The Force

The energy field that connected the galaxy was known as the Force. Because of this, distance was irrelevant when compared to the Force, which linked living things throughout the galaxy. It was also thought that the Force could do anything, going beyond the capabilities of any machine made by humans. Every living thing in the universe, even simple bugs, had a place in the Force. The Living Force and the Cosmic Force were the two forms of the Force. The Cosmic Force, which binds the galaxy together and communicates the will of the Force through midi-chlorians, was the source of the Living Force's energies, which represented the energies of all living things. When a living thing died, it would join the Cosmic Force and become "one with the Force," giving power to the Living Force.

The origins of the Force have long been debated by mystics and scholars, who have asked questions such as when and where civilizations first became aware of its power. This has resulted in numerous responses, none of which are regarded as conclusive. Different species had their own names for the Force, as well as their own metaphors for how they saw it and methods for learning its powers. Although the Force resided within all living things, only certain people were Force-sensitive from birth, and the degree of Force-sensitivity varied greatly even among siblings. Ahsoka Tano stated that anyone could learn to use the Force with enough time and focus. She saw those with a natural sensitivity as having a talent for it, but she emphasized that discipline was what really mattered. Force-sensitives could sense a "disturbance in the Force" whenever there was a significant loss of life. The Force could be taken from living things.

Force-sensitive children who had not received training frequently excelled in one area of the Force rather than many. Alternatively, a person's Force-sensitivity might remain completely dormant for a portion of their childhood. Yana Ro wondered if the Little Utalir's Force-sensitivity would develop with age or remain dormant forever. In any case, Utalir had no idea she was Force-sensitive until a Nameless detected her connection and targeted the child.

When Princess Xiri A'lbaran asked why the Force wasn't just "magic," Jedi Knight Gella Nattai described the Force as being everywhere and everything, and that it was necessary for the continuous flow of life. Indeed, the Sunset Prayer of the Guardians of the Whills linked the Force to life itself, stating that life and the Force could be found in each other. The prayer also declared that the Force was eternal. Droids, being mechanical creations without midi-chlorians, could never sense the Force. Even though the Force was everywhere, even in places like deep space, it was strongest in places with life, where Force-sensitives could easily detect it. Therefore, if a Force-sensitive person was in such a place, they did not need to spend time or energy looking for a deep connection to the energy field because it was all around them.

Force-sensitivity was generally passed down from parent to child as a heritable trait, but this wasn't always the case. The Skywalker family and the Palpatine family both had a strong connection to the Force. The twins Luke Skywalker and Leia Organa were born with Force-sensitivity, just like their father, the Chosen One Anakin Skywalker, as was Organa's son, Ben Solo. Unlike Anakin Skywalker's bloodline, the son of Galactic Emperor Sheev Palpatine—the Sith Lord Darth Sidious—did not inherit his father's connection to the Force. The Emperor's son was an artificial strandcast, a result of the Sith Eternal cult's cloning experiment using Sidious' genetic template. However, the Emperor's cloned son sired a natural-born daughter, Rey, who was Force-sensitive because she was descended from Sidious, her paternal grandfather.

It was possible for siblings born to normal parents to not share a talent for Force sensitivity. Such was the case with Zare and Dhara Leonis. While Dhara could always sense her brother's presence from a young age, Zare never had this ability or any special abilities that could be attributed to the Force. "Magick" was an aspect of the Force, and the Nightsister Talzin claimed it allowed her to become a Force user through unnatural means. Despite what non–Force-sensitives often believed, using a Force power was not as simple as waving one's hands; channeling the Force took effort, especially for people like Ty Yorrick, who had experienced trauma. Being surrounded by negative emotions also made it difficult for a light side user to focus on their abilities, creating a weakness that Marchion Ro once exploited by surrounding an imprisoned Jedi Master with people being constantly tortured in order to hinder his ability to call on the Force.

