The Jedi | The Sith | Other Force Religions | Lightsabers


In SW, the Force represents the Divine, perhaps God or the Gods, but is not a reduction of any one specific concept of the Divine from Earth history.
In early versions of SW, Lucas called it "the Whills", and later "the Force of others", the idea being that the Force is both a higher power of a sort,
while at the same time being the product of abundant life; the common soul and energy of the living things in the universe.

George Lucas explains: "This is the cosmology. The Force is the energy, the fuel, and without it everything would fall apart. The Force is a metaphor
for God, and God is essentially unknowable. But behind it is another metaphor, which fits so well into the movie that I couldn't resist it. Midi-chlorians
are the equivalent of mitochondria in living organisms and photosynthesis in plants. I simply combined them for easier consumption by the viewer.
Mitochondria create the chemical energy that turns one cell into two cells. I like to think that there is a unified reality to life and that it exists everywhere
in the universe and that it controls things, but you can also control it. That's why I split it into the personal Force and the cosmic Force. The personal
Force is the energy field created by our cells interacting and doing things while we are alive. When we die, we lose our persona and our energy is
assimilated into the cosmic Force. If we have enough midi-chlorians in our body, we can have a certain amount of control over our personal Force
and learn how to use it, like the Buddhist practice of being able to walk on hot coals. The Jedi will train you to connect to your personal Force,
and then to connect to the cosmic Force. You don't have much power to control the cosmic Force, but you can make use of it."

"The Whills are a microscopic, single-celled lifeform like amoeba, fungi, and bacteria. There's something like 100,000 times more Whills than there
are midi-chlorians, and there's about 10,000 times more midi-chlorians than there are human cells. The only microscopic entities that can go into
the human cells are the midi-chlorians. They are born in the cells. The midi-chlorians provide the energy for human cells to split and create life.
The Whills are single-celled animals that feed on the Force. The more of the Force there is, the better off they are. So they have a very intense
symbiotic relationship with the midi-chlorians and the midi-chlorians effectively work for the Whills. It is estimated that we have 100 trillion
microbes in our body, and we are made up of about 90% bacteria and 10% human cells, so who is in service to whom? I know this is the kind
of thing that fans just go berserk over because they say, 'we want it to be mysterious and magical', and 'you're just doing science.'
Well, this isn't science. This is just as mythological as anything else in Star Wars. It sounds more scientific, but it's a fiction. It's saying there
is a big symbiotic relationship to create life, and to create the Force, but if you look at all the life-forms in the universe, most of them are
one-celled organisms. I think of one-celled organisms as an advanced form of life because they've been able to travel through the universe.
They have their own spaceships - those meteorites that we get every once in a while. They've been living on those things for thousands
of years, they've been frozen, unfrozen, and can survive almost anything. The one-celled organisms have to have a balance.
You have to have good ones and bad ones otherwise it would extinguish life. And if they go out of balance, the dark side takes over."

NATURE OF THE FORCE
The Force is "an energy field created by all living things. It surrounds us and penetrates us; it binds the galaxy together." The Force is unitary,
but despite its essential oneness, manifests itself in nature as a duality of light and dark. This is because "life creates it, makes it grow", and
thus the Force is itself fundamentally rooted in nature. In its natural state, the balance of dark and light is properly preserved, including
death, which "is a natural part of life." The Force "resides in all living beings", and when a being dies they "transform into the Force."
Its energy "surrounds and binds" all living beings, who appear to be made of darkness, what Yoda calls "crude matter", but each is in
reality a "luminous being." This is also why Yoda teaches, "deceive you, eyes can. In the Force, very different each one of you are."
The Force connects all living things "everywhere", and even to the inert matter it surrounds in its ever growing, universal web. In addition
to its fundamental dichotomy of light and dark, the Force "consists of two parts", the cosmic Force, and the living Force which Lucas
originally termed the 'personal Force'. "Living beings generate the living Force, which in turn powers the wellspring that is the cosmic Force.
All energy from the living Force, from all things that have ever lived, feeds into the cosmic Force, binding everything." When there are no
beings with sentience and sapience around to mess things up, the four quadrants of the Force remain in a healthy natural balance.

