— Ch. 1 · Origins And Creation —
The Force.
~6 min read · Ch. 1 of 6
George Lucas created the concept of the Force to advance the plot of Star Wars in 1977. He also wanted to awaken a certain kind of spirituality in young audiences without endorsing any specific religion. The first draft of Star Wars makes two references to the Force of Others and does not explain the concept clearly. King Kayos utters the blessing May the Force of Others be with you all in that early script. 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 ten and thirty-one times respectively in that version. Lucas finished the fourth and near-final draft on the 1st of January 1976. This version trims the Force of Others to just the Force and eliminates the Kyber Crystal entirely. Producer Gary Kurtz 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 Kyber Crystal. Lucas used the term the Force to echo its use by Canadian cinematographer Roman Kroitor in Arthur Lipsett's 21-87 from 1963. In that film Kroitor says many people feel that in the contemplation of nature they become aware of some kind of force behind this apparent mask.
Evolution Of Mechanics
The Phantom Menace from 1999 introduces midi-chlorians as microscopic creatures that connect characters to the Force. Qui-Gon Jinn states that these microscopic lifeforms exist inside all living cells and allow some characters to be Force-sensitive. Characters must have a high enough midi-chlorian count to feel and use the Force according to the film. Midi-chlorians are sentient and arguably were the first species to emerge in the Star Wars universe. The Living Force is the energy generated by all living things and flows through midi-chlorians into the Cosmic Force. In a rough draft of Revenge of the Sith from 2005 Palpatine says he used the power of the Force to will the midichlorians to start cell divisions that created Anakin Skywalker. This line was removed as the script progressed. Lucas later requested a passage about midi-chlorians be retroactively added to notes written in August 1977 expanding on the nature of the Force. He based the concept on symbiogenesis calling midi-chlorians a loose depiction of mitochondria. Dave Filoni said in 2015 that all Star Wars characters are Force intuitive. Some characters like Luke Skywalker are aware of their connection while others such as Han Solo draw upon the Force unconsciously. The most potent Force users are those whose midi-chlorian count provides a natural affinity combined with intense training.