against the Jedi during the conflict between the Nihil and the Republic and later sent out other members of the Nameless. Another threat faced by the Jedi, the Drengir, were strongly connected to the dark side.
3.4 Sith Resurgence: The Rule of Two
Despite the Jedi’s victory over their rival order, the Sith survived through Darth Bane. As the only surviving ancient Sith Lord, Bane created the Rule of Two to prevent further infighting within the Sith Order. From then on, their ranks consisted of only two members—the Sith Master, who embodied the dark side’s power, and the Sith apprentice, who wanted the master’s power. It was traditional for the apprentice to kill the master in order to rise within the dark side of the Force.
Although the Jedi eventually learned of Bane and his philosophy, they were convinced by his death that the Sith had truly become extinct. However, the Rule of Two ensured the survival of the Sith for generations in hiding, plotting their revenge against the Jedi Order and the restoration of Sith rule throughout the galaxy.
3.5 The Rise of the Dark Side
During the late Republic Era, Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn discovered the prophesied Chosen One in Anakin Skywalker, whose potential in the Force surpassed that of all known Jedi, including Grand Master Yoda. Skywalker’s raw strength in the Force, enhanced through Jedi training and wartime experiences, made him one of the most formidable Jedi Knights by the time of the Clone Wars. However, at the height of the war, Skywalker was enticed by the dark side of the Force through the machinations of Darth Sidious. Consequently, he betrayed the Jedi and, as Darth Vader, assisted the newly established Galactic Empire in hunting them nearly to extinction.
In the fight on Mustafar, Vader fought his former master and friend, Obi-Wan Kenobi, until he was cut down and left to die amongst the lava by Kenobi. At the same time, Yoda fought Sidious in the fight in the Galactic Senate that Yoda was forced to flee. Sensing Vader was in danger, Sidious rushed to Mustafar and found his apprentice’s scarred body, which he returned to Coruscant. Vader was sealed in a suit of life support armor. During the following Imperial Era, Vader hunted surviving Jedi with the help of the Inquisitorius, a group of dark side agents operating under “the Grand Inquisitor.” While Kenobi’s later wording implied that, by 9 BBY, not all Inquisitors were former Jedi, the initial group were all former Jedi turned to the dark side by Sidious.
By the time of the invasion of Mon Cala just a year into the Emperor’s reign, Vader and the Inquisitorius had already seen great success in hunting down Jedi survivors. That invasion would see the emergence of yet another surviving Jedi, Ferren Barr, who admitted he was not much of a Jedi anymore as he had manipulated the peoples of Mon Cala into fighting and dying in the name of bringing their great starships into a wider, galaxy-wide anti-Imperial effort. While Barr was killed by Vader, his plan succeeded when Admiral Raddus’s starships escaped the besieged planet.
3.6 The Lasat Prophecy
Following the Fall of Lasan, Lasat mystic Chava the Wise and former High Honor Guard Gron discovered a prophecy in the Lasat’s ancient writing. They embarked on a journey to find Lira San, believing their quest was foretold by the Force, or “Ashla” as they called it. Three years before the Battle of Yavin, Chava and Gron were captured by the Empire. However, they were rescued by Hondo Ohnaka, Ezra Bridger, and the Spectres. Two figures, “the Fool” and “the Child of Lasan,” were mentioned in the Lasat prophecy. Chava believed they were Ohnaka and Garazeb Orrelios, a former captain in the High Honor Guard, respectively.
Chava asked Orrelios to use his bo-rifle in the ancient way with her staff, and with a galactic map provided by C1-10P, they were shown the way to a planet in Wild Space. Believing this world to be the legendary Lira San, they attempted to reach it but were forced to exit hyperspace due to a black hole. Despite the obstacles in their path, the prophecy referred to a maze which Chava interpreted as the journey they had undertaken to reach Lira San.
