Telekinesis

One of the most fundamental Force powers was telekinesis. Those who wielded the Force frequently used this ability to control matter, enabling them to touch, hold, move, and otherwise interact with a target through the Force. A sufficiently adept and strong practitioner could overcome the limitations posed by the size, weight, distance, and mass of a targeted object. The range of objects that could be manipulated spanned from something as small as a piece of fruit to an X-wing starfighter, and it could also be used to manipulate liquids or dissipate gaseous substances.

While the ability granted the user the power to manipulate targets from a distance without physical contact, the precision, accuracy, range, and strength of the ability hinged on the user's concentration, willpower, emotions, senses, and spatial awareness. Consequently, a user's telekinetic power could be diminished, neutralized, or destabilized, rendering them unable to maintain proper control. While typically employed at close range, there were rare instances where a user could affect a target simply by knowing its location relative to themselves, even if it was around a corner or in another room. Hence, with sufficient concentration, the power could be applied even without direct line of sight, even if the target was light-years away, as viewed though a holocomm or viewscreen.

Meditation, which fostered a deeper and more direct connection with the Force, could sometimes inadvertently affect the surroundings due to the heightened state of consciousness, often causing nearby objects or even the practitioner themselves to levitate. Indeed, some practitioners possessed such skill and power that they could consciously defy gravity, inertia, friction, and other physical forces to enhance their mobility, most notably allowing them to slow their falls.

The Jedi Order considered the use of telekinesis against others in combat, such as throwing enemies back, as a last resort when negotiations had failed. Dark side users could harness physical pain, as well as intense and raw emotions, to amplify their power, enabling them to exert greater telekinetic force than usual, particularly during moments of intense stress, fear, desperation, and rage. Force Rend involved violently lifting an enemy into the air, where their body would undergo contortion due to the stress applied by the Force.

The Force could be used to manipulate water, as well as lava, fire, and explosions. It was possible to affect targets that were otherwise obscured, such as the interior of a target, which could notably enable a target to influence technology by manipulating its internal or external mechanisms. By focusing intently and visualizing the target in their mind, even if it was obscured or obstructed, the user could essentially lock onto it. This enabled feats such as disabling and reactivating thermal detonators or opening doors without physical contact.

In a lightsaber combat scenario, telekinesis could be employed to deflect an incoming lightsaber blade. Some users also possessed the skill to activate or deactivate lightsabers from a distance or maintain the blade's ignition without touching it. This further allowed a user to hurl their lightsabers like boomerangs, manipulating their trajectory to strike a distant target before deactivating it and returning it to the user's hand. Consequently, certain Force users could muster sufficient telekinetic strength to crush various objects, including ships, walls, and droids.

Telekinesis inherently possessed both offensive and defensive capabilities, with most Force users capable of employing it combatively to some extent. In combat, the ability could be used to exert harmful physical force against a target, such as to push, pull, throw, grab, or choke them. This allowed a user to seize an opponent with the Force, suspending them in the air, sometimes holding them up by a specific body part, such as the neck, or pinning them against walls and ceilings. Alternatively, it could be used to pull or restrain a target, effectively immobilizing or completely immobilizing them.

Moreover, by gripping and squeezing specific parts of their targets, a user could potentially manipulate their motor skills or render them unable to move. This could also be done more subtly, such as disrupting an opponent's aim, usually with a telekinetic shove, whether they were using long-range weapons like blasters or melee weapons like lightsabers. Indeed, Jedi General Anakin Skywalker employed telekinesis on a corpse during his mission to Batuu to create the illusion that an enemy agent was still alive. However, Skywalker admitted that such an act was more challenging than moving one's own limbs: for the scheme to succeed, the individual needed to appear as though they were breathing, their balance needed to remain stable, and their muscles under the skin had to move properly. Skywalker's partner for the mission, Chiss Senior Captain Mitth'raw'nuruodo "Thrawn," found Skywalker's plan intriguing and deemed the final product satisfactory.

Despite the strengths of telekinesis, many users of the ability were susceptible to limitations, which were partly due to their own physical and mental constraints. The weight of an object could affect the speed at which it could be moved, and it was typically more difficult to control targets that were already in motion or had stronger forces acting upon them, such as the debris and concussive force of an explosion. Additionally, the effort of using the ability could induce physical and mental exhaustion. While focusing the ability with one hand was sufficient for some objects, heavier objects likely required the user to use two hands to help guide the mass.