For a Jedi, studying the Force was a lifelong commitment. While Luke Skywalker dedicated his life to the Force, his sister did not finish her Jedi training and chose her family and political career over the Jedi way of life. The Jedi Code prevented members of the Jedi Order from forming personal relationships. Although the Code promoted compassion for all life, it prohibited romantic love because of the risks of attachment, such as the fear of loss. During the Republic Era, Jedi were identified by their midi-chlorian levels; the Force-sensitive population of the Galactic Republic was easier to identify than that of the territories outside the Republic's domain. The Order tried to protect its members from fear, anger, hatred, and other emotions that were considered dangerous to the Jedi. As a result, the Order preferred to recruit younglings, although exceptions could be made for older children at the Jedi High Council's discretion.

A Force-bond was a connection between two Force-sensitive individuals; the bond between a Force dyad was extremely rare and as powerful as life itself. A Force-bond spanned across space and time, allowing the bonded Force-sensitives to communicate over vast distances, such as separate planets across the galaxy. During the High Republic Era, Jedi Master Avar Kriss possessed a unique ability involving such bonds, allowing her to connect and strengthen natural connections into what became a communication network. Although it was imprecise and best for sharing locations or sensations, dozens of Jedi could be included in the network, allowing for better coordination during the connection.

Different beings perceived the Force differently. Kriss saw it as a song, while Jedi Knight Elzar Mann, partly because he knew the Force would never end, saw it as a deep, endless ocean tossed by storms. The Wookiee Burryaga Agaburry imagined it as a massive tree with deep roots and high branches, while Jedi Douglas Sunvale compared the energy field to an interconnected series of gears made from countless materials. Master Loden Greatstorm felt that using the Force was like dancing with the wind, while his Padawan, Bell Zettifar, thought of it as dancing with fire. According to Chirrut Îmwe of the Guardians of the Whills, the Force moved darkly around anyone about to kill. Despite the beliefs of the Path of the Open Hand, the Force could not be "damaged" by Force users' "overuse." The Path wrongly believed that the Force would strike back to restore balance if it was used. For example, they believed that if the Force was used to save a life in one place, it would cause another life or several more to be taken elsewhere to maintain balance. Because of this, the Path thought the Force needed to be "freed" from use and that Force users were abusing it.

Although the Force exists in all living things, many species perceive it differently. For example, the Chiss refer to the Force as Third or Second Sight and view it as a tool for lightspeed travel. It is rare for a Chiss to be Force-sensitive, and when it does happen, the sensitivity fades away during their teenage years. The Magys only see it as the Beyond and the afterlife. The Nightsisters view it as Magick and gained the Force through the lands of Dathomir. However, regardless of how the Force is viewed through culture, it is always present. The Force is still present in the living flora and fauna throughout the galaxy, whether or not a being is Force-sensitive. Everywhere.

The Force granted a wide range of supernatural abilities to Force-sensitives, such as the Jedi and the Sith, as well as entities like the Bendu and the Mortis gods. The amount of midi-chlorians a being possessed determined their potential to manipulate the Force. Non-Force-sensitive members of the Path of the Open Hand suddenly found themselves able to feel the Force upon arriving on the living world of "Planet X." After spending a lot of time on the world, two members of the team, Shea Ganandra and Bokana Koss, developed Force powers. Although Koss died before he could leave the world, Ganandra did escape Planet X, only to have her Force-sensitivity disappear as quickly as it had appeared. However, the world was protected by a veil that nearly destroyed their ship when they tried to pass through it to enter and leave. Upon entering the Veil, Calar, a Setaran member of their team who was initially Force-sensitive, began to panic and demanded that they turn around, foreseeing that their actions would unleash a great danger upon the galaxy. Realizing that the Veil would target Force users in its efforts to keep out foreign matter, Calar even tried to destroy himself and his companions to save the galaxy by drawing its attention. While on Planet X, Koss also had a vision of the Under-Dwellers spreading like a blight and destroying the Force itself.

Force-sensitives possessed a variety of psychic abilities, including telekinesis, mental manipulation, the ability to sedate or induce sleep, and the power to see the future. The clairvoyant aspect of the Force allowed Jedi mystics and other seers to predict events far into the future, creating prophecies about the Chosen One or the Force dyad in the Sith Eternal's lore. Force users' precognition allowed them to see an opponent's attacks before they happened and even navigate a ship through hyperspace.