When confronted by an Imperial light cruiser, Chava saw its commanding officer, ISB Agent Alexsandr Kallus, as “the Warrior” in the prophecy. Refusing to surrender to Kallus, the Spectres used Orrelios’ bo-rifle to guide their starship, the Ghost, into the star cluster. Against Kallus’ expectations, the Ghost safely navigated the gravity field and ultimately reached the location of Lira San. Chava and Gron settled on the planet, where they found other Lasat refugees, although Orrelios chose to remain with the Spectres and continue fighting the Empire.
3.7 Jedi Purge and the Chosen One
The Jedi Order was almost completely destroyed during the Imperial Era. Although a few Jedi escaped the initial purge, the survivors went into hiding while Sidious strengthened his reign as Emperor. The Galactic Empire made an effort to thoroughly erase the memory of the Jedi from the minds of the general population. The Church of the Force operated as an underground movement, preserving faith in the supernatural, but belief in the Force decreased and was doubted by skeptics such as Han Solo. Members of the Empire’s military leadership regarded the Force as the basis of an ancient religion that had no place in the New Order.
Sometime after the Battle of Atollon and during their time working together, Grand Admiral Thrawn told Vader that the Chiss Ascendancy, a mysterious empire from the Unknown Regions that Thrawn came from, used Force-sensitives as navigators due to their lack of navigation computers. The Chiss knew the Force as the Sight, and their Force-sensitives were overwhelmingly female, though they would grow out of their sensitivity after childhood. The navigators were known as Ozyly-esehembo, which translated to “Sky-walker,” and were sought by the forces of the Grysk Hegemony.
Although Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin was a veteran of the Clone Wars, and had therefore witnessed the Jedi’s use of the Force, he believed that the Jedi Order was extinct and Vader was the last trace of the Jedi religion. Ultimately, the prophecy of the Chosen One was realized when Vader killed Sidious in order to protect his son, Luke Skywalker, who followed the Jedi path like his father before him. Having fulfilled his destiny at the cost of his life, Anakin Skywalker died and became one with the Force. Through his final actions, the Sith were destroyed and balance was restored to the Force, with Luke emerging as the last of the Jedi in the aftermath of the Battle of Endor.
3.8 Legacy
Although the Jedi prophecy foretold that the Chosen One would bring about the destruction of the Sith, it never predicted the end of the dark side of the Force. With balance restored to the Force, Luke Skywalker gradually worked to rebuild the order that had been decimated by his father and the Emperor. Recruiting over a dozen students to train in the ways of the Force, he became the Jedi Master to a new generation of Jedi. One of Skywalker’s students was his nephew, Ben Solo, in whom he saw the raw strength of the Force. Skywalker hoped that by passing his knowledge to Solo, the order would once again thrive and he would not die as the last Jedi.
However, Solo’s inherent strength was noticed by another powerful practitioner of the Force—Supreme Leader Snoke, ruler of the First Order. Although Snoke was not a Sith Lord, he was strong with the dark side of the Force. Intrigued by the potential that Solo inherited from his grandfather, Darth Vader, he influenced the young Jedi to embrace the dark side. Skywalker sensed the darkness rising in his apprentice’s heart and nearly gave into the temptation of killing Solo before his future as a dark warrior came to pass. As a result, Solo felt betrayed by his master and proceeded to destroy his Jedi training temple by burning it, killing most of the apprentices. Skywalker survived the destruction, which he felt responsible for, and went into self-imposed exile out of shame for his part in Solo’s fall.
Having rejected both his family and the legacy of the Jedi, Solo renounced his birth name and adopted the identity of Kylo Ren—apprentice to the Supreme Leader, warlord and champion of the First Order, and master of the Knights of Ren. But in gaining the former Ben Solo as a disciple, Snoke was concerned that his apprentice’s equal in the light would rise as Ren grew stronger in the darkness. Believing Skywalker would be the light’s champion, the Supreme Leader hoped that Ren would grow powerful enough to kill his uncle, and therefore, complete the purge that his grandfather began. Snoke had been wrong, however. The one who rose to meet Ren’s darkness with light was not Skywalker, but a scavenger from Jakku named Rey. Her encounter with Ren awakened her long-dormant connection to the Force which, combined with Ren’s inner conflict, allowed the untrained scavenger to triumph over the dark warrior during the Battle of Starkiller Base.