The Force by its nature grows with life, and serves to fuel its expansion and evolution. Ultimately this produces sapient beings capable
of choosing to do things which are 'good', meaning in this context make the universe less dark than in nature. These beings can also
choose to do 'evil', which in this context is what is unnatural, making the universe darker than it should be, and corrupting something
that should be light. Lucas describes these positions as "Ashla, the good, and Bogan, the paraforce or evil part." The existence of
the Ashla and Bogan in living beings is a reflection of those aspects of the cosmic Force, and in the Whills themselves, which are
expressed in living beings by the Force "communicating through the midi-chlorians." When good is used, the Force remains in balance,
with the world a slightly better place to live in than it would be in nature. An example of this could be something as simple as building
a house to live in, which makes Human life more 'light' than it would be in the balance of nature. When evil is used by any being,
regardless of their power in the Force, it creates an imbalance in the Force, however minute. When enough evil is being done,
it not only counteracts some of the good being done, it corrupts things which should be in the light in the Force's natural state.
The very existence of powerful Force wielders using the dark side combined with that evil can cause a great imbalance in the Force.

Midi-chlorians are intelligent, microscopic lifeforms which formed a symbiotic relationship with developing cells during the origins
of life in the galaxy, perhaps in the universe. Living cells require midi-chlorians, living cells create the Force, and the multiplication
of living cells makes the Force grow. This is why "without the midi-chlorians life couldn't exist", and why beings "would have no
knowledge of the Force without them." Midi-chlorians "continually speak" to living beings, telling them "the will of the Force."
Any being can use the Force to quiet their mind, however only those who are 'Force sensitive' can quiet their minds to clearly
hear the midi-chlorians speaking to them. The will of the Force has presumably grown much stronger with each passing aeon
as life evolves and spreads, since the will of the Force is the cosmic Force, which contains "all energy from the living Force, from
all things that have ever lived", and which communicates through the midi-chlorians. In this way, the Force is a deity with a divine
will influencing the fates of the living beings which created it. This is only part of the story, as unbeknownst to even the Jedi and
Sith, the midi-chlorians are themselves symbiotes with an even more microscopic, intelligent lifeform, known as the Whills. These
Whills have been directing the expansion of the Force, and therefore living cells, from the very beginning. This is explained further
in the last section of this article. As a result, the Force is very much a creator deity which all creatures owe their creation to,
from a certain point of view. Lucas explains, "The midi-chlorians are the ones that communicate with the Whills. The Whills, in
a general sense, they are the Force." Due to the ever-present will of the Force, many things are destined or fated, and even on
a mundane level, "there's no such thing as luck." This does not mean sapient and even sentient beings don't have the capacity
which philosophers call free will, since "always in motion is the future." A full understanding of the Force and its mysteries is
impossible for any being, possibly excluding the Whills, and even that which Force wielders like the Jedi understand about the Force
is but the shadow of an even greater truth. As Ahsoka observes, "in my experience, when you think you understand the Force,
you realize just how little you know." This is because the true nature of the Divine is naturally beyond anyone's comprehension.

FORCE WIELDERS
Beings with a strong enough connection to the Force are able to manifest supernatural abilities, however it is the Force which gives
a Force wielder their power. Also called Force users, Force wielders exist in a variety of forms with varying degrees of connection to
the Force. There are tens of thousands of Force sensitive beings in a single galaxy, however compared to the total number of living
beings they are exceedingly rare. "The Force resides in all living beings", and even those who are not Force sensitive can connect to
the Force within and around them, however they cannot manifest supernatural abilities with it, and usually interpret the insights and
benefits that connecting to the Force brings them as the result of some other aspect of nature. The exception to this are those who
have faith in the Force, and thus attribute a great deal to the Force as a higher power. Those who are Force sensitive can become
Force wielders if they are trained to focus their minds, although many who are strong enough to wield the Force manifest one or
more extraordinary abilities as they mature, without any external guidance. Connecting to the Force requires one to be mindful,
centered, and focused on the moment. Insight from the Force comes easily when one is "at peace, calm, passive." Force wielders can
also make a connection to the dark side of the Force by focusing instead on their anger and hatred, and on selfishly building their power.