Quick reflexes were the more immediate effects of a Force-sensitive's precognitive senses; even without formal training, an untrained child could develop Jedi-like traits. The Force could also enhance Force-sensitives' physical vitality, strength, mobility, and resilience, allowing them to crush objects with their bare hands, jump across great distances, levitate, or survive injuries that would cripple or kill normal beings. For example, during the duel on Kef Bir, the Jedi apprentice Rey and Supreme Leader Kylo Ren used the energies of the Force to increase their speed, agility, and other physical traits. Although Rey gained a slight speed advantage, Ren was physically stronger than her.

While some Force techniques, such as telekinesis, telepathy, and enhancing one's own physical abilities, were practiced by both the dark side and the light, certain powers could only be used depending on the user's stance in the Force. Jedi younglings were taught that the Force could be used for many purposes, including protection, persuasion, wisdom, manipulating matter, and performing great physical feats.

While the Jedi used the light side's abilities through a mental state of peace and calmness, the Sith relied on their passion for strength, giving them access to many abilities that some considered unnatural. For example, Force lightning was a dark side ability used to torture, disfigure, and kill victims. Force choke was another example of the dark side's power; by visualizing the ability with a claw-like or crushing hand gesture, the user could strangle a victim to intimidate or kill them. While the Jedi used mind tricks to gently influence weak minds, the dark side could be used to force one's way into a victim's mind. Both sides offered the ability to preserve one's consciousness after death, using different techniques. Darksiders could transfer their souls into new bodies or bind their spirits to relics. Those who served the light and gained this power could become Force spirits, beings who achieved immortality by retaining their identities after becoming one with the Force.

The Force has been a documented concept in the galaxy for well over twenty-five thousand years before the Galactic Civil War, and various schools of thought have developed independently on countless planets. The Wellspring of Life was the origin of the midi-chlorians, which connected the Living Force to the Cosmic Force and allowed Force-sensitive individuals to perceive the will of the Force. Many beings believed in different myths about the origins of the Force, as well as myths about the proper way to wield and interpret it. The Jedi Order once had similar stories of its own, but they were lost in a dark age.

Some thought that the Force originated from Mortis. Some suspected that the Force itself must have created the galaxy because of its complexity and beauty, but this theory was unproven. Over time, the Jedi Order became the most well-known organization that practiced the ways of the Force, but the galaxy also had many other religions, orthodoxies, and observances, even among those who did not control or manipulate the energy field, such as the Guardians of the Whills, who held the Jedi in high regard. The Jedi believed they were instruments of the Force's will, carrying out what they sensed to be its will.

The Jedi Order's unity was broken thousands of years before the Clone Wars by a rogue Jedi who came to believe that the true power of the Force could only be attained through passion rather than the Jedi's calmness. The Jedi High Council at the time rejected this new direction, and the fallen Jedi was banished from the Order. However, a group of renegade Jedi followed the rogue into exile, resulting in a schism that led to the Hundred-Year Darkness and the rise of the Sith Order.

As a result of the schism between the Jedi and the Sith, the Force came to be seen as divided between their two philosophies: the Jedi's selfless commitment to serving and defending others became known as the light side of the Force, while the Sith's use of emotion and violence became known as the dark side of the Force.

As the divide between the Jedi and the Sith deepened, their animosity escalated into full-blown conflict, both vying for galactic dominion and the imposition of their respective Force philosophies. Throughout the Old Republic era, the Sith and Jedi engaged in ceaseless wars, each intent on annihilating the other. Monumental battles transpired between these opposing factions, leading to the discovery of diverse Force techniques, many of which were subsequently lost to time. The Sith also practiced the ritualistic sacrifice of Jedi within ancient chambers on their ancestral world of Moraband, forever staining these locations with the darkness of their deeds. These dark arts were also utilized by the Sith to conjure monstrous beings, such as the Sith serpents, which lingered on Moraband until the Clone Wars.

