Post by wordweaver3 on Jul 15, 2018 4:55:45 GMT
I wanna discuss Star Wars more, cuz I'm single minded.
Specifically I want to discuss The Force nerdily in depth.
First I want to look at the main ways The Force is presented. The first and most common is the Taoism concept of the Yin and the Yang. That it's some form of Qi (or Chi) life force that demands harmony.
The second is that is a will of a greater being, a God or celestial creature that has a long ranging plan for the future.
The third is that it is part of the physics of the universe, like gravity and time.
The fourth is that it's just a deus ex machina that does what it needs to for story purposes.
What it has become is something of a mixture of all of these, what it started out as was something totally different. Of all the damage done by the prequels, what happened to The Force was the most destructive to the continuation of the series. And no, it wasn't the Midichlorians that caused the damage.
Let's explore the first explanation of The Force. Obi Wan brings it up in conversation and Luke is unfamiliar with the term, Obi Wan explains:
"The Force is what gives the Jedi his power. It's an energy field created by all living things. It surrounds us and penetrates us, it binds the galaxy together."
The part that is often missed is "created by", something reaffirmed by Yoda in Empire. This is deeply important because it turns the conventional understanding of the universe on its head. Life creates The Force, and The Force binds the galaxy (reality) together. Life does not exist at the behest of the universe, the universe exists because life exists. It's conceivable that the reason the Star Wars universe has developed space travel on such a wide scale is due to The Force pressing civilizations to expand onto other planets to spread more life. This is why The Force has a will, it is born from things with a will. Unlike gravity or time, which only do what they do despite the consequences, The Force can adjust its influence to suit a better outcome. The goal being the preservation of life, which in turn preserves the universe, and most importantly, itself.
What's more, since The Force is the binding fabric of reality, all other energies bend to its will. This is why it can be used to look into the future, lift heavy objects, alter perception of reality, and channel raw (unlimited!) power from your fingertips. Conceivably many, many more things can be done with it that haven't been explored yet.
"The ability to destroy a planet is insignificant next to the power of The Force."
This might seem laughable, but being willing to destroy a planet and life on a massive scale means you are in direct conflict with the will of The Force, an energy that we've established binds the universe and bends reality. Probably the existence of the Death Star isn't an affront, but the use of it is. Once Tarken used the weapon the force started to influence events with an ultimate goal of eliminating the Death Star. This is why an impossible shot could be made by Luke in the finale as he allowed himself to be a vessel for The Force's will.
"You mean it controls your actions?"
"Partially, but it also obeys your commands."
Contrary to its name, The Force can't actually "force" you to do anything. It can push you toward an outcome, but it can't make you do anything against your own will. This is why the future can be predicted, but not known for a fact. The will of the living trumps the will of The Force. Probably because the living create the energy required to make The Force.
"The Force can have a strong influence on the weak minded."
However, that's not to say The Force can't be used by one will to override another will, providing that will is sufficiently weak.
Now, with a little more insight into the force, let's go back to the prequels and what really damaged the notion of the force. The real problem is the notion of "balance", a subject that never came up in the OT. The light/dark in The Force certainly conjures up the image of the yin and yang, but the duality is not of equal, but opposite, forces struggling for a balance. The Force is never out of balance, by its nature it can't be. It can be disturbed, strengthened or weakened, but not unbalanced. The Force is life, but with life comes death, that is the dark side. The two sides are not coequal, one is the causality of the other.
"A Jedi uses The Force for knowledge and defense, never attack."
Since the Dark Side is death, the powers associated with the Sith are deadly. That being said, their use is ultimately detrimental to The Force as causing death weakens it. It should be noted that the Dark Side is not necessarily evil, but using it is. In the same way that death is not evil but murder is. This goes a long way toward explaining why the Jedi need a lightsaber, as it gives them a deadly option without having to resort to using The Force. This may seem like splitting hairs if the reasoning behind it isn't understood.
"Is the Dark Side stronger?"
"No! No. Quicker, easier, more seductive."
Think of The Force like we might think of a surgeon's scalpel. If you spend many years of study and dedication to the craft you can learn to use it to ease pain, improve well being, or even save lives, but it's easy to just jam a scalpel into someone's flesh. If all you are interested in is causing damage and exploiting others, the Dark Side is the easier path. There is a danger though, while the Dark Side user's will does trump the will of The Force, meaning The Force can't cut off access, The Force will start to work against the user in subtle ways. Typically by guiding a Light Side user onto a converging path. It's also possible that it can slightly adjust events surrounding this Light Side user, perhaps by altering the trajectory of blaster bolts or other conveniences.
