The defensive and offensive Force power known as Force barrier, also called Force (war) shield, Force of Will, or Lesser Force Shield, was neither aligned with the light side nor the dark side of the Force. It involved generating a wall or barrier of Force energy surrounding the intended target, which could be oneself, an ally, or an enemy.
As a fundamental application of the Force, the appearance of a Force barrier varied from individual to individual. It could manifest as a shimmering stasis field comprised of Force energy, or sometimes it was invisible altogether. In battle, these barriers could absorb a wide range of physical and energy-based assaults. Force barriers served only as a defensive measure and could not function as a solid "wall". The barrier's resilience depended on the individual's strength; it could only withstand a limited number of attacks before collapsing. There have been instances recorded where barriers have deflected both high and low-frequency sounds. Obi-Wan Kenobi employed this technique when targeted by a bounty hunter wielding a sonic boom grenade launcher.
The Umbaran Shadow Assassins were the first to utilize this technique, which was subsequently adopted by both the Jedi and the Sith. Masters would train their students to use Force barriers instinctively, making it an automatic response. By at least 4000 BBY, Jedi Masters prepared their students for combat by ensuring they had mastered Force barrier. Master Arca Jeth was one such example, teaching his three apprentices to create Force shields instinctively, among other skills. Jedi apprentices on the ancient library planet of Ossus also learned Force shielding before engaging in battle. During the New Sith Wars, students at the Sith Academy on Korriban were taught to use Force barrier as a natural reflex, practicing it alongside their lightsaber skills within the Academy's dueling arena. In Luke Skywalker's New Jedi Order, children were instructed to protect themselves with shimmering Force barriers as soon as they began to sense the power of the Force. At the young age of five, Skywalker's niece and nephew, Jacen and Jaina Solo, had already become adept at creating Force barriers, having been taught directly by their uncle.
During training with Thon on Ambria, Nomi Sunrider, her daughter Vima, and Thon were attacked by Bogga the Hutt's gang of pirates. When the thugs launched attacks from their hovercraft, the Jedi Master used the Force to deflect the incoming fire. Later, when the gang surrounded the Jedi trio and seemingly captured them, Thon again employed the Force as a shield to repel the assaults. The pirate Gudb described Thon's shield as being strong enough to stop a sandcrawler.
Valkorion, Emperor of Zakuul, employed a slight variation of the force shield to defend himself from an attack by his own son, Arcann. This shield appeared to only surround his hand, but it seemed to protect him from every strike of Arcann's lightsaber.
During the Freedon Nadd Uprising, Jedi Knights Dace Diath, Nomi Sunrider, Kith Kark, and Shoaneb Culu collaborated to create a defensive war-shield using the Force, protecting them from the attacking Naddists. Although invisible, the Force barrier successfully repelled the attacks as the Jedi advanced.
During the Duel on Tython, Jedi Lord Valenthyne Farfalla utilized Force barrier both defensively and offensively against Darth Bane. As fellow Jedi Master Raskta Lsu fought Bane, Farfalla shielded her from Bane's dark side attacks with a Force barrier. When the Dark Lord attempted to attack Worror Dowmat (who was empowering the Jedi through his battle meditation), Farfalla raised another Force barrier to stop him. Drawing energy from the light side of the Force, Farfalla released it in a concentrated burst, encasing Bane in a stasis field of light side power. However, this was insufficient to subdue a Dark Lord of the Sith. The shield shattered into energy fragments as Darth Bane broke free.
Darth Vader employed a semi-visible Force barrier or Protection bubble around himself during a fight with Rebel terrorists after the bombing of Coruscant in 19 BBY.
After being kidnapped by Lord Hethrir, Jacen and Jaina Solo, then five years old, tried to shield themselves and their brother Anakin with a shimmering Force barrier. However, Hethrir's command of the Force was superior, and he effortlessly collapsed the twins' barrier as if it were made of sand.
Jacen Solo once protected both himself and Admiral Cha Niathal from an explosion in the hotel district south of the Galactic Senate by enveloping their taxicab in a Force shield, which absorbed the full force of the blast.
In the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions of Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, both Jedi and Sith that Galen Marek battles utilize this technique. Characters such as Rahm Kota, Shaak Ti, and even Darth Vader use it to block Galen's lightsaber and Force lightning. The Emperor used a lightning-based variant of this power that not only shielded him but also harmed approaching opponents. It was often used when these masters were preparing a powerful Force attack; for example, when Kota throws his 'saber to initiate a ground slam, Shaak Ti when preparing to launch a Force sphere, Darth Vader when about to unleash a blast of the Force, and the Emperor when about to use Lightning grenade.