The conflicts between the Sith and Jedi persisted for ages, leaving numerous galactic worlds ravaged by their strife. Among these were Moraband, ultimately abandoned by the Sith, and Malachor, the site of a cataclysmic battle that left the planet desolate and devoid of life on either side. The tombs of the Sith in the Valley of the Dark Lords bore the indelible mark of the malevolent acts committed by those interred within.

Both the Jedi and the Sith primarily wielded lightsabers as their weapons of choice. These devices derived their power from kyber crystals, unique crystals possessing a profound connection to the Force. The Sith, in addition to their dark side studies, also dedicated themselves to constructing superweapons with the capacity to obliterate entire planets, sometimes employing colossal kyber crystals to fuel these instruments of destruction. Consequently, securing control over the origin of kyber crystals, deeply intertwined with the Force, became a critical objective for both sides of the conflict.

As the Old Republic neared its end, the Sith had essentially decimated themselves through internal conflict, paving the way for the Jedi's eventual triumph. From the ashes of the former Republic, a new Galactic Republic emerged, guided by the Jedi as its guardians and advisors. This Republic expanded its influence throughout the galaxy, ushering in an era of peace and prosperity that endured for a thousand years.

Originating from the planet Dalna, the Path of the Open Hand cult held the belief that the Force provided for all but also, erroneously, that it should remain untouched; in their view, the Force needed to be "liberated" from usage. They harbored the fear that any application of the Force would trigger a cosmic backlash, implying that even acts of salvation would be met with equal destruction. This conviction led the Path into conflict with the Jedi, and they unleashed the entities known as the Nameless, specifically the Great Leveler. Force-sensitive individuals were permitted to join the Path, but they were compelled to suppress their inherent abilities in accordance with the cult's doctrines.

In 382 BBY, the Path exploited religious tensions among the faiths of Jedha, instigating riots to provide the Children of the Open Hand with an opportunity to steal the Rod of Daybreak, a device that would enhance their control over the Nameless. These riots, coupled with the breakdown of peace negotiations between the warring worlds of E'ronoh and Eiram—whose treaty was intended to be signed on Jedha due to its neutral status until the Path interfered—culminated in the Battle of Jedha, inflicting extensive damage upon the Holy City. Despite the uneasy peace that followed, various religious factions united to rebuild the Holy City. Subsequently, the Path embarked on a mission to Planet X to acquire more Nameless eggs, during which their ships penetrated "the Veil" surrounding the planet. During this perilous journey through the Veil, a Force-sensitive member of the expedition, Calar, succumbed to panic, proclaiming that their actions would result in the Force being "chained," extinguished, and ultimately, "consumed" along with everything else.

Calar attempted to sabotage their vessel by harnessing his Force abilities, but their pilot, Radicaz Dobbs, intervened and killed him before he could succeed. Following the crash landing, the Path team—which included Guide of the Open Hand Marda Ro, who expressed concern over allowing a Force-sensitive individual to participate in their endeavors—discovered several Nameless eggs, thanks to Bokana Koss, who unlocked his own Force powers due to the planet's unique properties. Ro was appalled by Koss's Force abilities, viewing him, like Calar, as a transgressor against the Path's principles. However, Koss experienced a terrifying vision foretelling that their actions would aid beings known as the Under-Dwellers; mirroring Calar, he began to dread an impending blight that would chain and obliterate the Force itself. He managed to suppress this feeling when an Under-Dweller attacked. A creature known as the protector vanquished the Under-Dweller but then attempted to prevent the Path team from departing, with only Koss's sacrifice enabling their escape. The Veil then tried to thwart their departure from Planet X, but engineer Shea Ganandra, who also unlocked Force-sensitivity within herself due to Planet X, devised a successful hyperspace route back to Dalna.