Specifically I want to discuss The Force nerdily in depth.
First I want to look at the main ways The Force is presented. The first and most common is the Taoism concept of the Yin and the Yang. That it's some form of Qi (or Chi) life force that demands harmony.
The second is that is a will of a greater being, a God or celestial creature that has a long ranging plan for the future.
The third is that it is part of the physics of the universe, like gravity and time.
The fourth is that it's just a deus ex machina that does what it needs to for story purposes.
What it has become is something of a mixture of all of these, what it started out as was something totally different. Of all the damage done by the prequels, what happened to The Force was the most destructive to the continuation of the series. And no, it wasn't the Midichlorians that caused the damage.
Let's explore the first explanation of The Force. Obi Wan brings it up in conversation and Luke is unfamiliar with the term, Obi Wan explains:
"The Force is what gives the Jedi his power. It's an energy field created by all living things. It surrounds us and penetrates us, it binds the galaxy together."
The part that is often missed is "created by", something reaffirmed by Yoda in Empire. This is deeply important because it turns the conventional understanding of the universe on its head. Life creates The Force, and The Force binds the galaxy (reality) together. Life does not exist at the behest of the universe, the universe exists because life exists. It's conceivable that the reason the Star Wars universe has developed space travel on such a wide scale is due to The Force pressing civilizations to expand onto other planets to spread more life. This is why The Force has a will, it is born from things with a will. Unlike gravity or time, which only do what they do despite the consequences, The Force can adjust its influence to suit a better outcome. The goal being the preservation of life, which in turn preserves the universe, and most importantly, itself.
What's more, since The Force is the binding fabric of reality, all other energies bend to its will. This is why it can be used to look into the future, lift heavy objects, alter perception of reality, and channel raw (unlimited!) power from your fingertips. Conceivably many, many more things can be done with it that haven't been explored yet.
"The ability to destroy a planet is insignificant next to the power of The Force."
This might seem laughable, but being willing to destroy a planet and life on a massive scale means you are in direct conflict with the will of The Force, an energy that we've established binds the universe and bends reality. Probably the existence of the Death Star isn't an affront, but the use of it is. Once Tarken used the weapon the force started to influence events with an ultimate goal of eliminating the Death Star. This is why an impossible shot could be made by Luke in the finale as he allowed himself to be a vessel for The Force's will.
"You mean it controls your actions?"
"Partially, but it also obeys your commands."
Contrary to its name, The Force can't actually "force" you to do anything. It can push you toward an outcome, but it can't make you do anything against your own will. This is why the future can be predicted, but not known for a fact. The will of the living trumps the will of The Force. Probably because the living create the energy required to make The Force.
"The Force can have a strong influence on the weak minded."
However, that's not to say The Force can't be used by one will to override another will, providing that will is sufficiently weak.
Now, with a little more insight into the force, let's go back to the prequels and what really damaged the notion of the force. The real problem is the notion of "balance", a subject that never came up in the OT. The light/dark in The Force certainly conjures up the image of the yin and yang, but the duality is not of equal, but opposite, forces struggling for a balance. The Force is never out of balance, by its nature it can't be. It can be disturbed, strengthened or weakened, but not unbalanced. The Force is life, but with life comes death, that is the dark side. The two sides are not coequal, one is the causality of the other.
"A Jedi uses The Force for knowledge and defense, never attack."
Since the Dark Side is death, the powers associated with the Sith are deadly. That being said, their use is ultimately detrimental to The Force as causing death weakens it. It should be noted that the Dark Side is not necessarily evil, but using it is. In the same way that death is not evil but murder is. This goes a long way toward explaining why the Jedi need a lightsaber, as it gives them a deadly option without having to resort to using The Force. This may seem like splitting hairs if the reasoning behind it isn't understood.
"Is the Dark Side stronger?"
"No! No. Quicker, easier, more seductive."
Think of The Force like we might think of a surgeon's scalpel. If you spend many years of study and dedication to the craft you can learn to use it to ease pain, improve well being, or even save lives, but it's easy to just jam a scalpel into someone's flesh. If all you are interested in is causing damage and exploiting others, the Dark Side is the easier path. There is a danger though, while the Dark Side user's will does trump the will of The Force, meaning The Force can't cut off access, The Force will start to work against the user in subtle ways. Typically by guiding a Light Side user onto a converging path. It's also possible that it can slightly adjust events surrounding this Light Side user, perhaps by altering the trajectory of blaster bolts or other conveniences.