Living beings are limited in their innate ability to connect to the Force by the number of midi-chlorians in their cells. Some beings in
the universe which are non-corporeal or semi-corporeal have connection to the Force beyond that of any mundane being, and are
able to manifest abilities with the Force which are ordinarily unattainable for living beings. These beings evolved to this position in
the cosmos, and thus are the result of what millennia of practicing the Force can eventually lead to for 'less evolved' species who
currently live lives bound by the matter in their bodies. The Force Priestesses are essentially a manifestation of the connection
between the living Force and the cosmic Force, and through their connection to the midi-chlorians are devoted to the living Force.
Another being, the Bendu, is devoted to the 'Bendu', or balance, of the Force, and acts as a manifestation of the center of the Force,
a position he likely evolved into similar to whatever historical process produced the Force Priestesses. They are all considered to be
ancient in the era of the films and shows. The Bendu is devoted equally to the light side and the dark side of the Force, which is also
collectively true of the Mortis gods. These beings, who refer to themselves simply as 'Force Wielders', seem to have reached a more
advanced stage than the Bendu, something more akin to the Force Priestesses, as they were formerly corporeal beings who became
too powerful with the Force and in their physical evolution to continue to reside in the mundane galaxy. As a result, they came to
dwell in the realm of Mortis, the nexus point in the Force, where they became manifestations of the cosmic Force. All of these
beings attained their positions by devotion to the Force, and thus have come to play a more advanced role in its development.

Those with the highest midi-chlorian levels amongst the mundane living beings are able to wield an impressive array of abilities with
the Force, usually including telekinesis, telepathy, precognition, and prophetic sight. These abilities can be most readily taught to
Force sensitive beings through particular methods, which developed into doctrines which formed the basis of religious orders
devoted to wielding the Force. The most prominent of these in any interstellar era was always the Jedi, who are devoted to
the light side of the Force. They were challenged in later millennia by the Sith, who were themselves a heretical offshoot of
the Jedi devoted to the dark side of the Force. These Force-wielding practices became over time inexorably linked to the use
of Force sensitive crystals, in particular kyber crystals, which are the inorganic equivalent of the organic practitioners who utilize
them, and which significantly enhance the power of a Force wielder. "The crystal is the heart of the blade. The heart is the crystal
of the Jedi. The Jedi is the crystal of the Force. The Force is the blade of the heart. All are intertwined: the crystal, the blade, the Jedi."

Some beings only connect to the Force in certain ways, either because they are less Force sensitive than the Jedi and Sith, or because
they choose not to develop their abilities in those areas. The Dogoyan Masters, for instance, only use the prophetic ability, and thus
take no 'side' in relation to using the Force. It is possible some may be strong enough with the Force to access other abilities, however
this is actively discouraged. Others, like Orphne and the Witches of Dathomir, are only strong enough with the Force to connect to
certain aspects of it. Their connection to the Force is natural, and is also inexorably linked to the planet on which these abilities were
developed. These abilities can be quite advanced, due to the power generated by this relationship between their planet and their
natural Force sensitivity, however there are limits to this "magic", which is "only an illusion." The Witches of Dathomir are primarily
connected to the dark side of the Force, although not exclusively. Likewise, Orphne is primarily connected to the Force's light nature.

Naturally, there are some beings who are Force sensitive but with midi-chlorian counts on the low-end of the Force wielder scale.
These beings are more limited in their ability to manifest extraordinary abilities with the Force, however with training and discipline
they can certainly make the most of their connection to the Force. The Guardians of the Whills, for example, are clearly able to
access the precognitive ability through the Force, allowing them to sense what is about to happen, and make use of this insight.
Despite this, no amount of teaching would allow them to access the other abilities utilized by the Jedi or other Force wielders.


