Star Wars Questions that Should Never be Answered

To enjoy a science fiction action film, one must always approach the story with a certain suspension of disbelief. Filmmakers, and storytellers in general, take certain liberties to keep the plot rolling, and even more so for a series of films spanning four decades and an entire  fictional galaxy. Overanalyzing the minutia of the Star Wars universe has become a cottage industry, but some questions are better left without a thorough explanation. For example, how does the Force work?

In the original movie, Obi-Wan gives one simple, succinct explanation of the Force: It gives a Jedi power because "it surrounds us, penetrates us, binds the galaxy together." Otherwise, the old General opted to show, not tell, what the Force could do (bamboozle Stormtroopers, mostly). Yoda did much the same in Empire Strikes Back, moving rocks and adding a touch of spiritual poetry: "luminous beings are we, not this crude matter."

Then came The Phantom Menace, where Lucas unveiled the concept of midichlorians — tiny cellular creatures that are present in large quantities in the blood of the Force-sensitive. Fans feared that a deeply spiritual concept was now being given a biological explanation. Lucasfilm tried to explain that midichlorians are markers of the Force, not the cause of it, but the damage was done. (Lucas never cared about the backlash, and his plans for the sequel trilogy, shelved by Disney after he sold the company, delved even deeper into the microbial world.)

Midichlorians were completely absent from the later films, and rightly so. Mashable explores seven mysteries of the Star Wars universe and why they don’t need to be explained.


Newest 5
Newest 5 Comments

" a deeply spiritual concept was now being given a biological explanation " ... like the deeply human tendendy (some would say need) to find patterns in chaos and presume that the implausible explanations previous generations imaginitively came up with are based upon more than imagination just because we were told them at a young enough age and with enough seriousness? Life and the universe are beyond our (current or previous) level of understanding: must be a sky wizard.
Abusive comment hidden. (Show it anyway.)
Login to comment.




Email This Post to a Friend
"Star Wars Questions that Should Never be Answered"

Separate multiple emails with a comma. Limit 5.

 

Success! Your email has been sent!

close window
X

This website uses cookies.

This website uses cookies to improve user experience. By using this website you consent to all cookies in accordance with our Privacy Policy.

I agree
 
Learn More