Thanks to Star Wars, the Force remains one of the most influential and important abstract concepts ever seen in all of fiction. Originally conceived by George Lucas as “The Force of Others,” the Force is the spiritual tie that binds life and death to each other, while also maintaining the necessary cycle of good and evil.
But most importantly, the Force can be used for sweet superpowers. From creating lightning storms with just the palms of one’s hands to throwing whole starships at an opponent to influencing destiny itself, there’s very little that the Force can’t do.
Force Lightning
By tapping into the Dark Side of the Force and their own anger, a Force could fire deadly bolts of lightning from their hands. Force Lightning is a sign of the ’s raw power, which is why it’s unsurprising that it’s one of Emperor Palpatine’s favorite offenses, though he’s not the only one capable of using it.
What’s weird about this isn’t the technique itself, but its infamy. According to supplementary material, the use of Force Lightning is frowned upon by the Jedi, hence its prevalence among Siths in the movies. Knowing this makes Yoda’s cheerful use of it to burn the sacred texts in The Last Jedi hilarious in hindsight.
Jedi Mind Tricks
Besides telekinesis and telepathy, one of the most famous abilities Force s have is the Jedi Mind Trick, which allows the to influence or even control a target’s mind. This was famously used by Obi-Wan Kenobi to mislead some Stormtroopers, and Qui-Gon Jinn (The Phantom Menace) and Rey (The Force Awakens) repeat it with resounding success.
Things get weird when the ethics (or lack thereof) of mind tricks are taken into . How long does the control last? Are there any lasting effects? Is the victim aware that they’re being controlled? Why did the Jedi Council, which prided itself for being paragons of virtue, pioneer such an invasive technique in the first place?
Bodily Temperature Control
This is, without a doubt, one of the most obscure Force abilities seen in the movies because of how ive and flat out boring it is. With a technique known as Tapas, the can use the Force to control their body temperature and survive extreme environments, provided they can maintain composure and focus.
This was how Luke stayed alive in the Wampa’s subzero lair during The Empire Strikes Back and, more infamously, how Leia survived the vacuum of space in The Last Jedi. Some believe that she used Tapas in conjunction with a Force Shield, which allowed her to not just survive zero gravity but withstand the explosion of her ship during the First Order’s attack.
Interactive Flashbacks & Visions
It’s been said that the Force connects one to Force of the past, present and future, but it was never really shown how until the sequel trilogy. Rey experienced this the most, seeing entire lifetimes in a matter of seconds and hearing the words of long-dead Jedi Masters through what’s called Time-Drifting.
In The Force Awakens, Rey sees the downfall of Luke and the birth of Kylo Ren by holding Luke’s old lightsaber. She experiences more intrusive and disturbing visions in The Last Jedi, when she taps into the Force’s lightest and darkest recesses. In The Rise of Skywalker, Rey sees a possible future when she holds the Sith Wayfinder, briefly fighting who she’d become if she fell into the Dark Side. Obviously, her evil self has shark teeth.
Long-Distance Astral Projection
An upgrade of the Jedi Mind Trick’s illusions, Force Projection allows the to send a very convincing doppelganger to a far-away location. Said projection can take on any appearance (ex. a younger version of the ) and even communicate with whoever sees it.
This powerful ability was used just once in the entire saga, but its steep price could explain why. After making a fool out of Kylo Ren (aka Ben Solo) and the First Order on Crait, Luke es away due to how taxing the projection was. His last moments weren’t futile, as his double’s mere presence was more than enough to reignite the fires of resistance and hope across the galaxy.
Manifestation
The original Star Wars ends with Luke finally learning to trust the Force. At the last second, he heeds Obi-Wan’s words and lets the Force take control, and this allows him to perfectly fire the proton torpedoes into the first Death Star’s exhaust port, thus destroying it. Thing is, how exactly did the Force do this?
Luke never used hand gestures, signifying a Jedi’s use of Force Telekinesis. He just shuts his targeting module, closes his eyes, and believes in the heart of the proton torpedoes (or something) and the Force takes care of the rest. Was this a case of manifestation, where enough belief in an idea magically makes it a reality? This could explain how the Light Side of the Force seems to just win by dumb luck, with the Jedi’s successors probably believing in Rebel victory really hard.
Folding Space & Teleportation
The Rise of Skywalker unleashes a host of new Force powers that accidentally break what few rules were established. In the climactic battle, Rey uses the Force to send a lightsaber to a defenseless Ben despite being miles away from each other. If this wasn’t a case of the above mentioned manifesting, its closest explanation is folding space and/or teleportation.
The Last Jedi introduced this, with Rey and Ben using it to basically talk face to face despite being planets apart. The Rise of Skywalker amplifies it, with both Rey and Ben now able to take or give objects to and even fight one another despite the intergalactic distance.
Force Healing & Draining
Since it’s connected to life itself, using the Force to either take or give it only makes sense. Though the use of these is rather sparse, it’s significant enough that it bears mention. Force Draining was only used in The Rise of Skywalker, where Palpatine used it to literally suck the life out of Rey and Ben.
Force Healing, meanwhile, saw major use in two movies. Star Wars, where Obi-Wan uses a mild version of it to wake up Luke after he’s knocked out by Tusken Raiders. The Rise of Skywalker makes a big deal of this, with Rey healing Ben and an injured Vexis (read: giant serpent). Ben later heals to the extreme, trading his life to resurrect Rey after their fatal battle against Palpatine. Why this wasn’t used for Qui-Gon Jinn or Pé Amidalla may never be explained.
A Lax Afterlife
Given its supernatural properties, the Force being a gateway to the afterlife isn’t too surprising. What raises eyebrows is how carefree the next world apparently is, with dead Force s (usually those on the Light Side) capable of entering and exiting the living world whenever they please. Not only that, but Force Ghosts can apparently use the Force too.
Suddenly, this begs the question why deceased Jedi didn’t act during the First Order’s rise or Palpatine’s resurrection. It’s not like the Force Afterlife has any rules anyway, with Obi-Wan Kenobi, Yoda, and Luke reappearing exactly when a certain character needed some exposition or wisdom. Their most overt action comes in The Rise of Skywalker, where they give Rey a last-minute power boost and some niceties.
Necromancy & Dark Resurrection
Though it’s never shown, it’s implied that the Dark Side of the Force can grant strong Siths the power of necromancy. Palpatine used this to tempt Anakin to become Darth Vader, promising to prolong a dying Pé’s life with Dark Side means. Additionally, this is how Palpatine survives getting thrown down a shaft in Return of the Jedi.
Since the Force is basically a life-force, it makes sense that using it for evil allows one to unnaturally and artificially cheat death. It’s a pity, then, that this wasn’t performed more often in the movies and was only used by Palpatine to make a surprise reappearance and create a jar of Supreme Leader Snokes.