Ren recovered from his defeat but was scolded by his master for becoming unbalanced and losing to an opponent with no prior experience in lightsaber combat. As he worked to regain his master’s faith, Ren discovered that a Force-bond had been formed between himself and Rey, allowing them to communicate with each other across the galaxy. The bond became increasingly powerful as their connections grew more frequent, giving Rey insights into Ren’s inner turmoil and pain.
After touching hands through the Force, Rey confronted Ren in person with the intention of turning him back to the light. Her arrival resulted in Ren betraying Snoke, killing him and later claiming his throne. He wanted to rule the galaxy with Rey, but she rejected his offer and returned to her allies in the Resistance. During the Battle of Crait, the new Supreme Leader was confronted by his former master. Skywalker projected his appearance on Crait from his actual location on Ahch-To, and although the effort led to his death, his stand against the First Order served to inspire hope across the galaxy.
One year after the start of the First Order-Resistance War, the Sith’s rebirth was prevented, as Rey killed Darth Sidious, who had been brought back to life after his death during the Battle of Endor by transferring his consciousness to a clone body, and the Resistance and Citizens’ Fleet defeated the Sith Eternal. The destruction of the Sith ushered in a new era.
4. Sacred Sites and Structures of the Force
4.1 Jedi temples
The first simple Jedi temple was built on Ahch-To, but as the centuries passed and the Jedi Order spread, the thousands of temples they built across the galaxy became more complex and unique. The most famous Jedi Temple of all, located on Coruscant, served as the home of the Jedi High Council and the vast library of information known as the Jedi Archives. When the Empire took control of the galaxy, the Temple on Coruscant became their new Imperial Palace. Most Jedi temples on other worlds were searched for their ancient secrets by Imperial forces and then destroyed. Some Jedi temples, like the one on Lothal, were hidden in plain sight and could only be found by those strong in the light side of The Force, though the empire was never really that far behind. Ach-To’s simple stone huts and forbidding caves may be where the Jedi began, but as the Order’s influence spread across the Galaxy, so did the number of places where the force could be worshipped-by followers of both the light side of the Force, and dark side of the Force.
4.2 Temple of the Kyber
The Temple of the Kyber’s enormous spire stretched high above Jedha City, welcoming all believers. The temple was home to the Church of the Force, a group whose followers had no Force-sensitive members yet still chose to follow the teachings of the Jedi Order. The Church of the Force started as an underground movement during a time when the empire strictly forbade the group’s form of worship, but their flock only grew stronger, despite continued oppression over the years. The Temple of the Kyber was protected by the Guardians of the Whills, a nearly extinct order of fiercely loyal warrior monks, until the Jedha’s Holy City was destroyed when the Empire used the area as a test site for the first Death Star Superlaser.
4.3 Sith temples
While Jedi temples could be found on countless worlds during the days of the Galactic Republic, by that time, most of the ancient Sith temples had long since been buried. One of these grim, pyramid-shaped structures managed to survive the passage of time in the caves beneath the surface of the planet Malachor. This was the site of the Great Scourge of Malachor, a brutal massacre that decimated the Sith Order (Sith Empire) eons ago. The temple, filled with the petrified remains of those who fell in combat, lay dormant for thousands of years until it was rediscovered by Kanan Jarrus’ cell of rebels. It is said that those who visit Malachor’s hidden temple can be overwhelmed by the rage and hate that still infused the Sith ashes covering the site.
4.4 Fortress Vader
It seems fitting that Darth Vader’s ultimate monument to himself was built so close to the site of his most brutal defeat. Constructed on top of a Sith cave on Mustafar, the lava-covered world where Obi-Wan Kenobi defeated his former apprentice and left him to die, this obsidian stronghold was where Darth Vader would go to meditate and heal between battles. The castle’s unique shape was based on designs by the ancient Sith Lord Darth Momin and was specifically attuned to the dark energies of that world in order to pierce the veil between life and death. It was the loss of Padme that had completed Anakin’s journey to the dark side, and finding a way to see her again became Vader’s secret obsession for the rest of his days.