FORCE TECHNOLOGY
The existence of Force sensitive crystals, most notably kyber crystals, makes it possible to construct technology which in some way
utilizes the Force. Kyber crystals have the greatest connectivity of any crystal with the Force, and thus are able to access energy
beyond what is stored within their structure. When used as an energy conduit, kyber crystals continuously draw and discharge
more energy than is put into them, as the remainder is sourced from the massive, non-localized energy of the Force. Kyber crystals
also respond to the energy of life, which is strong with the Force. This allows Force wielders to connect with a crystal, uniting
their energies in the Force and unlocking the increased potential which this offers. Kyber crystals are exceedingly hard, but can
be fractured by excessive amounts of improperly channeled energy. They can be found in great numbers, however in galactic
terms they are exceedingly rare, much like the Jedi who most utilize them. Kyber crystals grow in all sizes, and resonate with
the Force at the same high level, however the larger crystals carry more energy within, and have a higher capacity as a conduit.


Holocrons
Holocrons are data storage devices utilized by the Jedi and the Sith to record their holographic chronicles from which these
Force-resonating computers get their name. These devices combine circuitry with Force sensitive crystals, and thus have
properties which require a Force wielder to open and operate them. This also gives their computing power unique dimensions,
as data can be stored within that will only respond to the life energy who recorded it, and holocrons can under certain
conditions access information which is stored in the Force rather than within its virtual memory. Holocrons were originally
created to pass down chronicles of a Jedi's experiences, and as a teaching tool by which a Master's teachings could be shared.
Over time, the Jedi and Sith came to record all sorts of knowledge and information on holocrons, especially their most guarded
secrets, due to their inherent security. Holocrons had moving parts, and thus were usually built symmetrically.


Lightsabers
Lightsabers, known throughout the galaxy as "the weapon of a Jedi Knight", are kyber crystal-based "laser swords" which
project stable plasma blades capable of cutting through all but the hardest materials. Discussed further in their own
article, lightsabers can be turned on or used by any living being, since an energy in the Force is required to operate them,
however once active they are heavy and difficult to wield by those who cannot form a direct connection with them through
the Force. They are very dangerous to operate without the precognition offered by a strong connection to the Force.


Superweapons
The laser-amplifying power of kyber crystals which is utilized by a lightsaber could be applied on a grand scale to unleash
devastating destructive power. The Jedi have no interest in such a device, but kyber-based superweapons have long been
sought by the Sith, who are not concerned with the repercussions of using them. In one of their greatest historical eras,
Sith Lords managed to construct terrifying superweapons which could devastate entire battlefields, cities, or even planets.
The Death Stars were later examples of Sith superweapons, which fired kyber-enhanced superlasers powerful enough to
obliterate a planet, essentially acting like a gigantic lightsaber which fires its plasma bolt like a canon.


FORCE SPIRITS
Force spirits, often called Force ghosts, are individuals who have preserved their "lifeforce" in the cosmic Force after death, allowing them to
"manifest a consciousness" and "to commune with the living after death." This spiritual achievement is a matter of knowledge of the means
combined with purity of spirit and intention, as "at death, in order for you to preserve your identity, you must know yourself, your true self,
and then let go." That which is unconquered, what some call evil, and others call fear, must be overcome before the journey can be taken,
and an individual must free themselves to take this journey. To succeed in this path, a Force wielder's "life must be spent learning, practicing",
and ultimately the state which they must attain to reach readiness is one of enlightenment, spirit, and balance. Their ability to appear to
others seems to depend on that person's sensitivity to the Force, and they can appear more clearly in places which are strong with the Force.
They can interact with the world in at least a limited fashion, as Obi-Wan is seen as a Force spirit to apparently sit down on a log. Qui-Gon
explored this path, but did not succeed in transforming his body directly into the Force at death. As such, he remained a disembodied
"manifestation of the Force" whose power slowly grew over the years to the point that he could begin to contact living Jedi. Through his
instruction from beyond the grave, Qui-Gon became a phantom menace to the Sith, teaching Yoda and Obi-Wan about his discovery. They
were both able to master this training, and transformed directly into the Force at the moment of death. Shortly after his death, Anakin
is seen to have become a Force spirit even though he did not learn Qui-Gon's path himself, and did not transform into the Force at death.
Whether this was a gift of the Force for fulfilling his role as the Chosen One that he was born for, or whether this was Obi-Wan and Yoda's
doing is not specifically known, however non-canon and supplementary material seems to favor the former rather than the latter. In an early
draft of Episode VI, Anakin was to enter the netherworld of the Force where Yoda would "rescue him before he becomes one with the Force."