Even the most powerful and skilled Force users, who naturally possessed greater levels of precision and accuracy with their ability, commonly refrained from repeated use of this ability in combat. They tended to use it in short bursts to repel or attack their opponents, rather than to perform more delicate, complex, or strenuous tasks, as the effort and concentration could leave them vulnerable and potentially weakened. More often than not, they were compelled to devote an intense amount of continuous effort to such tasks, leaving them unable to perform other actions in the meantime, including moving in most cases. Because this could leave them vulnerable in dangerous situations, such as open combat, Force users typically had little time or focus to manipulate their environment in more drastic ways, such as dismantling supports on large structures or surgically controlling small objects, without some form of cover or external protection to ensure they were not interrupted.

The ability was typically accompanied by or channeled through physical gestures, particularly the motion of the eyes, hands, fingers, or occasionally the entire body. Such gestures were the most common way to use the power, especially when the user's mind or senses were strained or overwhelmed, as the user required comparatively less concentration, focus, and effort to manifest their ability. However, this feature could also limit the use of one's abilities if the user was restrained or otherwise rendered immobile. As such, physically restraining a Force-user was an effective way to neutralize their ability to use their power effectively enough to escape, particularly if they were surrounded by enemies. Furthermore, the use of a containment field or stuncuffs was even more effective at disabling Force-users and preventing them from using the Force to overpower their captors.

Due to the ability's frequent deployment by Force users, many non-Force using combatants developed methods to counteract and mimic the effects of telekinesis. Among the technologies they developed during and after the Mandalorian-Jedi War, the Mandalorians created weaponized repulsors and grappling lines that could imitate the effects of telekinetic pushes and pulls. Jetpacks, such as those used by Mandalorians and bounty hunters, were used to provide counter-thrust against telekinetic attacks, while others, such as the Purge Troopers of the Empire's Inquisitorius, were trained to recover or react quickly from pushes and shoves or to counterattack while being pulled. In fact, individuals of sufficient size, strength, and resilience could more easily withstand telekinetic attacks and capitalize on the limits of a Force user's capabilities to overcome them.

Oliviah Zeveron, who would later become a Jedi Knight, demonstrated a natural talent for telekinesis as a child. When a Jedi seeker discovered her, the young girl levitated her play building blocks into the air to showcase her abilities. During the skirmish at the wedding of Phan-tu Zenn and Xiri A'lbaran, Jedi Knight Gella Nattai used telekinesis to support the collapsing ceiling of a building in the Erasmus Capital City, protecting herself and Axel Greylark, the rebellious son of Supreme Chancellor Kyong Greylark. By focusing on what he had told her, trusting in her own abilities, and trusting in the Force, Nattai, repeating the Guardian's Mantra, slowly but surely loosened each piece of the collapsing ceiling off until they were safe.

According to his teasing friend Tey Sirrek, Jedi Master Vildar Mac enjoyed using the Force to throw people back and always seized the first opportunity to do so, whereas Mac maintained that it was a last resort, much like the need to use a lightsaber. These comments arose before the Battle of Dalna, prior to which Mac urged his Padawan Matthea Cathley and Knight Oliviah Zeveron to report back to him on the moon of Jedha if they discovered that the Path of the Open Hand was acting maliciously, noting that they would need to collaborate to devise a plan. Sirrek quickly joked that such a plan would involve lightsabers and Force throws, further quipping that Mac loved to use telekinesis in that manner whenever possible after the Jedi Master stated it would be a last resort. Mac responded with a jest of his own, teasingly asking Sirrek not to tempt him.

As a Padawan, Bell Zettifar honed his telekinetic skills by playing fetch with his charhound Ember. Once, during a visit to the Jedi Temple on Tenoo, Zettifar offered the same training opportunity to youngling Kai Brightstar; however, Brightstar accidentally launched the stick into a nearby forest, where the charhound pursued it. While searching the forest together for the charhound, Brightstar fell from a tree, and Zettifar used telekinesis to slow his fall and save him. Eventually, they found Ember confronted by a gangul, and Brightstar used his own telekinesis to distract the gangul by throwing a log, in order to save Ember. Brightstar's friends and fellow younglings Lys Solay and Nubs eventually displayed a rudimentary ability to use telekinesis as well, using it in tandem to retrieve the Starlight Beacon dedication plaque from the pirate Taborr.

