A long time ago in a galaxy far far away, Jedi and Sith alike manipulated an energy field created by all living beings that binds the universe together, otherwise known as The Force. While recognizable power💦s such as telekinesis were utilized by all force-users, others were specific to either the light or the dark side of the Force. The Jedi might go as far as taking advantage of the weak-minded, for example, but shooting 𓆏blue lighting out of their fingers was a step too far.
While everyone knows you can use the force to choke someone out, hit a one-in-a-million shot into the exhaust port of a Death Star or sense the p🅠resence of someone spe🅘cial, other powers are less renowned. Then there are some that just don’t make sense.
Following the debut of the first trilogy, all manner of novels and comics explored the galaxy created by George Lucas. Star Wars nerds, like ourselves, bought all kinds of books like Tales from Jabba’s Palace or The Star Wars Dictionary. In the litany of material produced, the Force was taken in 🦋all kinds of directions-some of them completely absurd.
When Disney purchased the franchise, most of the eꦗxisting material and the concepts within them were rendered more-or-less obsolete. Many of the force powers removed, were done for a good reason. Others that were introduced should have never made it past the chopping block. Let’s take a look at some force-powers you might not know, and others that make no sense whatsoever.
20 📖You Didn't Know: Force Orb
The animated television series Star Wars: The Clone Wars expands greatly on the Star Wars canon, filling in the three year gap between Episodes 2 and 3, (more or less the entire Clone Wars) while also introducing new powers available to those force-users out there in the galaxꦡy. One such power is the ability to create a bubble of air, otherwise known as a Force Orb, which certainly comes in handy on aquatic worlds like Mon Calamari.
The Clone Wars was a complicated affair that made a big mess of the Galactic Republic and sometimes pitted species from the same planet against each other. On Admiral Ackbar’s homeworld, the Quarrens rebelled against the Mon Calamari for a brief moment, supported by the Separatists. This of course led the Jedi Order to get involved and next thing you know Anakin Skywalker, Padme an꧂d Jar Jar Binks were mixed up in the whole affair, otherwise known as the Battle of Mon Cala.
When Padme’s helmet was cracked by Commander🐭 Riff Tamson, Anakin and Jedi Master Kit Fisto created a Force Orb around her head, in order to ensure she didn’t drown. Of course, Jar Jar’s saliva worked just as well. Still, good to know Jedi don’t need scuba gear.
19 ಌ Does🐟n't Make Sense: Time Drifting
Before Disney acquired the Star Wars franchise in 2012, all kinds of crazy storylines were out there in novels, comics, and games. Everything from Chewbacca's end to an invasion from another galaxy. Added to this, a number of new Force powers were introduced. However, most of them made no sense whatsoever and it’s a go✱od thing Disney scrapped them.
Though the concept of time travel was eventually explored via the World between worlds episode in Star Wars Rebels, a number of non-canonical material previously released delved into the idea.
Novels like The New Jedi Order series and the role-playing game The DarkStryder Campaign mention a power known as time-drifting, where💦by a skilled Force-user could travel f🐎orward or backwards in time by moving along the ‘threads of the Force.’
While in Star Wars Rebels time appears as linear, fixed, and seemingly unchangeable, the non-canon time drifting force-power is centred on the premise that the flow of time could, in essence, be altered. As such, time-drifters could affect the future if they encountered individuals in the past. Without entering into a diatribe about the myriad of complications that scenario elicits. Let’s just say it’s best they left that kind of time-travelling to Star Trek. Two Spocks is ridiculous enough.
18 You D🔯idn't Know: Hypertunnel
In addition to Star Wars: The Clone Wars, the animated television series Star Wars Rebels also contributes to the expanding canon of the Star Wars universe. The show begins five years before the events of A New Hope and features a host of characters including a Jedi that survived Order 66, a Twi’lek pilot, a Mandalorian, and a young Lothal orphan. Rebels makes some significant contributions to Star Wars canon, cleverly drawing both upon the films as well as the popular series Star Wars: The Clone Wars, which preceded it.
One of the most profound developments in Rebels is the plotline concerning the Loth-wolves and the so-called ‘world between worlds’. The mystical canine creatures of the planet Lothal were not only able to speak🦄, they also possessed a deep connec🐓tion to the Force. So much so they were able to transport themselves and anyone they were carrying from one place to another.