Meanwhile, under the Mother's continued guidance, the Path underwent a radical transformation into a militant organization, prepared to 'reclaim' the Force from the perceived tyranny of the Jedi. Ro finalized this transformation by reshaping the Path into a Closed Fist, poised to wage war against the Jedi. Despite unleashing more Nameless during the conflict, the Path would soon meet its demise in the Battle of Dalna. During this confrontation, even Ro herself was horrified by the effects of the Nameless and realized that they indiscriminately slaughtered Force-sensitive members of her own order, regardless of whether they actively used the Force, just as they targeted Jedi. Further discovering that the Mother was a Force user motivated solely by revenge for not being chosen as a Jedi in her youth, Marda eradicated the collected Nameless with an explosion, leaving only the Leveler alive. This explosion reverberated outward, destroying the Path caverns in the process. After executing the Mother for her treachery, Marda departed to formulate a new strategy for "liberating" the Force with the Leveler and the Rod of Seasons. Unbeknownst to Marda, the Rod of Daybreak had fallen into the possession of her cousin Yana Ro, who concealed it from Marda upon realizing that her cousin had not abandoned the ways of the Path.

Later, during the High Republic Era, the Jedi Order's comprehension of the Force expanded due to the experiments of Jedi Knight Elzar Mann, who explored various Force techniques. However, the Jedi of that era faced opposition from the Eye of the Nihil, Marchion Ro, a descendant of Marda who inherited his family's quest for vengeance. Marchion assumed command of the Nihil raiders, originally established by Marda and guided by his family ever since. While "the faithful" among the Ros still adhered to the Path's concept of "balance," Marchion, perhaps unknowingly, was primarily driven by his desire to secure his own freedom of action. Ro asserted that the Jedi believed themselves to be acting righteously, leading to his family's suffering as a consequence of their actions.

Ro unleashed the Great Leveler against the Jedi during the conflict between the Nihil and the Republic and later deployed other Nameless members gathered from Planet X. The Jedi also confronted another menace, the Drengir, which possessed a strong connection to the dark side.

Despite the Jedi's triumph over their rival order, the Sith persisted through Darth Bane. As the last surviving ancient Sith Lord, Bane established the Rule of Two to prevent further internal strife within the Sith Order. Thereafter, their ranks would consist of only two members—the Sith Master, who embodied the dark side's power, and the Sith apprentice, who coveted the master's power. It was customary for the apprentice to kill the master to advance within the dark side of the Force.

Although the Jedi eventually became aware of Bane and his philosophy, they were convinced by his death that the Sith had truly become extinct. However, the Rule of Two ensured the Sith's survival in secrecy for generations, plotting their revenge against the Jedi Order and the restoration of Sith dominance throughout the galaxy.

During the late Republic Era, Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn discovered the prophesied Chosen One in the form of a human child named Anakin Skywalker, whose potential in the Force surpassed that of all known Jedi, including Grand Master Yoda. Skywalker's raw strength in the Force—honed through Jedi training and experiences in war—transformed him into one of the most formidable Jedi Knights by the time of the Clone Wars. The Clone Wars themselves also disrupted the balance of the Force from their very beginning. In the war's final days, Skywalker was seduced by the dark side of the Force through the machinations of Darth Sidious. Consequently, he betrayed the Jedi and aided the newly established Galactic Empire in hunting them to near annihilation as Darth Vader.

In the Duel on Mustafar, Vader clashed with his former master and friend, Obi-Wan Kenobi, until he was defeated and left to perish amidst the lava by Kenobi. Simultaneously, Yoda battled Sidious in the duel in the Galactic Senate, a confrontation that forced Yoda to flee. Sensing Vader's peril, Sidious hastened to Mustafar and discovered his apprentice's scarred body, which he transported back to Coruscant. Vader was encased in a suit of life support armor. During the subsequent Imperial Era, Vader hunted down surviving Jedi with the assistance of the Inquisitorius, a group of dark side agents operating under "the Grand Inquisitor." While Kenobi later implied that, by 9 BBY, not all Inquisitors were former Jedi, the initial cohort consisted entirely of former Jedi corrupted by Sidious.

By the time of the invasion of Mon Cala, merely a year into the Emperor's reign, Vader and the Inquisitorius had already achieved significant success in eliminating Jedi survivors. This invasion witnessed the emergence of yet another surviving Jedi, Ferren Barr, who admitted he was no longer a true Jedi as he had manipulated the people of Mon Cala into fighting and dying to integrate their formidable starships into a broader, galaxy-wide anti-Imperial movement. Although Barr was slain by Vader, his plan succeeded when Admiral Raddus's starships escaped the besieged planet.