Qui-Gon states that "this is the path of only a few Jedi", which suggests he may not have been the first Jedi in history to make this advancement.
This may represent a stage in the development and evolution of Force wielders in the galaxy towards becoming semi-corporeal beings, or
non-corporeal energy beings who reside exclusively in the Force. These few Jedi become the Force equivalent of saints or bodhisattvas,
'chosen', in a sense, by nature or the Divine for their great piety or purity to remain behind as a powerful being to help others attain
a higher spiritual level, rather than to move on after death to total oneness and unity with the Force. The Sith and other dark side wielders,
on the other hand, are incapable of preserving their "lifeforce" after death in the Force, since their identity is consumed by the very aspect
of their personality which they must shed to transcend their physical limitations. In a deleted line from Episode IV, Obi-Wan was to tell Vader
directly that "you will cease to exist" if killed, before telling Vader that he will "become more powerful than you can possibly imagine."
Early versions of Episode VI have Obi-Wan's Force spirit warning Vader he will lose his identity at death if he remained united with the dark
side of the Force. These instances were both removed from the final versions of the films, and Lucas later reinvisioned the novelty of Qui-Gon
and these few Jedi becoming a Force spirits, however the idea that the Sith are bound to the material world they so covet was preserved.

REALMS OF THE FORCE
Planets, places, people, and objects which are unusually strong with the Force are known as vergences in the Force. There are some vergences which
are so intrinsically connected to the Force that they serve as a nexus in the Force; central points in the interconnected web of the Force. These realms
of the Force are 'located' on different energy levels of the universe, yet all strands of the Force run through each of them, integrally tying each realm
to the rest of the 'mundane' world of what we would call ordinary experience. The full extent of the realms of the Force are unknown.

The Wellspring of Life
The Wellspring of Life is a physical planet which is a vergence in the Force unlike any other in the galaxy. It is located in the Deep Core, near the center
of the galaxy, and is shrouded by an unusual energy field which blocks sensors. It is described as "one of the origins of all life in the galaxy", and is
considered to be the homeworld of the midi-chlorians. The Wellspring of Life is a unique nexus for the living Force, serving as an analog to Mortis,
which is a nexus for the cosmic Force. While there, it is explained to Yoda, "all that surround us is the foundation of life, the birthplace of what your
science calls midi-chlorians, the foundation of what connects the living Force and the cosmic Force." The surface of the planet appears barren,
but light emanates from within the planet through large fissures in the surface. The planet lies more or less within the corporeal realm.

Inside, a fantastic ecosystem of plants and creatures can be found which is entirely composed life and the living Force. As ships cannot scan to navigate
through the energy barrier, access to the planet is only possible if the pilot trusts the Force to guide them through, and is possibly only if the pilot is
invited. Yoda is only able to find the planet because the Force guides him there, and the Force Priestesses are expecting him.

The Force Priestesses are non-corporeal entities who have achieved life after death through the Force, now live "between the realms". They watch and
study all who are strong with the Force in the universe. They are agents of the light side of the Force generally, and the holistic Force specifically,
and are neither power-seeking nor self-interested. Their policy seems to be not to interfere with the destinies laid out for beings by the Force,
and specifically mention that they are not to interfere in such matters. Their only concern is whether one has good intentions and light in their
heart, before they share their advanced knowledge with them regarding preserving one's identity in the cosmic Force after death.

The Force Priestesses appear as five different beings, who identify themselves as Anger, Confusion, Sadness, Joy, and Serenity. They present themselves
as flying robed beings wearing a mask, and each has a perspective and attitude which matches their mask and name. Producer Dave Filoni explains that
they represent a sort of fragmented consciousness which is only whole when together, saying, "the way that I reconciled that being is actually one being.
It's one ancient being separated over a time that for our perception to be able to see her, she is these many different iconic things presented to us.
But she died a long, long, long time ago, she is conscious in the Force, and she has a limited ability to manifest."