When the Emperor attempted to enter the ‘world between worlds’ and henceforth control the galaxy, the protagonists of Star Wars Rebels travelled via the help of Loth-wolves to the Lothal Temple in order to stop the ev💖il Sith lord. With the stakes so high, it’s lucky the Loth-wolves were there in time to transport the heroes via the hyper tunnels and save the day. Those wolves sure would have been handy in a lot of other situations both before and after. But hey, they helped out when it counted most.
17 Doesn't Ma🦩ke Sense: Sꦏensing Force Alignment
In a massively consequential event seen in The Last Jedi, Luke Skywalker creeps into the bedroom of then-pupil Kylo Ren, holds his hand out towards him and senses that Ben Solo has completely turned ꦰto the dark side. He moﷺmentarily loses his judgment and contemplates killing Ben. However, decides not to. Then the whole thing blows up in his face and things get bad.
Of course, the idea that you can somehow sense the dark side in an individual makes no sense whatsoever.
Given that Emperor Palpatine was standing right in front of the most powerful Jedi in the galaxy for years and not one of them could tell he was a Sith. Non-canon novels like Darth Plagueis address th♍is by introduci🦄ng the Force power called force-clouding.
According to the novel, the reason the entire Jedi Council was unaware a Sith lord was rubbing shoulders with them fo🍌r over a decade was that Darth Sidious aka Emperor Palpatine was ‘clouding’ his dark side alignment by using the Force to conceal his true nat🅠ure. Of course these novels, and thus Force-clouding, were relegated to non-canon status when Disney purchased the franchise.
Since Forcജe-clouding is not a thing and you can sense someone’s Force alignment by putting your hand out in front of them, how did the Jedi High Council not see a Sith standing right in front of them? Or if they couldn’t sense the dark side, how could Luke? Sense, it makes not.
16 You Didn't Know: Stonepower ꦅ 🙈
Added to the vast number of books relegated to non-canon status after Disney’s acquisition of Star Wars, a plethora of comic book series were also deeme💮d irrelevant and otherwise labeled ‘legend’. It’s a go🍃od thing too, otherwise the new films would have to adapt and make sense of some seriously convoluted storylines like Emperor Palpatine’s resurrection and Luke turning to the dark side.
Safe to say, the ensuing void of official Star Wars comics was quickly filled when Marvel Comics was tapped to develop new comic book series. Consequently, a total of over 90 issues have been released from Star Wars: 1-26 to Darth Vader 1-25, Chewbacca 1-5 to Leia 1-5 to Darth Maul: Son of Dathomir, you name it. Some take place before Attack of the Clones, others take place in between the original trilogy films and still others are set after the events of Return of the Jedi. The result is the enrichment of the Star Wars universe and some new additions to the list of th🌺ings you can do with the Force.
Star Wars 27, for example, introduces Stonepower, an aspect of the force that grants those who aren’t Force-sensitive abilities like telekinesis. Of course, this can only be done within the presence of a blue stone, which itself is imbued with the power of the Force. I’d want one, if I💦 needed one…
15 Doesn't Mak🦄e Sense: Anakin's⭕ Force Spirit
Some people liked it when Anakin was chumming it up with Yoda and Obi-Wan, enjoying the party in the Ewok village as a Force spirit at the end of Return of the Jedi. Others, like myself, hated it.
Let’s just forget that Ani took out almost all the Jedi, was privy to the destruction of an entire planet and helped a Sith lord conquer and oppress the galaxy? Why, because he tossed the old man into the bottom of a space station that was about to blow up anyway? I don’t buy it, but even i💮f I did, it still wouldn’t make any sense and here’s why:
The ability to become one with the Force and therefore exist as a bluish semi-translucent Force spirit is not one that can be learned in the Jedi handbook. The ethereal Force Priestesses who resided on the Wellspring of Life were the keepers of the secret to transforming 🅰into a spirit, and they shared it with only one person: Qui-Go༺n Jinn. He shared it with Yoda who shared it with Obi-Wan, and that’s it. Anakin couldn’t have learned it while he was Vader because no Force Priestess would have taught a Sith the secret and if he learned it before he turned to the dark side, I’d like to know when. He spent most the time as a ‘held-back’ Padawn or fighting in the Clone Wars while having a secret forbidden romance. Nothing like picnics on Naboo to pass the time.
14 You Didn't Know: Shatterpoint 🅰
Though books like Heir to the Empire and Tales from Mos Eisley were dropped from official canon when Disney bought Star Wars, it wasn’t long before new novels were released to replace them. Many of these titles serve to fill the 30-year gap left between the events of Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens, a significant and consequential period of time. It is within novels like the Aftermath trilogy and Bloodline that we learn of the Battle of Jakku, the peace treaty signed between♑ the Galactic Empire and t꧙he New Republic, and the rise of the First Order.
