Star Wars Theology 101 - The Living Force, the Unifying Force, and the Chosen One
submitted 9 months ago * by Galle_Lieutenant
So, I just wrote yet another incredibly-long-post-that-probably-won't-get-read for r/starwars. I considered copying-and-pasting it here for your benefit, but now that I think about it, this is a topic that I talk about so much it really deserves a much more fundamental write-up. So this is it - the basics of my theory about the nature of the Light Side and the Dark Side, and what I believe is the central theme of the Star Wars Saga.
(this may also be the longest thing I will ever write on Reddit; you may consider it my doctoral thesis in astropolemology)
FUNDAMENTALS
This section is going to be things that are mostly pretty uncontroversial. All of it has been explicitly stated somewhere in canon.
What is the Force?
In A New Hope, Obi-Wan describes the Force as "An energy field that is generated by all living things. It surrounds us, penetrates us, and binds the galaxy together." Later explorations and extensions of the concept make it clear that the Force is a sort of pantheistic spirit - it is life and emotion given spiritual form.
What are the Living Force and Unifying Force?
The Living Force and Unifying Force are two different roles or aspects of the Force. The Living Force is the more concrete of the two - it is the Force as simply life and emotion. As a philosophy, Jedi who follow the Living Force tend to be more concerned with the concrete and the physical. They believe in treating the situation that is right in front of them. As part of the Light Side, the Living Force is the Force as love, joy, and compassion. As part of the Dark Side, the Living Force is the Force as fear, anger, and hatred.
The Unifying Force is more abstract. It is the fact that, through the Force, all minds are one. It is the Force as the soul of the galaxy. As a philosophy, Jedi who follow the Unifying Force are concerned with prophecy and the cultivation of virtue. They are more concerned with the "big picture" than with the details in front of them. As part of the Light Side, the Unifying Force is the Force as peace and tranquility. As part of the Dark Side, the Unifying Force is the Force as pride, arrogance, and ambition.
THE NATURE OF THE LIGHT SIDE AND THE DARK SIDE
Here we get into an area where I believe that many people - including many EU writers - have greatly misinterpreted the Star Wars story. A lot of this is my own speculation, but as long as I'm writing my Star Wars manifesto I kind of have to include it, as most of my analysis is built on these theories.
Case Study: Why did Anakin Skywalker fall to the Dark Side?
In the spirit of the Living Force, I'm going to lead off with a concrete example. Understanding the story of Anakin Skywalker, the Chosen One, is critical to understanding the nature of the Force. The question of why Anakin fell to the Dark Side isn't as obvious as clear-cut as you might think.
A superficial reading of the prequel trilogy suggests an obvious explanation: the Orthodox Jedi philosophy - that is, the dominant philosophy of the Jedi Order in the Prequel Era - holds that Jedi need to celibate. Otherwise, they might form attachments, get emotional, and fall to the Dark Side. Anakin breaks the celibacy policy, forms an attachment, gets emotional, and falls to the Dark Side. One could be forgiven for concluding that the Orthodox Jedi philosophy has been vindicated.
But this superficial reading misses one tiny, itsy-bitsy, but unspeakably crucial detail: that's not the end of Anakin's story.
(this may well be the single best argument against watching in release order, incidentally)
Anakin's story doesn't end on Coruscant with his fall to the Dark Side. It ends above Endor, with his return to the Light. And what brought him back to the Light?
His love for his son.
Attachment, it seems, hasn't just damned Anakin Skywalker. It's also saved him. As long as we look at the story through the eyes of the Orthodox Jedi, the climax of the Star Wars saga will forever remain a baffling and inexplicable paradox.
All of which leads me to believe that Anakin did not fall to the Dark Side because of his attachments. It was the exact opposite: Anakin Skywalker fell to the Dark Side because of his detachment. Anakin did not fail the Jedi Code, the Jedi Code failed him.
The Balance of the Force
In The Phantom Menace, the Living Force and Unifying Force are personified by the characters of Qui-Gon Jinn and Yoda - this is made explicit in part of the very first exchange of dialogue in the film:
Qui-Gon: Don't center on your anxieties, Obi-Wan. Keep your concentration here and now, where it belongs.
Obi-Wan: But Master Yoda says I should be mindful of the future.
Qui-Gon: But not at the expense of the moment. Be mindful of the Living Force, young Padawan.
Qui-Gon's role as a follower of the Living Force is also represented symbolically by the green blade of his lightsaber (unfortunately, this rule wasn't consistently followed - Yoda also has a green saber). Qui-Gon brings a Queen into a den of crime in order to protect her, lies and cheats to rescue a young boy from slavery, and goes to save the planet of Naboo from its invaders in spite of the fact that the Republic hadn't actually authorized him to.
Yoda is a follower of the Unifying Force. He is more interested in abstract prophecy and the cultivation of virtue. It's interesting (and important) that this Yoda is so different from the one we eventually see in The Empire Strikes Back. Yoda is a much more "by the book" Jedi.
Yoda is the Grand Master of the Jedi Order. Qui-Gon is an outcast who's been passed over for promotion multiple times and has difficulty getting his own padawan to listen to him.
Things are made even more clear in Attack of the Clones, when Obi-Wan discovers that the planet Kamino is not listed in the Jedi Archives. An unbelieving Jocasta Nu insists that if a planet is not in the Jedi Archives, then it doesn't exist. Anakin has to pursue his relationship with Padme in secret, and when he talks about the fine theological distinctions between love and attachment it's clear that the philosophy behind it is thoroughly confused.