4.5 Beyond the Temple
By 34 ABY, almost all the great shrines dedicated to the Jedi and the Sith had been lost to history. Even the oldest of them all, the sacred Jedi Tree on Ach-To, was ultimately reduced to ashes by Grand Master Yoda. But those who truly worship the Force understand they need not travel to a temple to find it. They only need look within themselves.
5. Cosmotic and Acosmotic Views of the Force
For decades, the Star Wars saga has captivated audiences worldwide, largely due to its portrayal of an epic struggle between good and evil through the Force. This cosmic conflict resonates with viewers across cultures, religions, and backgrounds – a universality that creator George Lucas intentionally aimed for. Inspired by Joseph Campbell’s concept of the monomyth, Lucas sought to distill core moral teachings shared across belief systems into a modern galactic myth.
At its heart, Star Wars presents an internal struggle we all face between selflessness and compassion on one side, and greed and cruelty on the other. This spiritual dimension has made Star Wars a kind of Rorschach test, with commentators often revealing more about their own beliefs than the films themselves when analyzing its mythology. Indeed, books have been written arguing that Star Wars truly represents Christianity, Buddhism, Daoism, Hinduism and other traditions.
While Lucas aimed to create a transcultural moral framework, this approach has led to some philosophical inconsistencies in how good and evil are portrayed through the Force. At times, the light and dark sides fit a “cosmotic” view where good and evil are mismatched opponents in a cosmic battle. This aligns with traditions like Zoroastrianism, Platonism, and Augustinian Christianity, which see good as more fundamentally real and evil as a defective absence of good.
In other instances, the Force is depicted more in line with “acosmotic” philosophies like Daoism, which view light and dark as interrelated, balanced elements of a greater whole rather than opposing forces. This creates an underlying tension in how morality functions in the Star Wars universe.
5.1 The Cosmotic View
The cosmotic portrayal of the Force borrows from belief systems that posit a divine, ordered universe governed by natural and moral laws. In this view, good and evil are locked in an eternal cosmic struggle, with good seen as more aligned with the fundamental nature of reality.
This echoes ancient traditions like Zoroastrianism, where the good creator deity Ahura Mazda is eternally opposed by evil forces led by Angra Mainyu. Similarly, Platonic and Augustinian thought equate goodness with true being and evil with a privation or absence of good. For Augustine, God represents the fullness of being and goodness, with all existence deriving its share of goodness simply by existing.
Crucially, cosmotic views do not advocate for balance between good and evil. The goal is not to find the right amount of evil to offset good, but rather to eradicate evil entirely as an unnatural aberration. This aligns with how Jedi often describe the Force, especially in the original Star Wars trilogy.
Throughout those films, characters refer simply to “the Force” rather than qualifying it as “the light side.” This implies that the Force in its natural state is inherently good, while the dark side is a corrupted deviation needing a special modifier. Obi-Wan reinforces this when telling Luke that Darth Vader was seduced by the dark side’s unnatural power, becoming “twisted and evil, more machine than man.” This echoes the Christian and Platonic notion that turning away from ultimate good makes one less real.
In “The Empire Strikes Back,” Yoda similarly cautions Luke that succumbing to anger and fear will set him on a dark path that will “forever dominate your destiny, consume you it will.” Even the Sith highlight this cosmotic perspective when they boast about the “power of the dark side,” acknowledging their Faustian pact with an evil force.
The cosmotic view manifests in the devastating galactic wars between Empire and Rebellion, Sith and Jedi. The Jedi make no attempt to rehabilitate or coexist with the Sith, seeing total eradication of dark side followers as the only path to resolution. This absolutist mentality mirrors historical Christian crusaders who justified killing enemies as “malecide” – destroying evil itself rather than humans.
Notably, Jedi in the first six films never speak of balancing light and dark. Their understanding of balance, as referenced in the Prophecy of the Chosen One, implies eliminating the Sith entirely to allow unchallenged Jedi supremacy. This cosmotic view reaches its apotheosis at the end of Return of the Jedi, with evil seemingly vanquished as rebels and Ewoks celebrate on an Edenic Endor.