Following the Fall of Lasan, Lasat mystic Chava the Wise and former High Honor Guard Gron uncovered a prophecy within the Lasat's ancient texts. Driven by their belief that the Force, or "Ashla" as they referred to it, had foretold their quest, they embarked on a journey to find Lira San. Three years before the Battle of Yavin, Chava and Gron were captured by the Empire. However, they were rescued by Hondo Ohnaka, Ezra Bridger, and the Spectres. The Lasat prophecy mentioned two figures, "the Fool" and "the Child of Lasan." Chava believed that these referred to Ohnaka and Garazeb Orrelios, a former captain in the High Honor Guard, respectively.

Chava instructed Orrelios to utilize his bo-rifle in the ancient manner with her staff, and with a galactic map provided by C1-10P, they were shown the path to a planet in Wild Space. Convinced that this world was the legendary Lira San, they attempted to reach it but were forced to exit hyperspace due to a black hole. Despite the obstacles they faced, the prophecy alluded to a maze, which Chava interpreted as the journey they had undertaken to reach Lira San.

When confronted by an Imperial light cruiser, Chava recognized its commanding officer, ISB Agent Alexsandr Kallus, as "the Warrior" in the prophecy. Refusing to surrender to Kallus, the Spectres employed Orrelios' bo-rifle to guide their starship, the Ghost, into the star cluster. Defying Kallus' expectations, the Ghost successfully navigated the gravity field and ultimately arrived at Lira San. Chava and Gron settled on the planet, where they discovered other Lasat refugees, although Orrelios chose to remain with the Spectres and continue fighting the Empire.

During the Imperial Era, the Jedi Order was virtually eradicated. While a handful of Jedi managed to escape the initial purge, these survivors scattered into hiding as Sidious solidified his rule as Emperor. The Galactic Empire undertook a concerted effort to completely erase the memory of the Jedi from the minds of the general populace. The Church of the Force functioned as an underground movement, preserving faith in the supernatural, but belief in the Force diminished and was questioned by skeptics such as Han Solo. Members of the Empire's military hierarchy viewed the Force as the foundation of an ancient religion that had no place in the New Order.

Sometime after the Battle of Atollon and during their collaboration, Grand Admiral Thrawn informed Vader that the Chiss Ascendancy, a mysterious empire from the Unknown Regions that Thrawn hailed from, utilized Force-sensitives as navigators due to their lack of navigation computers. The Chiss referred to the Force as the Sight, and their Force-sensitives were predominantly female, although they would lose their sensitivity after childhood. These navigators were known as Ozyly-esehembo, which translated to "Sky-walker," and were sought after by the forces of the Grysk Hegemony.

Although Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin was a veteran of the Clone Wars and had witnessed the Jedi's use of the Force, he believed that the Jedi Order was extinct and that Vader represented the last vestige of the Jedi religion. Ultimately, the prophecy of the Chosen One came to fruition when Vader killed Sidious to protect his son, Luke Skywalker, who followed the Jedi path as his father had before him. Having fulfilled his destiny at the cost of his life, Anakin Skywalker died and became one with the Force. Through his final actions, the Sith were destroyed, balance was restored to the Force, and Luke emerged as the last of the Jedi following the Battle of Endor.

Although the Jedi prophecy foretold that the Chosen One would bring about the destruction of the Sith, it did not predict the end of the dark side of the Force. With balance restored to the Force, Luke Skywalker gradually set out to rebuild the order that had been decimated by his father and the Emperor. Recruiting over a dozen students to train in the ways of the Force, he became the Jedi Master to a new generation of Jedi. One of Skywalker's acolytes was his nephew, Ben Solo, in whom he recognized a raw strength in the Force. Skywalker hoped that by imparting his knowledge to Solo, the order would flourish once more and he would not die as the last Jedi.