On one occasion, while sharing a meal with Padmé Amidala, Anakin Skywalker used telekinesis to manipulate a piece of fruit. He expressed concern that Master Obi-Wan Kenobi would disapprove if he knew, as a Jedi was not supposed to use the Force for trivial purposes. Yoda and Dooku employed this power to combat their enemies. Asajj Ventress possessed skill in telekinesis.

During the mission to Utapau, Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi were compelled to lift a massive kyber crystal onto a repulsorcraft. Skywalker remarked that he believed the crystal was too large to be Force grabbed with one hand, but Kenobi asserted that it would be simple.

Upon learning of his wife's death, Darth Vader inadvertently unleashed his anger, despair, shame, and grief on the chamber of the Grand Republic Medical Facility where he was cybernetically rebuilt, causing a tremor inside the room that severely damaged it, while multiple objects and droids were telekinetically crushed. He then used his power to hurl Palpatine against a wall and attempted to choke him. However, Palpatine was able to use his own powers to resist the second assault, and it had no visible effect on him. Vader's initial mission in his cybernetic armor involved recapturing a starship left for him by Palpatine. Upon discovering the thieves, Vader, who lacked access to a lightsaber after losing his Jedi blade to Obi-Wan Kenobi, initiated his attack by slamming a square of metal into one enslaver, then raising several other pieces around himself as he stood over the thieves. Vader skillfully used the Force to turn small and large pieces around him into weapons before throwing one thief, who actually managed to land a shot on the Dark Lord, off a cliff. After lifting the corpses of two thieves to use as shields, quickly then throwing both bodies into another thief, Vader defeated the last thief by knocking the enslaver.

Shortly thereafter, Vader chased down surviving Jedi Master Kirak Infil'a on the moon Al'doleem, where Infil'a had survived Order 66 thanks to his Barash Vow. Vader intended to steal Infil'a's kyber crystal to bleed and use in his Sith lightsaber. After seemingly vanquishing Vader, Infil'a made his way to Jogg and Mareena's garage, where his starfighter was stored. As Jogg and Mareena worked on repairing the starfighter, Infil'a used the Force to raise various rods and materiel, much to the amazement of Jogg and Mareena's children, Colli and a infant daughter. When Colli mentioned that not even his father could lift such a heavy load, Infil'a explained that the Force made all things light, leading him to consider restarting the Jedi Order on Al'doleem with Colli as one of his first disciples. However, Vader then revealed his survival—the shock of which caused Infil'a to drop all the pieces he had lifted—and resumed his duel against Infil'a atop the Am'balaar city dam.

As Vader and Infil'a's duel continued, they were confronted by three members of the Am'balaar City police who demanded that the battle atop such vital infrastructure cease. However, Vader responded by telekinetically lifting the three into the air in a Force choke and then releasing them over the ground, much to Infil'a's horror. Infil'a quickly responded by lifting all three back into the air before they could hit the ground, safely lifting them to a nearby roof. Agreeing with the horrified Infil'a's statement that he was a monster, Vader used the Force to rupture the damn, flooding the entire city and wiping out everyone caught in the sudden waves, although Jogg and Mareena made sure their children escaped on the rebuilt starfighter. Vader also lifted Infil'a into the air in a Force choke, forcing the man to watch as the flood swept over the city before snapping his neck and letting his body fall into the flood. Vader also used telekinesis to claim Kirak Infil'a's lightsaber, the crystal of which he then bled on the planet Mustafar.

Luke Skywalker lamented that Kenobi had never addressed the topic of telekinesis in his lessons during their brief training period, likely because Kenobi felt he wasn't ready to train in something considered an advanced field of study. The power could be used to focus the kyber crystal used in a lightsaber using one's mind. Skywalker decided to give it a try but couldn't seem to get the hang of it at first. He was pleased when he was finally able to access the ability.