5.2 The Acosmotic View
While the light and dark sides often function like cosmotic antagonists, they also sometimes resemble the paired opposites found in acosmotic philosophies like Daoism. This view rejects both the privation theory of evil and being-centered metaphysics in favor of a processive worldview emphasizing balance rather than struggle.
Daoism teaches that all things are part of the Dao, with apparent individuals actually being interrelated processes within a greater whole. Rather than moving toward a final end state, the Dao is in perpetual becoming, developing integrity through the interconnectedness of all things. This closely aligns with Obi-Wan’s initial description of the Force as an energy field generated by all living beings that envelops us, permeates us, and holds the galaxy together.
The quintessential acosmotic concept in Daoism is yin and yang – interrelated elements that balance and mutually define each other rather than being locked in conflict. Daoist thought sees ultimate truth as beyond good and evil, giving birth to both. This naturalized conception of morality contrasts sharply with Augustine’s judgments based on proximity to God’s will.
One clear connection between Star Wars and Daoism is the concept of wuwei or “non-coercive action.” This counsels acting spontaneously and naturally rather than according to formal norms. We see this when Obi-Wan tells Luke to “act on instinct” during lightsaber training. It’s even clearer when Luke turns off his targeting computer during the Death Star trench run, following Obi-Wan’s spirit urging him to “use the Force” and “let go.” Only by feeling his connection to the Force can Luke achieve his goal by doing as little as possible.
5.3 Evolution of Force Mythology in Star wars Movies
The sequel trilogy that began with The Force Awakens promised to shed new light on the nature of the Force. However, the first two entries largely reinforced existing tensions between cosmotic and acosmotic portrayals without resolving them.
The Force Awakens reintroduced the Jedi-Sith conflict in familiar cosmotic terms. The First Order, led by the dark side user Kylo Ren, seeks to crush the Resistance and restore imperial rule. Meanwhile, Rey embarks on a heroic journey to become a Jedi and restore balance to the Force – implicitly by defeating the First Order.
However, The Last Jedi complicated this narrative by introducing more acosmotic elements. Luke Skywalker, disillusioned with Jedi teachings, argues that the Force does not belong to any one group. He guides Rey to a mosaic on Ahch-To depicting the “Prime Jedi” in a meditative pose balancing light and dark. This implies an older, more Daoist understanding of the Force predating the rigid dualism of Jedi and Sith.
The film also introduces the concept of “Force dyads” – pairs of Force-sensitive individuals with a profound connection transcending light and dark alignments. This manifests in the link between Rey and Kylo Ren, suggesting their opposition may itself be part of a larger balance.
Yet The Last Jedi still retained cosmotic elements, with characters like Snoke firmly embracing dark side power and Rey ultimately rejecting Kylo Ren’s offer to “let old things die” and forge a new order beyond light and dark. The film left audiences with lingering questions about the true nature of the Force and balance.
5.4 A New Synthesis in The Rise of Skywalker
The Rise of Skywalker, the final entry in the Skywalker saga, attempted to resolve these philosophical tensions with a novel synthesis of cosmotic and acosmotic elements. While not entirely successful, it presented a more nuanced view of the Force that acknowledged both the reality of moral struggle and the ultimate interconnectedness of all things.
The film reintroduced the ancient Sith Lord Palpatine as the ultimate embodiment of dark side evil, initially framing the conflict in familiar cosmotic terms. Rey’s quest to become a Jedi and defeat this evil mirrors Luke’s journey in the original trilogy.
However, The Rise of Skywalker also expanded on the dyad concept, revealing that the connection between Rey and Kylo Ren/Ben Solo was part of a “Force destiny” greater than either light or dark. Their opposition itself created balance, with each growing stronger as the other did. This more closely aligns with Daoist notions of mutually-defining opposites.
The film’s climax attempted to reconcile these seemingly contradictory ideas. Rey confronts Palpatine not just as a Jedi, but as a conduit for “all the Jedi” who came before. Likewise, Palpatine claims to embody “all the Sith.” This frames their battle as the culmination of an age-old cosmic struggle between good and evil.