The Realm of Mortis
The ethereal realm of Mortis is a domain of the Force 'located' outside of the ordinary, corporeal plain of existence. The 'planetoid' registers on sensors
as an organic mass, which it must be as only life interacts with and produces the Force. It is an incredible vergence in the Force, as well as a magnet and
an amplifier. It acts as a conduit through which the entire Force of the universe flows. It's nature is typified by the interchanging of light and dark, life
and death, creation and destruction. "The Force is very strong" there, and Obi-Wan describes it as "an intersection unlike anything I've ever felt before."
Time passes on Mortis at an extremely slow rate compared to the rest of the galaxy, such that a 'day' on Mortis lasts a fraction of a second in 'regular'
space. Mortis being disconnected from the flow of time experienced in the galaxy further suggests Mortis is outside of traditional spacetime, perhaps
part of the superstructure of the universe. Events in Mortis effect the entire universe, and vice versa, as Mortis is deeply affected by the mundane galaxy.
The Realm of Mortis is a nexus for the cosmic Force, much as the Wellspring of Life serves as a nexus for the living Force.

The Mortis gods are a trinity of archetypal beings who are powerful Force wielders. They are beings who became so powerful they left the temporal
world to live in Mortis as anchorites. The Father represents the will of the Force, and as such is essentially good and of the light side, but also
encompasses the dark. The Daughter is selfless, and represents the light side, while the Son is selfish, and represents the dark side. The Daughter
describes them as "the ones who guard the power. We are the beginning, the middle, and the end", suggesting that their position in Mortis has
brought them godlike power to influence the Force of the universe, which flows through Mortis. The Son had always tended towards the dark side,
but eventually chose to embrace it entirely, which was the cause of and result of the imbalance in the Force widely felt in temporal galaxy. The ensuing
struggle led the Father to chose to end their existences rather than risk the Son escaping and bringing unimaginable darkness to the universe.

The entrance to the realm of Mortis, also called the Mortis monolith, is a large octahedron which can open to allow passage for those in temporal
space. Its properties, abilities, and function are likely beyond the science of the galactic civilization. The Mortis monolith may appear if the Mortis
gods or the Force wills to lure someone from the temporal galaxy into Mortis. The monastery on Mortis is the seat of the Father, which features
objects, designs, writing, and images similar to those seen in the World Between Worlds and places associated with it. The arena features a stylized
version of a taijitu, signifying the balance between light and dark, and the realm of Mortis as a sort of supreme ultimate of the universe, or a great
high pole in the Force. The cathedral of the Son is another location on Mortis, located where the dark side part of the world is, an area that includes
the well of the dark side, a location even stronger with the dark side than the rest of the dark region. The cathedral functions as the Son's residence
and a counter position to the monastery which is attended by the Daughter and residence of the Father, devoted to the Force and thus to the light.

Although the Mortis gods were all 'killed', it is uncertain if they are truly gone. The energy of the Daughter at least is still operating in the galaxy, in
Ahsoka and her supernatural, sometime-companion Morai. These beings may be still integral in the cosmic Force, and could eventually manifest as
beings in Mortis again, although possibly in some altered form. The realm of Mortis obviously existed before they arrived, and continues on after
their 'deaths'. The form which Mortis took was shaped by the Mortis gods, by they did not have exclusive ownership. The role which they came to
play as avatars of aspects of the cosmic Force may be theirs forever, or could be passed on to others in the future if the Force willed it.


The World Between Worlds
The World Between Worlds is an ethereal realm of the Force located on a plane of existence entirely outside of spacetime. According to supplementary
material, it is also known as the 'Vergence Scatter', although this name has not been used in canon. It is an ancient nexus in the Force which links all
moments in time and space together. Living beings can apparently survive in the World Between Worlds without difficulty, and although it is unclear
what they are breathing, this is not surprising since realms of the Force are composed of the energy of the Force, which is entirely generated by life.

