Living Force

The Living Force was the energy of all life. By springing from and feeding into the Cosmic Force, the Living Force created and grew the Force, an energy field that bound the galaxy together, and was the fundamental unity that underpinned all of creation by maintaining harmony between dualities such as life and death and light and dark, while also transcending them. Beyond its dualities, the Force had two complementary and symbiotic aspects—the Living and Cosmic Forces. The latter possessed a will that was communicated to all life through midi-chlorians, which were Force-imbued organelles symbiotic with the life forms they resided in, thereby connecting the two Force aspects.

Mortal individuals with significant quantities of the organelle could exert control on the Living Force, influencing lives and galactic events. Some Force-sensitives, such as those of the Jedi discipline, chose to be altruistic and compassionate, acting to uphold nature's harmony using their powers; others were motivated by self-interest and passion, such as the Sith, who found themselves in rebellion against the natural order to pursue their personal motives, refusing to let go of themselves and their powers. Ultimately, the will of the Force desired peace and community amongst the living—when life let go of fighting and came together as one collective unit. At death, a life form would return to the embrace of the Cosmic Force, renewing the cycle of the two Force aspects.

Through the Force, all life was connected. Every lifeform possessed their own life force—also known as a spirit, life essence, Force-essence, or vitality—each with its own echo in the Force, forming a symphony of life and death; however, individual Force-sensitives perceived the energy field in various ways unique to each person. The presence of a lifeform could be sensed in the form of a song in a greater symphony to one, while being a leaf on a large tree or the light of a fire to another. The life force of one could be strengthened when in a Force-bond with another. Such bonds in the Force could in turn be strengthened by an abundance of non-sentient lifeforms or past shared experiences, as was the case between Elzar Mann and Avar Kriss, the latter of whom was able to focus and enhance the connections between those attuned to the Force. A being's life force could also be given to another being to restore their vitality at the temporary cost of one's strength. However, the cost could extend to one's life, as demonstrated by Garro and Rey, who chose to commit themselves to their destined path in the Force, devoting to the light by acting as a Jedi; wholly letting go of themselves to eliminate users of the dark side, which was addictive as it was corruptive, thereby restoring balance and harmony between the Living and Cosmic Forces.

Anakin Skywalker, a fatherless vergence in the Force, fulfilled his destiny by bringing balance to the Living and the Cosmic Force, thereby fulfilling the Jedi prophecy of the Chosen One—a prophecy that Qui-Gon Jinn, Skywalker's future mentor and a student of the Living Force who achieved immortality by learning from the Force Priestesses to let go—believed was the will of the Force. Yet the Sith wrestled for Skywalker's fate, and therefore the fate of the galaxy itself, by slaying Jinn and capitalizing on Skywalker's inability to let go of his loved ones. Consequently, the human struck a deal with the Sith Lord Darth Sidious and betrayed the Galactic Republic, falling to darkness and becoming Darth Vader, enforcer of Sidious' New Galactic Empire. Vader served his Sith Master until he was confronted by his son, the aspiring Jedi Luke, at the Battle of Endor. Moved by the selflessness of the Jedi, Vader assumed his place as Luke's father, Anakin Skywalker, and saved the Jedi from death by destroying Sidious and redeeming himself in his act of self-sacrifice, restoring balance to the Force.

Text and facts from the “Living Force” article on Wookieepedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0. Modified for this site.