Yet Rey’s victory comes not through martial prowess or even her own power, but by opening herself to the Force as a whole – light and dark, life and death. In doing so, she reflects Palpatine’s dark side energy back upon him, ultimately destroying him with his own power. This resolution suggests that true balance comes not from eradicating darkness, but from accepting it as part of a greater whole while choosing to act in harmony with life rather than against it.
The film further reinforces this synthesis through Ben Solo’s redemption. Unlike Darth Vader’s last-minute turn in Return of the Jedi, Ben’s journey back to the light is portrayed as a gradual process of inner balance. His final act is to give his own life force to revive Rey – a selfless deed that allows him to become one with the Force despite his past dark deeds.
This ending implies a new understanding of the Force and balance: Good and evil, light and dark, are real and opposing forces. Yet they are also part of a greater unity. True mastery comes not from rejecting darkness entirely, but from accepting its existence while choosing to act in accordance with life and compassion.
6. Recent Shifts in the Depiction of the Force in Star Wars
The 2015 release of “The Force Awakens” hinted at a potential resolution to the longstanding tension in Star Wars mythology by emphasizing an acosmotic view of the Force. This represented a notable shift from the traditional cosmotic depiction that had previously dominated the franchise.
Kylo Ren challenged conventional villainous archetypes. His internal struggle with the dark side of the Force represented a nuanced approach to morality, diverging from the clear-cut good versus evil narrative of previous installments. This shift was so pronounced that even the Vatican newspaper, L’Osservatore Romano, criticized the film for its portrayal of evil, noting how it inverted traditional concepts of temptation.
The animated series “Star Wars Rebels” (2014-2018) further developed this new perspective. In a September 2016 episode, a character named Bendu described himself as “the one in the middle,” existing between the light and dark sides of the Force. This character, whose name referenced the first “Gray Jedi” in Star Wars lore, represented a step towards establishing a more balanced view of the Force in canonical stories.
Anticipation for “The Last Jedi” grew as trailers hinted at a deeper exploration of this acosmotic terrain. Luke Skywalker’s ominous declaration that “it’s time for the Jedi to end” and Kylo Ren’s urging to “let the past die” fueled speculation about the potential introduction of Gray Jedi – Force users who balance light and dark – into the main film series.
Initially, “The Last Jedi” seemed to fulfill these expectations. Luke Skywalker appeared as a disillusioned figure, criticizing the Jedi Order’s presumptuous claims to represent the entire Force and their futile attempts to eradicate the dark side. The film also explored a complex relationship between Rey and Kylo Ren, blurring the lines between hero and villain.
However, the film’s final act appeared to revert to a more traditional good versus evil narrative. This shift left many fans disappointed, feeling that the promised exploration of a more nuanced Force philosophy had been abandoned. Critics argued that the film missed an opportunity to introduce Gray Jedi and explore new moral ground.
Yet, a closer examination of “The Last Jedi” reveals a novel approach to depicting the Force, one that combines elements of both cosmotic and acosmotic cosmologies. This new interpretation can be better understood through the lens of Aztec philosophy, particularly the concept of teotl.
Teotl, as described in James Maffie’s “Aztec Philosophy: Understanding a World in Motion,” represents a dynamic, processive ontology similar to Daoism. However, where Daoism emphasizes gentle harmony, teotl achieves balance through the constant conflict of opposing forces. This perspective offers a fresh way to interpret the Force as depicted in “The Last Jedi.”
Viewing the film through this Aztec lens reveals a Force that strives for dynamic balance through conflict, rather than despite it. This interpretation aligns with the film’s portrayal of the ongoing struggle between light and dark, suggesting that this conflict is not a flaw in the cosmic order but an integral part of it.
The relationship between Rey and Kylo Ren exemplifies this dynamic. Their Force-mediated conversations and brief alliance against Snoke’s Praetorian Guard represent moments of balance achieved through the interaction of opposing forces. The subsequent sundering of their alliance and return to conflict doesn’t negate this balance but reinforces it, echoing the Aztec concept of cosmic renewal through cyclical struggle.