The Force is out of balance. The Orthodox Jedi philosophy places the Unifying Force squarely above the Living.
Passion Versus Peace: The Orthodox Jedi View of Light and Dark
This section is mostly a recap of stuff you probably already know, so feel free to skip it.
The Orthodox Jedi philosophy holds that the Dark Side is born of emotion, while the Light Side is born of reason and tranquility. To the Orthodox Jedi, all emotions are suspect, because any one of them can potentially lead down the dark path of Fear, Anger, and Hatred. A Jedi must purge themselves of emotion, achieving a sense of spiritual tranquility and contentment.
The Orthodox Jedi attitude toward emotion is all-or-nothing deal: if you cannot suppress your emotions properly, then you will fall to the Dark Side. You must remain aloof and detached. To be good, it is vital above all else that you not care about anything.
The Orthodox Jedi philosophy is wrong.
The True Nature of the Light Side and Dark Side
Reason and tranquility are a part of the Light Side, yes, but not the only part. Love, joy, compassion, hope, courage - all of these things are part of the Light. The Light Side of the Unifying Force is passive. The Light Side of the Living Force is positive.
The Dark Side is born from fear - and in particular despair - anger, hatred, greed, and envy. It is vicious, ruthless, and hungry. The Dark Side of the Unifying Force is aggressive. The Dark Side of the Living Force is negative.
The Sith would tell you that the Dark Side is stronger. From a certain point of view, they're right - anger, hatred, even fear, all of these emotions give one power over one's enemies. Anger is a potent weapon, a source of strength. With enough anger, you can topple an empire. The Dark Side is certainly quicker, easier, and much more destructive.
But that is where its power ends. The Dark Side cannot create, only destroy. Even in the most noble instance, to call on one's anger for greater power is the equivalent of trying to fix your computer by hitting it. The Light Side, by contrast, is patient. The Light Side cannot fight, but it does not need to. The Light Side waits, slowly building itself up a thousand tiny advantages by healing, mending, and creating. And when the time comes for the final battle, the Light Side will always win, seemingly from out of nowhere.
THE PROPHECY OF THE CHOSEN ONE
So what does all this mean?
By the time of the Clone Wars, the Force had fallen out of balance. The Jedi had placed the Unifying Force above the Living Force. They had abandoned love as a form of the Light - they might have respected it in principle, but they still forbid all expression of it in practice. And by abandoning the Living Force, the Jedi had blinded themselves to the reality of the situation. They couldn't see the Dark Side lurking in the shadows.
The Chosen One is supposed to be the Jedi messiah, the hero who will bring balance to the Force and destroy the Sith once and for all. As the living embodiment of the Light Side of the Force, Anakin feels love more strongly than anyone who has ever lived. I can't help but wonder if this was supposed to be a sort of test - the Force throwing up its metaphorical hands and saying, "Look, Jedi, if you can't manage to keep this guy from falling to the Dark Side, then there's nothing I can do to save you."
Either way, however, he was created for the specific purpose of restoring the balance between the Living Force and the Unifying Force, so he was always going to be at odds with the Orthodox Jedi. In order for the Force to be brought back into balance and the Sith destroyed, the Jedi Order must be humbled and shown how it has brought the imbalance into being through its own arrogance.
As Anakin grows up, his emotions are suppressed and shackled. His capacity for love is declared to be a thing of evil. When he begins to have prophetic visions of Padme's death, he has no-one he can turn to, because he cannot trust the Jedi with the knowledge of his marriage. He tries to ask Yoda in a really oblique way, but Yoda gives the incredibly unhelpful suggestion of simply accepting it.
If Anakin had asked Qui-Gon, I suspected Qui-Gon would have told him the same thing he told Obi-Wan in the opening scene of The Phantom Menace. Remember, Padme was never in any danger until Anakin's own actions broke her spirit. Anakin's anxieties were about something abstract and detached, rather than a real and concrete danger. He was so concerned about preventing the prophecy in his visions that, ultimately, he forgot what it was that had made him care about preventing them in the first place.
By the time of the Original Trilogy, Obi-Wan and Yoda have been humbled, but they still show signs of the old Jedi Orthodoxy. Yoda tells Luke that he must defeat Vader. Obi-Wan tells him to bury his feelings deep down. Luke is placed in a seemingly impossible position: he must either kill his own father, or allow the Emperor to win.
But Luke doesn't do either of those things. And funny thing, in Return of the Jedi, he carries a green lightsaber. Made out of parts Obi-Wan had lying around. I can't help but wonder where that crystal came from...
When the moment comes, Luke refuses to kill Vader, and in doing so, defeats the Emperor. By reaching out to Anakin Skywalker's love rather than simply trying to destroy him, Luke has given Anakin the pathway back to the Light that he needs. The climax of Return of the Jedi is a fascinating paradox from the perspective of both the Sith and the Orthodox Jedi - the Sith see a weak and cowardly boy, writhing in agony, somehow defeat a true master of the Dark Side, and have no explanation for this. The Orthodox Jedi see a Sith turn away from the Dark Side out of a sense of attachment. They have no explanation for this.
The only way the paradox can be resolved is to realize that love is a thing of the light, and that the Unifying and Living Force together are more powerful than the Dark Side could ever hope to be.