The World Between Worlds is experienced by living beings as a series of pathways and portals leading to different locations in space and time. These
paths and the events the portals lead to change and respond to the individual exploring the realm, and offer different potential destinations. The only
known canon entrance to the World Between Worlds was a gateway located in the Jedi Temple on Lothal. The iconography on the gateway was of
the Mortis gods, suggesting a direct connection between this World, Mortis, and the cosmic Force. This gateway was destroyed in 7977 (0 BBY),
however when it was previously opened by a Jedi, a Sith Lord was able to access Mortis using a Sith Force ritual. This suggests that the World Between
Worlds was known of and accessed by both the Jedi and the Sith at some point in ancient history. Why this knowledge was partly lost is not known.

The portals in the World Between Worlds have different designs based on what kind of portal they are. Their meanings are not fully known, however
the gate with the Loth-wolves led to and from the Jedi Temple on Lothal. Some gates seem to indicate critical junctures in a person's history, while
other gates seem to connect to events taking place in what is the present time period on Lothal. Thus far, five portal designs have been seen:


THE WHILLS
The Whills is a concept which was part of SW from the very beginning, but never made it into any of Lucas' films. The concept underwent massive
changes over the years, as Lucas explains, "Originally, I was trying to have the story be told by somebody else; there was somebody watching this
whole story and recording it, somebody probably wiser than the mortal players in the actual events. I eventually dropped this idea, and the concept
behind the Whills turned into the Force. But the Whills became part of this massive amount of notes, quotes, background information that I used
for the scripts; the stories were actually taken from the 'Journal of the Whills'." This original concept of whom the Whills were in relation to the story,
some "wiser" beings who were relating the story of the Skywalkers, was not entirely dropped from the films. The idea of the opening crawl added
to SW for Episode V and the re-release of Episode IV was intended to be considered the opening lines of the chapters or 'episodes' in this Journal
of the Whills. When Episode VI was being created, Lucas still had outlines for a four-trilogy, twelve-film story, and the idea that the story of
the Skywalkers was passed down to future generations by R2 as translated by C-3PO was intended to be suggested in the culmination of these
films. As such, C-3PO tells the story of SW inside that film, with prodding from R2, intended to be the first of such allusions to be built upon later.
Lucas' intention with SW was to explore narrative and revive mythological storytelling, and within his new myths to also explore how myths emerge
in the first place. This is demonstrated with Luke and Obi-Wan in Episode IV, and with C-3PO and the Ewoks in Episode VI.

The idea of the Journal of the Whills was shelved until Episode XII, and Lucas eventually reduced his trilogy plan to three, however the concept of
the Whills had continued to evolve, especially after Lucas changed 'the Whills' to 'the Force' in the script for Episode IV. Although the Whills
were now a separate concept, Lucas still felt that they should be intricately connected to the Force. Lucas incorporated them into an early
concept which would eventually become both the midi-chlorians and the Whills, although the later has not yet been discussed in canon
material. The Whills are also microscopic lifeforms who are intelligent, and who developed a symbiotic relationship with the midi-chlorians
at the earliest stages of life in the universe. Lucas' idea was that "the midi-chlorians are the ones that communicate with the Whills.
The Whills, in a general sense, they are the Force." The idea is that the Whills are in fact the higher power, as Lucas explains, "back in the day,
I used to say ultimately what this means is we were just cars, vehicles, for the Whills to travel around in", as "we're vessels for them, and
the conduit is the midi-chlorians." The Whills feed off of the Force, and thus encouraged the midi-chlorians to encourage the development,
growth, and expansion of life in the universe, to increase the strength and energy level of the Force. They are not simply farming life to get
the Force, but also actively directing aspects of the universe, including offering destinies to sapient beings which they can choose to
embrace or not. The Whills are not all good or all bad, but they seem to require or prefer some kind of balance in the Force.
When the Force grew out of balance to a unacceptable degree, the Whills influenced the midi-chlorians in Shmi Skywalker to
immaculately conceive Anakin, the 'Chosen One', to restore balance to the Force. Episode IX would have introduced the Whills and
their microbiotic world, however after disney purchased the franchise, they decided not to make the third of Lucas' trilogies.
As a result, the Whills will remain only peripherally canon unless the conclusion to Lucas' story is one day produced.