Luke Skywalker’s arc in the film also reflects this philosophy. His disillusionment with the Jedi Order stems from a recognition of the necessity of both light and dark. His final act of Force projection, which simultaneously saves the Resistance and confronts the First Order, embodies the idea of achieving balance through action rather than passivity.
This interpretation of the Force as a dynamic, conflict-driven balance offers a more complex and nuanced view than either the strictly cosmotic or acosmotic perspectives. It allows for the continued existence of clear moral distinctions while acknowledging the interdependence and necessary coexistence of opposing forces.
The Last Jedi’s depiction of the Force challenges viewers to move beyond simple dichotomies of good and evil. It suggests that balance is not achieved through the elimination of one side or the creation of a neutral middle ground, but through the ongoing interplay of opposing forces. This view aligns with the Aztec concept of teotl, where cosmic balance is maintained through cyclical conflict and renewal.
This new interpretation of the Force also has implications for character development in the Star Wars universe. It allows for more complex and morally ambiguous characters, as seen in the evolving portrayals of both Rey and Kylo Ren. Their struggles and moments of connection represent the dynamic balance at the heart of this new Force philosophy.
Furthermore, this perspective on the Force offers rich possibilities for future Star Wars narratives. It opens the door to stories that explore the nuances of morality and the nature of cosmic balance without sacrificing the epic conflicts that have always been central to the franchise.
The influence of Aztec philosophy in this interpretation also highlights the potential for incorporating diverse philosophical traditions into popular narratives. By drawing parallels between the Force and teotl, The Last Jedi inadvertently showcases the value of looking beyond Western philosophical frameworks to understand complex cosmic concepts.
This approach to the Force also resonates with contemporary discussions about morality and the nature of good and evil. In a world often painted in black and white, The Last Jedi’s portrayal of the Force encourages viewers to consider the complexity and interdependence of opposing forces in both cosmic and personal scales.
Critics who argued that The Last Jedi missed an opportunity by not introducing Gray Jedi may have overlooked the more subtle, but potentially more profound, shift in the film’s Force philosophy. Rather than creating a neutral middle ground, the film presents a dynamic system where balance is achieved through the constant interplay of light and dark.
This interpretation also offers a new perspective on the Jedi and Sith Orders. Instead of viewing them as absolute representations of good and evil, they can be seen as manifestations of the ongoing cosmic struggle necessary for balance. Their conflict is not a flaw to be resolved but an essential part of the Force’s nature.
The Last Jedi’s approach to the Force also has implications for how we view personal growth and moral development. It suggests that internal conflicts and struggles with opposing impulses are not necessarily signs of weakness or moral failure, but part of a larger balancing act. This perspective can offer a more compassionate and nuanced view of human nature and moral decision-making.
Looking forward, this new interpretation of the Force opens up exciting possibilities for future Star Wars stories. It allows for exploration of complex moral dilemmas, the nature of cosmic balance, and the role of conflict in maintaining that balance. Future films and series could delve deeper into these themes, potentially offering even richer and more nuanced portrayals of the Force and those who wield it.
7. Balance Through Conflict: The Last Jedi’s Force Philosophy
The Last Jedi presents an acosmotic view of the Force that may be easily overlooked due to its departure from more familiar philosophical frameworks. While the film acknowledges the presence of light in Kylo Ren and darkness in Rey, it suggests a version of the Force that cannot be fully balanced within a single individual. This interpretation challenges the expectations of critics who anticipated a more straightforward resolution to the light-dark dichotomy.
If the Force could be perfectly balanced within one person, it might resemble Anaximander’s concept of the apeiron or “indeterminate boundless” – a hypothetical primordial substance lacking distinct traits. Such a Force would be analogous to lukewarm, gray mud, resulting in a galaxy populated by uninteresting “Gray Jedi.” Instead, The Last Jedi proposes a view of the Force that achieves balance through the conflict of opposites, echoing the Aztec ideal of teotl.