However, Solo's inherent strength attracted the attention of another powerful Force practitioner—Supreme Leader Snoke, the leader of the First Order. Although Snoke was not a Sith Lord, he possessed a strong connection to the dark side of the Force. Intrigued by the potential that Solo inherited from his grandfather, Darth Vader, he manipulated the young Jedi into embracing the dark side. Skywalker sensed the darkness growing within his apprentice's heart and nearly succumbed to the temptation of killing Solo before his future as a dark warrior could come to pass. Consequently, Solo felt betrayed by his master and proceeded to destroy his Jedi training temple by setting it ablaze, killing most of the apprentices. Skywalker survived the destruction, for which he felt responsible, and went into self-imposed exile out of shame for his role in Solo's fall.

Having rejected both his family and the legacy of the Jedi, Solo abandoned his birth name and adopted the identity of Kylo Ren—apprentice to the Supreme Leader, warlord and champion of the First Order, and master of the Knights of Ren. However, in gaining the former Ben Solo as a disciple, Snoke feared that his apprentice's equal in the light would rise as Ren grew stronger in the darkness. Believing that Skywalker would be the light's champion, the Supreme Leader hoped that Ren would become powerful enough to kill his uncle, thereby completing the purge that his grandfather had begun. Snoke was mistaken, however. The one who rose to meet Ren's darkness with light was not Skywalker, but a scavenger from Jakku named Rey. Her encounter with Ren awakened her long-dormant connection to the Force, which, combined with Ren's inner conflict, allowed the untrained scavenger to triumph over the dark warrior during the Battle of Starkiller Base.

Ren recovered from his defeat but was rebuked by his master for becoming unbalanced and losing to an opponent with no prior experience in lightsaber combat. As he strived to regain his master's favor, Ren discovered that a Force-bond had formed between himself and Rey, enabling them to communicate with each other across the galaxy. The bond grew increasingly powerful as their connections became more frequent, providing Rey with insights into Ren's inner turmoil and pain.

After touching hands through the Force, Rey confronted Ren in person with the intention of turning him back to the light. Her arrival led to Ren betraying Snoke, assassinating him and subsequently claiming his throne. He desired to rule the galaxy alongside Rey, but she rejected his offer and returned to her allies in the Resistance. During the Battle of Crait, the new Supreme Leader was confronted by his former master. Skywalker projected his appearance onto Crait from his actual location on Ahch-To, and although the effort resulted in his death, his defiance against the First Order inspired hope throughout the galaxy.

One year after the beginning of the First Order-Resistance War, the Sith's resurgence was prevented when Rey killed Darth Sidious, who had been resurrected after his death during the Battle of Endor by transferring his consciousness to a clone body. In the process, the Resistance and Citizens' Fleet defeated the Sith Eternal. The destruction of the Sith ushered in a new era.

Throughout the vast expanse of the galaxy, diverse groups and organizations engaged with the Force, whether through practice or adherence. Among these were the esteemed Jedi and the notorious Sith Orders, alongside entities like the Inquisitorius and the Knights of Ren. The Dagoyan Order also consisted of individuals sensitive to the Force, while the Nightsisters, along with other clans hailing from Dathomir, manipulated dark-side magick. Numerous other groups, such as the Church of the Force, the Guardians of the Whills, the Path of the Open Hand, the Frangawl Cult, and the mystics of the Lasat, devoted themselves to the Force or specific aspects thereof. Prince Phan-tu Zenn found that Gella Nattai's explanation of the Force reminded him of how the Eirami described their god Krel.

The initial, modest Jedi temple was erected on Ahch-To. However, as the Jedi Order expanded over the centuries, the thousands of temples constructed across the galaxy evolved into increasingly complex and distinctive structures. The most renowned of these, situated on Coruscant, served as the central hub for the Jedi High Council and housed the extensive repository of knowledge known as the Jedi Archives. Upon the Empire's seizure of galactic control, the Coruscant Temple was repurposed as their new Imperial Palace. Across various worlds, Imperial forces plundered the majority of Jedi temples for their ancient wisdom before demolishing them. Certain Jedi temples, such as the one on Lothal, remained concealed in plain sight, accessible only to those deeply connected to the light side of the Force, although the Empire was never far behind. While Ach-To's simple stone dwellings and ominous caverns marked the Jedi's beginnings, the Order's influence across the Galaxy led to an increase in places of worship for both adherents of the light and dark sides of the Force.