During Luke Skywalker's training under Master Yoda, he was tasked with lifting his T-65 X-wing starfighter out of a Dagobah swamp, but he didn't believe it was possible. Yoda proved him wrong by completing the task himself, after which Skywalker again expressed disbelief, only to be told that it was his disbelief that caused his failure. When Padmé Amidala's former body-double Sabé chose to remain with Vader instead leaving with her fellow Naboo Royal Handmaidens, as she believed in Amidala's final words about the light existing in Vader and felt that only the Empire had the resources to defeat the civilian-killing revolutionary Jul Tambor, she detached an antigravity device to fall to the ground and reunite with Vader. With Sabé falling through blaster fired from stormtroopers shooting at the handmaidens, Vader guided her back to the ground with telekinesis.

In 9 ABY, Grogu trained in telekinesis with his adoptive father, Din Djarin, aboard the Razor Crest as they journeyed to Tython. After being captured by Gideon's Imperial remnant, Grogu used telekinesis on two stormtroopers in a cell on Moff Gideon's light cruiser, thrashing them around the room. After he arrived to rescue Grogu, Jedi Master Luke Skywalker used telekinesis to dispatch multiple hostile Third-generation Dark Troopers, including crushing one inside its own armor.

Kylo Ren possessed considerable telekinetic prowess. He demonstrated this by suspending a blaster bolt in the air, holding it motionless until he departed. Upon his exit, the bolt would then be released, diverting to strike a nearby wall. He also exhibited the ability to immobilize individuals, effectively paralyzing them and manipulating their movements. This control extended to constricting specific body parts; for example, he telekinetically seized Dopheld Mitaka by the throat from across a room, drawing him into his grasp. Furthermore, his application of the mind probe was so potent that it manifested as physical force, pinning Poe Dameron against his interrogation chair and levitating Del Meeko by the arms without any physical contact. Supreme Leader Snoke also had significant telekinetic talent.

After defeating Finn, a former stormtrooper, in a lightsaber battle, the weakened Ren—his strength diminished by Chewbacca's bowcaster and the emotional trauma of killing his father—attempted to telekinetically summon the lightsaber that once belonged to Anakin and Luke Skywalker, the same weapon Finn had wielded in their duel. Ren believed the lightsaber was rightfully his. However, Rey, an aspiring Force user, countered his efforts and successfully secured the lightsaber through her own telekinetic abilities. Her proficiency in this skill was partly derived from the memories she had extracted from Kylo during his earlier attempt to interrogate her using the Force.

During the Battle of Oetchi, as the Skywalker lightsaber lay nearby, Ren angled his own lightsaber towards the captured Rey, leading Snoke to believe he was about to strike her down. However, the sensation of turning a lightsaber to kill his true enemy, as perceived by Snoke, was actually Ren using telekinesis to maneuver the Skywalker lightsaber next to Snoke. He then activated the weapon telekinetically, bisecting Snoke and eliminating the Supreme Leader. Rey subsequently used telekinesis to retrieve the lightsaber and wield it against Snoke's Elite Praetorian Guard. Later, Rey and Ren engaged in a telekinetic struggle for control of the Skywalker lightsaber, resulting in its shattering into two pieces. Rey ultimately escaped with the broken weapon.

During Ren and Rey's duel amidst the Death Star ruins on the moon Kef Bir, Finn attempted to reach Rey, but she used the Force to push him back. Throughout the duel, both Ren and Rey employed telekinesis to deflect each other's lightsaber strikes. Shortly afterward, when Ren had embraced the light side of the Force and reverted to his identity as Ben Solo, Rey used the Force to deflect blaster fire from Sovereign Protectors during the Battle of Exegol. On another occasion, she redirected an incoming shot by telekinetically manipulating the Protector's body before they could fire, causing the blast to hit another guard. She also telekinetically crushed one guard down and then threw them back. Meanwhile, Solo battled his former followers, the Knights of Ren, during which he used a Force push to send Knight Ap'lek into a pit. Solo arrived at Rey's location by telekinetically pulling back a remaining Protector.

Telekinesis made its debut in the original Star Wars films. Similar to the continuity of Star Wars Legends, it encompasses a diverse array of named abilities, including the Force choke and Force Push. The term "telekinesis" was first officially used in canon within the 2015 novel Heir to the Jedi by Kevin Hearne.