In the prelude of the novel Aftermath: Empire’s End by Chuck▨ Wendig, Emperor Palpatine speaks with Fleet Admiral Rax both ౠabout the Contingency, as well as Shatterpoint.
In essence, Shatterpoint is a force ability that grants the user a heightened sense of the significance of events to come, as well as an awareness of the presence of those who will play a great role in shaping such events.
For example, Emperor Palpatine ෴sensed someone on board the shuttle Tydirium was a Shatterpoint, and thus would have a great affect on the course of fate. Suffice to say, the old bat wasn’t wrong.
13 Doesn't Make Sense: Foﷺr𝓰ce Chat
In one of the laziest devices to come out in recent years, the writer of The Last Jedi figured the best way for Rey and Kylo to interact with each other and express their differing points of view was to have them literally talk to each other from across the galaxy. But even if you are willing to go along with the idea, there’s still a꧙ number of flaws in the newly-introduced force power.
Most notably, it’s no small feat to pull off a ‘Force chat’. Kylo mentions this when he wonders who is responsible for the Force-bond, which he notes would kill Rey if she even tried to accomplish it. Indeed, a Force-bond is sp🎶ecial thing, usuಞally developed over time between a Master and Padawan. For instance, Yoda developed a Force-bond with his apprentice Count Dooku before he turned to the dark side.
Assuming it was Supreme Leader Snoke who bridged the minds of Kylo Ren and Rey, and assuming he was in fact sliꦫced in half and therefore killed, how on earth does the Force chat continue at the end of the film? You know, when Rey and Kylo see each other before sh🧜e escapes on the Millenium Falcon? Did their power just grow exponentially over the course of a few hours or does this mean Snoke isn’t dead?
12 ♓ You Didn't Know: Pyschometry 🎐
Featured in both The Clone Wars series as well as the novel Dark Disciple, Jedi Master Quinlan Vos was known for being exceptional at Pyschometry, a power whereby a force-us🔯er could sense events connected to objects. It made him an excellent tracker, understandably.
In the early days of the Clone Wars, Vos developed a reputation for being reckless, especially given the Jedi Council was uneasy about the use of pyschometry altogether. The Council feared the use of the power might inadvertently arouse unwanted emotions or memories associated with an object. For example, if a Jedi used the fo🦩rce power on, say, a Sith weap𒆙on, it might expose them to the dark side of the force.
Despite the Council’s concern, Quinlan Vos continued to utilize pyschometry t🃏o track those he wished to pursue,💟 most notably Ziro the Hutt. The ability let him ascertain Ziro had been in Gardulla’s palace, as Vos could sense Ziro’s memories by touching a glass the crimelord had used. Vos used the power numerous times afterwards and, as the Council had feared, ended up turning to the dark side after using pyschometry on a not-so-good lightsaber. Granted, there’s a bit more too it than that, and old Vos wasn’t dark side for long, but regardless it’s reason enough to listen to what Yoda says every now and again.
11 D𝔍oesn't M🍌ake Sense: Manipulating Weather From Beyond The Grave
Look, becoming a Force spirit is fair gam♈e (as long as you're on the light side). Talking to someoneꦡ as a Force spirit is fine. But manipulating weather as a Force spirit is taking it too far.
In a scene of The Last Jedi that, for all intents and p𝐆urposes is rather charming,💟 Yoda and Luke stand outside the first Jedi temple, which ostensibly holds the sacred Jedi texts (though we later learn Rey nabbed them for safe keeping). Luke once again decides to do something then changes his mind, but Yoda jumps in and takes matters into his own hands. With his signature laugh, the Grand Master unleashes a bolt of lightning from the sky and low-and-behold the tree-temple bursts into flames.
The Force Priestesses never mentioned anything other than spirits communing with the living, and they were the ones who taught the Jedi how to use the force-power to begin with.
But let’s say for arguments sake Yoda learned something the Priestesses didn’t know. Why then, wouldn’t Yoda utilize this incredible power to say, save the galaxy? A well-aimed bolt of lighting could do a lot to solve some of the galaxy’s worst problems. I guess Yoda had better things to do, like hang out with Luke on a remote planet and talk about the good old days. Once a hermit, always a hermi🍨t.