

Qui-Gon's speech reveals that the energy created by living things is converted to a form separate from life. I am a manifestation of the Force, a Force that consists of two parts: living beings generate the Living Force, which in turn powers the wellspring that is the Cosmic Force All energy from the Living Force, from all things that have ever lived, feeds into the Cosmic Force, binding everything. One important tit-bit appears in the The Clone Wars animated TV series, when the disembodied spirit of Qui-Gon Jinn tells Yoda how he can exist after being killed in The Phantom Menace: We could stop there, but not only is that deeply unsatisfying, it's contradicted by the phrase "energy field", which implies a scientific explanation.Īs books, games and cartoons have been added to the Star Wars franchise, we've been given more information to fill-in the gaps.

That might be deliberate, as Star Wars creator George Lucas originally intended for the Force to be a spiritual phenomenon, to be simply mystical or magical. Obi-Wan's vagueness leaves his words open to interpretation by us, the audience. (Think of it this way: an expert at wielding a power doesn't necessarily understand what it is - a physicist knows how electrons work, but if you want to install wiring in a house, you should probably call an electrician.) After all, the Jedi is a religious order, not a scientific organization. This shouldn't be a surprise because, despite having existed for over a thousand generations, the Jedi don't study every aspect of the Force.

The physical world has various energies and fields (such as an electromagnetic field), so "an energy field" is effectively meaningless, science-fiction technobabble. It surrounds us and penetrates us, it binds the galaxy together. It's an energy field created by all living things. The Force is what gives a Jedi his power.
