Opentopia Directory Encyclopedia Tools

Force powers

Encyclopedia : F : FO : FOR : Force powers


In the fictional Star Wars universe, Force powers are the manifestations of a Jedi/Sith's connection with the Force. Various abilities have been seen in both the movies and Star Wars games licensed or developed by Lucasarts, where 'official' names and definitions are given.

The term 'Force power' originated in the Star Wars Roleplaying Game, by West End Games. Later, it was used in ', where they could be gained via a system of Force 'points'. The game has 12 powers (though more are presented below), each labeled as being Neutral (later known as 'Core'), Light and Dark. Note that some powers although have different names, describing the same power in different levels or ways of use. The names are often preceded by Force.... For example, Grip is mostly known as Force Grip'''.

According to the theory that the Force is one, the Light and Dark powers actually don't describe the Force, but they define how an individual uses it: to harm directly his enemies, or help himself overcome situations. Thus the aggressive abilities belong to the Dark Side, while those that are healing, defensive or diversive belong to the Light Side.

This is demonstrated in the games: In ', the dark Jedi cast powers that belong to the Light Side (like Persuasion). In ', Kyle Katarn, who belongs to the Light Side, makes use of Grip and Lightning, possibly because of his experience while fighting Maw, and later in Dromund Kaas. This, along with Force Strike and Force Throw, indicates that Jedi of high level can use these abilities according to their wisdom, since their high experience averts them from slanting towards the Dark Side. In some Star Wars computer games, however, using abilities of an opposing alignment is more explicitly penalized, by costing more Force power to harness.

Core

The Core powers are the first a Jedi or Sith learns, and, for the most part, directly affect his own body or objects without actually harming or benefiting other people. Core powers, also known as Universal Powers, are usually not associated with any particular side.

  • Burst of Speed - Makes the user able to maintain sprinting speeds (even moving in awkward directions like backwards) for as long as the effect lasts. Since it seems that the power may bend the subjective time of the user making everything seem slower. Greater aptitude grants boosts to speed and/or greater duration. The ability first appeared in the book Shadows Of The Empire during a fight between Luke Skywalker and Guri. It is further shown in the films at the beginning of Episode I, when Droidekas sent by Nute Gunray attempt to kill Obi-Wan Kenobi and Qui-Gon Jinn. The duo use a burst of speed to evade the deadly droids. It could be argued that Darth Sidious used this power against Mace Windu's party of Jedi when he leaped from his chair and killed two Jedi. In the latter chapters of the Jedi Knight series of games, it is implied that, paired with the precognitive form of Force Sense (see below), a Jedi is able to use Speed to dodge any fire that they would ordinarily be unable to deflect/absorb, most notably disruptor rifle fire. It is also used in the Clone Wars Cartoon Network microseries, especially by Mace Windu. He uses it to take out entire armies of battle droids.
  • Light

    To the Light Side are powers who benefit the Jedi personally by protecting or defending him. Those that affect others often make no direct or permanent harm to targets, but rather help the Jedi overcome them in peaceful ways (eg Force Blinding).

  • Blinding - With this power, a Jedi can obfuscate any person's vision, making it very difficult for the Jedi to be spotted, targeted, or defended against. This power can be countered by Sense.
  • Dark

    To the dark side belong powers used to harm or kill targets. Some (like Rage or Drain) are used to benefit the caster personally, like some powers of the Light Side, with the difference that these can be used at the expense of his own health or another individual's Force reserve. It is often stressed (particularly in the Star Wars games) that the powers themselves are not inherently evil, but rather reflect the alignment of the Force-user (Jedi/Sith), these powers are often labelled as "evil" due to their common usage, or because of the people who use them. Some of these powers can be used for good, just as some powers traditionally considered light can be used for malevolent purposes. Although it is said that users of dark powers become evil only when the powers are used for personal gain, it has been reported that continuous use of these abilities has a corrupting effect on the Force-user.

    *Crush - This deadly Force ability lifts the opponent, whose body literally implodes as it is crushed inward by this power. This power first appeared in ', and is demonstrated by Darth Vader when interrogating a Rebel on Hoth in the graphic novel '.
    *Chain Lightning - This variant of Force lightning is different in that now the target is one and there is a chance that the lightning will move to another person. It appears only in the video game, and curiously is used by Kyle Katarn and Mara Jade who belong to the Light Side.
    *Emerald Lightning (disputed as dark side power) - This is a variation of Force lightning used by Luke Skywalker in The Unifying Force against the Yuuzahn Vong Slayers. It is identical to regular Force lightning except for the fact that it is emerald green in appearance.

    Notes

    Vader's limitation

    It should be noted that Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader, despite being a Sith, is unable to generate or deflect Force Lightning after his cybernetic transformation in Episode III. Before then, he could conceivably have done so (and did in some instances in the Expanded Universe); however, Force Lightning requires an intact hand to direct and generate. Having lost both of his, any attempt by Vader to generate it would electrocute his life-support system -- which is ultimately what kills him in Episode VI. It is (in part) because of this deficiency that Darth Sidious, despite having Anakin Skywalker as his ultimate apprentice, finds him less than satisfactory and sets about finding a new apprentice, finally settling on Vader's son, Luke. (Note: In the Star Wars comic book adaptation of Splinter of the Mind's Eye, Darth Vader has no problem using Force lightning. Likewise, in the video game "Star Wars: Masters of Teras Kasi", Darth Vader uses Force lightning, though it comes from the air directly above his opponents, not himself. This may be yet another version of Force Lightning, in which Vader directs lightning from a storm he generates with the Force.)

    Characters capable of wielding Force Lightning

    List of characters in Star Wars who could wield Force Lightning and its variants. Note that some of them are not Sith:

     


    From Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Original article here. Support Wikipedia by contributing or donating.
    All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License See Wikipedia Copyrights for details.

    Search Titles
    0123456789
    ABCDEFGHIJ
    KLMNOPQRST
    UVWXYZ?

    E-mail this article to:

    Personal Message: