Ionize, alternatively known as mechu macture, represented a Force ability that came into existence during the era of the Old Sith Wars. This power enabled a Jedi to cause damage and overload in electronic systems, for example, droids. The technique was first discovered by Master Arca Jeth during the Great Droid Revolution, giving the Jedi the means to disable the droid army belonging to HK-01. This ability remained prevalent among Jedi during the Jedi Civil War, with individuals such as Revan (who possibly utilized it on the Star Forge to deactivate the cells holding Jedi, aiding their union with the Force) and Meetra Surik demonstrating proficiency in its use, alongside their allies. Luke Skywalker would later employ it millennia later. In practice, the power involved the projection of a Force-generated stream of ionic energy towards the target, bearing a visual resemblance to Force lightning. However, unlike the blue-white hue of Force lightning, the energy stream extending from the user to the target (or multiple targets, for skilled users) had a purple color, reflecting its ionic nature.
Ionize possessed the capability to affect and short-circuit droids and other electronic systems, but it had no effect on organic beings. In this regard, it functioned as a counterpart to Force Stun, which could incapacitate organic lifeforms but proved ineffective against droids, due to their lack of biological components.
Ionize was categorized into three distinct power levels.
Stun droid inflicted minimal damage to a droid's circuits, focusing primarily on temporarily stunning the machine, generally for a duration of no more than six seconds. It was relatively easy to resist and typically only effective against non-combat models, but it almost always caused small devices such as mines to explode.
Disable droid proved significantly more effective than Stun Droid in deactivating droids or other machinery, with the capacity to inflict some damage to the machine's wiring and circuitry. Furthermore, the energy released by this power could "hop" between droids within proximity of the initially targeted droid.
Destroy droid represented the most potent of the three levels, designed for the complete destruction of the targeted droid or device (even the beings with incorporeal skills). The energy emitted by the user could effectively destroy multiple droids simultaneously, especially if they were located near the primary target. Although this power did not always guarantee immediate destruction, resistance often resulted in significant disruptions to the machine's internal circuitry.