The towering spire of the Temple of the Kyber dominated the skyline of Jedha City, extending a welcome to all believers. This temple served as the base for the Church of the Force, a group whose members, despite lacking Force sensitivity, chose to embrace the teachings of the Jedi Order. Emerging as an underground movement during a period when the Empire strictly prohibited their form of worship, the Church of the Force experienced growth in its following, even in the face of ongoing oppression. The Guardians of the Whills, a dwindling order of fiercely devoted warrior monks, protected the Temple of the Kyber until Jedha's Holy City was destroyed by the Empire's use of the area as a testing ground for the first Death Star Superlaser.

While Jedi temples proliferated across numerous worlds during the Galactic Republic era, the majority of ancient Sith temples had, by that point, been lost to time. One of these somber, pyramid-shaped structures endured within the subterranean caverns of the planet Malachor. This location marked the site of the Great Scourge of Malachor, a devastating massacre that decimated the Sith Order (Sith Empire) ages ago. The temple, filled with the fossilized remains of fallen warriors, remained dormant for millennia until Kanan Jarrus' rebel cell rediscovered it. Visitors to Malachor's hidden temple are said to be overwhelmed by the lingering rage and hatred permeating the Sith ashes that blanket the site.

It seems appropriate that Darth Vader's ultimate personal monument was erected near the location of his most crushing defeat. Constructed atop a Sith cave on Mustafar, the lava-ridden world where Obi-Wan Kenobi vanquished his former apprentice and left him for dead, this obsidian fortress served as Darth Vader's sanctuary for meditation and recuperation between battles. The castle's distinctive design, inspired by the ancient Sith Lord Darth Momin, was specifically attuned to the dark energies of Mustafar, enabling Vader to penetrate the boundary between life and death. The loss of Padme had finalized Anakin's descent to the dark side, and finding a way to reunite with her became Vader's secret obsession for the rest of his days.

By 34 ABY, the great shrines dedicated to both the Jedi and the Sith had largely vanished from historical record. Even the most ancient of these, the sacred Jedi Tree on Ach-To, was ultimately reduced to ashes by Grand Master Yoda. However, true devotees of the Force understand that physical temples are not essential for connection. They need only to search within themselves.

The concept of The Force initially appears in the rough draft of what would eventually become A New Hope, where King Kayos first uses the term "The Force of Others." The second draft elaborates on the Force of Others, dividing it into two components: "Ashla, the good, and Bogan the paraforce or evil part." These terms were later integrated into canon in Star Wars Rebels; first by the Lasat Chava, who referred to "Ashla" as "the spirit of the galaxy," and subsequently by the Lasat Zeb Orrelios, who used "bogen" as a derogatory term for dokma. Finally, Bendu (another term originating from the early drafts) was used to describe both Ashla and Bogan as the names for the light and dark sides of the Force, respectively.

George Lucas, the creator of Star Wars, stated in an interview for The Making of Return of the Jedi that everyone in the Star Wars universe possesses the potential to learn Force abilities. He clarified, however, that only the Jedi "take the time to do it," with other Star Wars works showcasing other Force orders, such as the Sith, that also dedicated time to training. Lucas likened the Force to Yoga or karate: accessible to all, but pursued only by those with genuine interest. The notion that anyone could harness the Force through dedicated learning was later explored in the series Ahsoka. To address potential confusion, Pablo Hidalgo explained that "Force-sensitive" is akin to possessing talent or aptitude in a particular field.

A leitmotif of the Force exists. In The Clone Wars, a deep rumbling sound effect was commonly used to represent the dark side of the Force. Conversely, in Star Wars Rebels, a high-pitched, wind-like tone served as the sound effect for the light side of the Force.

In Ronin: A Visions Novel, the Force is re-envisioned with a white flare and a black current, rather than a dark side and a light side. Author Emma Mieko Candon drew inspiration from the concepts of Taoism and yin/yang to present a novel interpretation of the Force in the book.