7.1 Teotl: The Aztec Worldview
James Maffie’s groundbreaking work, “Aztec Philosophy,” illuminates a sophisticated philosophical system developed by the Aztec people. At its core is the concept of teotl, a dynamic, self-generating, and self-regenerating sacred energy that permeates all of reality. Teotl is not a static entity but a process akin to a flowing river or a thunderstorm, constantly in flux and transformation.
While teotl shares some similarities with the Daoist concept of the Dao, it differs in how balance is maintained. Teotl’s process of continuous self-transformation is characterized by what Maffie terms “agonistic inamic unity” – the cyclical struggle of paired opposites or dualities. This concept of balance through conflict provides a compelling framework for understanding the Force as depicted in The Last Jedi.
7.2 Inimic Pairs and Cosmic Balance
In Aztec philosophy, reality is composed of countless processes governed by naturally matched opposite pairs, or inimic pairs. These pairs balance and mutually define each other, ranging from gentle interactions like those between dancers or complementary foods to more tumultuous relationships like life and death or light and darkness.
The Aztec worldview acknowledges that conflict, pain, and brutality are intrinsic to the cosmos. Some inimic pairs engage in momentous and painful interactions, as the domination of one side over the other would lead to catastrophe. Life emerges from death, and death from life, in a perpetual cycle of interdependence and struggle.
7.3 Teotl and the Force in The Last Jedi
Viewing The Last Jedi through the lens of teotl offers a new perspective on the relationship between Rey and Kylo Ren. Their failed friendship and botched romance serve as a reminder of the Nahuatl metaphor of life as a slippery path, filled with inevitable pain, failure, and conflict that cannot always be mitigated.
The Force, as portrayed in the film, necessitates the separation of Rey and Kylo Ren. It requires light to be distinct from darkness, allowing them to balance the Force through their struggle rather than blending into a muddled middle ground. This interpretation aligns with the Aztec view that reality is not progressing toward an end time where good triumphs over evil, but rather exists as a living process for its own sake.
7.4 Amoral Cosmic Forces
Unlike Abrahamic or Zoroastrian belief systems, Aztec metaphysics does not conceive of reality or human existence as a struggle between good and evil. Teotl is fundamentally amoral, differing significantly from the dualistic worldviews that have influenced much of Western religious and philosophical thought.
This perspective sheds light on Luke Skywalker’s criticism of the Jedi Order in The Last Jedi. The Jedi’s service to the light side did not make them truer servants of the Force than the Sith. From this viewpoint, the Force required both the Sith and the Jedi to raise their respective banners – Bogan and Ashla – and serve their side of the Force. Neither was inherently right or wrong in doing so, as the Force needed their struggle for life to exist and to bind the galaxy together.
7.5 Implications for the Star Wars Universe
The interpretation of the Force as akin to teotl explains why the idea of “Gray Jedi” – individuals who maintain perfect balance between light and dark within themselves – may be incompatible with the cosmology presented in The Last Jedi. The Force, in this view, seeks balance through struggle: as light rises, darkness rises to meet it.
This understanding of the Force emphasizes that reality is not about static entities like light or darkness, but about the dynamic processes of rising, balancing, and struggling. It suggests that future Star Wars narratives may continue to explore this more complex and nuanced view of the Force, moving away from simplistic good-versus-evil dichotomies.
7.6 Scholarly Exploration of Pop Culture
While it is unlikely that the creators of The Last Jedi had Aztec philosophy specifically in mind, this analysis demonstrates the value of scholarly explorations of popular culture. Such investigations provide opportunities for hermeneutical interactions between pop culture phenomena and foundational beliefs, deepening our appreciation of cultural artifacts and strengthening our grasp of concepts that can aid us in navigating life’s challenges.
In this case, the concept of teotl adds a new dimension to the discussion about good and evil in Star Wars, potentially helping viewers better appreciate the controversial elements of The Last Jedi. Additionally, just as Star Wars has illuminated religious and philosophical concepts from various traditions for countless students, The Last Jedi might serve as a gateway for understanding and appreciating the often-overlooked richness of Aztec cosmology.
