With more than ten movies, dozens of video games, hundreds of books and comics, and other stories in every medium imaginable, you’d think that there aren’t any mysteries left in the world of Star Wars, but we still don’t have the answer to one of our oldest questions about the Force and its embodiments.
That’s hardly surprising, though. That galaxy far, far away has always been a science-fantasy and the enigma surrounding the mysterious Force is an intentional plot tool. That is, if we disregard the whole controversial shebang involving the introduction of midi-chlorians in the Prequels. But one of the more interesting aspects of the Cosmic Force, which has been present since the Original Trilogy, is the matter of Force Ghosts and their existence. Can all Jedi Knights turn into Force Ghosts? Can these beings interact with the real world?
Yoda and Obi-Wan seemingly mastered this area before their demise, but if it’s merely one’s knowledge of the Living Force, how did Darth Vader turn into a Force Ghost when he died and redeem himself as Anakin Skywalker? We’ve always taken the metaphorical phrase of “becoming one with the Force” as an explanation for this phenomenon, but is there more to it than that?
Well, according to a new theory on Reddit, the truth lies with a concept familiar to Star Wars fans, the balance of the Force. As the Redditor points out, the dark side and the light don’t make up the balance. Instead, true balance is only achieved through the Living Force and the Cosmic Force.
The sixth season of Star Wars: The Clone Wars briefly touches on this subject when Yoda hears the voice of Qui-Gon Jinn. As the dead Jedi Master explains, these two embodiments of the Force mingle even after death, which is why he’s able to communicate with the world of the living. As such, despite his allegiance to the dark side, the balance of the Force enabled Anakin to become a Force Ghost.
This is certainly an interesting theory to ponder, and while it might contradict what Star Wars has already established as the balance, it could be that the interpretation of the eternal struggle between good and evil isn’t the key to saving the galaxy after all.
