Amavikka folk traditions are consensus reality. Everyone can be lucky every now and then, so everyone is. Some may have Ar-Amy’s luck more often, some with more strength, but everyone has a little bit every now and then.
which causes o much wild shenanigans when you realize luck is another way to view the force. By consensus reality this makes every Amavikka just a little bit force sensitive. Oh, not enough to register as anything, but enough for the little charms and spells to work. Everyone believing in it means everyone powers it.
We all know singing brings people joy, it can ease pain and calm anxiety. It’s not that much of a stretch for a Singer known to have songs that do a bit more than that, or a grandmother that always knows the story you need to hear. Give me runners wearing bands of japor beads, decked in yellow and black, giving greeting to the wind when they begin their journey because all these rituals are magic, all these rituals could bring them home safe.
Okay, let's be honest. How Force ghosts work in Star Wars has kind of been messed up since Return of the Jedi's last scene, and then TCW really made it screwy. In attempting to reconcile all that for a fic/series of fics, I have some headcanons to share. They're more or less based on the visual media with maybe a smidge of Legends.
- Force ghosts aren't necessarily a special thing and were fairly common until Skeevy Sheevy performed a Sith ritual a year or so after he became Chancellor which not only clouded the Force on Coruscant but made it impossible for Force ghosts to contact the living--an unintended side effect but one he would have been pleased about had he known.
- There are two ways to become a Force ghost, and each one usually limits the abilities you have in the afterlife, so to speak. Strong Force ghosts are the ones whose whole matter is subsumed by the Force before their physical death. They can make themselves seen by any Force-sensitive, and they can train other Force ghosts to be seen and heard as well. "Normal" strength Force ghosts are ones who died and chose to remain individual within the Force, usually to guide those they knew in life until they're satisfied with how they're progressing. That sort of Force ghost is more likely to fully become one with the Force after a generation or two. I came up with the two types of Force ghost because Qui-Gon and Anakin both had physical remains yet became Force ghosts, while Yoda and Obi-Wan disappeared and became Force ghosts. (Yes, I know this kind of invalidates Yoda's last arc during TCW and what he told Obi-Wan at the end of ROTS. It's fine. Just go with it.)
- The strong type of Force ghost is taught by light side sects only, including the Jedi and Jedha adepts. Sith and other darksiders would be unable to become this type of ghost simply because it requires giving all of oneself up to the Force, and they are not self-sacrificing enough for that.
- Through much practice and training with strong ghosts, a normal Force ghost CAN make themselves seen by strong Force-sensitives, just not every Force-sensitive. Which is why it was mostly a small number of padawans and many more knights/masters, who were deemed stronger in the Force, who could see them. (Which is where Qui-Gon comes in--Anakin is an outlyer because he's half-Force, but even he apparently either chooses not to be seen or can't be seen by everyone)
- Cutting oneself off from the Force does make it harder for a normal Force ghost to make themselves seen even by fully trained Masters. Since that’s the route Obi-Wan took per "Obi-Wan Kenobi," it explains why he couldn’t see Qui-Gon right away in canon.
- No Force ghosts assigned themselves to Anakin because they were waiting for Qui-Gon out of respect for his wishes. Once it became difficult to be seen even by strong Force-sensitives, they lost the opportunity. The Jedi, aware that the Force was becoming muddied, knew that something was up because no more Force ghosts were coming around, but they weren’t sure how to fix it and didn’t want to disturb the younglings and padawans by asking if they saw any. (Younglings and padawans being more likely to see but less likely to have meaningful interactions.)
- By the time Anakin was a senior padawan and Ahsoka was close to padawan age, Force ghosts had become more legend than anything, and Jedi younglings didn't really believe the stories of their elders. They thought the tales they told were for entertainment only.
A world shrouded in myth, held by some Jedi scholars to be the location of the first Jedi temple (CL : 100).
Ahch-To Temple | Held by some Jedi scholars to be the first Jedi temple (CL : 100).
Anoat Sector | Outer Rim Territories
Home to the Advisers, an organization of Force users who worked to ensure the continuation of the Noble Court, the assembly of the sector’s ruling families.
Archives of the Order of the Esoteric Pulsar | Unknown location
A repository of knowledge (RON).
Atollon | Atollon System | Lothal Sector | Outer Rim Territories
A remote planet, home to the Bendu. Although absent from starmaps, it was portrayed in ancient Lothal art.
Bardotta | Bardotta System | Shasos Sector | Colonies
Home to the Dagoyan Order, an organization of Force sensitives averse to the Jedi Order. As members of the Bahk-tov Council, they served as traditional advisers of the Bardottan monarchs. Also home to the Frangawl Clan, a rival organization, followers of the war god Malmourral, and the ancient rulers of Bardotta.
According to an ancient prophecy of the Frangawl Clan, the world’s spiritual balance is important and should its Dagoyan Masters disappear from the galaxy, darkness will arise and engulf everything.
Dagoyan Temple (Bardotta Capital City) | Bardotta’s political and religious seat of power. Contains the meeting chamber of the Bahk-tov Council.
Frangawl Temple (Bardotta Capital City) | An ancient shrine of the Frangawl Clan, atop which the Dagoyan Temple is built. Contains a sacrificial chamber.
Christophsis | Christoph System | Savareen Sector | Outer Rim Territories
A crystalline planet where Kyber crystal grow “at only a few precious spots (A:EE : Christophsis).” Once used by the Jedi Order and later the Empire as a source of kyber crystals. Among its native species are the Kyaddaks, Force sensitive predators.
Cave complex | One of the places where the crystal grow.
Citadel of Rur / Fortress of Garn | Unknown location
A space station that served as headquarters of the Ordu Aspectu.
Capital of the Galactic republic and home of the main temple of the Jedi Order, the planet was the site battles between ancient Jedi and Sith. The Church of the Force was active on the planet for a time.
Coruscant Jedi Temple | A massive ziggurat built over an ancient Sith Shrine, the Coruscant Temple was founded by the Four Masters and held by some Jedi scholars to be the location of the first Jedi temple. Before the Jedi Order appropriated the site, it had long been considered sacred by local Coruscanti and had drawn Force wielders of numerous traditions (CL : 100).
Coruscant Sith Shrine | Partly destroyed by the Jedi.
Dagobah | Dagobah System | Sluis Sector | Outer Rim Territories
A planet strong with the Force and one of the purest places in the galaxy. Home to Jedi Grandmaster Yoda from the fall of the Jedi Order to his death.
Cave of Evil | A cave strong with the dark side of the Force, situated under a gnarltree. Jedi Grandmaster Yoda and later Luke Skywalker experienced visions in this cave. Due to the mystical nature of the place, its descriptions and depictions cannot be trusted.
Darth Sidious’ Observatories | Unknown locations
Although the only known site is on Jakku, Darth Sidious had established a whole network of observatories. There are described as “laboratories, in a sense, [who] look beyond the galaxy’s margins in different directions. (A:EE : Ch. 35)” All have their own purpose; “some were meant to house ancient Sith artifacts, others designed to host powerful weapon designs (or the weapons themselves), others still meant as prisons harnessing the lifeforces of those captured within for a variety of strange purposes (A:EE : Ch. 35).”
Some functions they shared; all seemingly housed Sith artefacts and a replica of the Imperialis to move them off-site in case of need (A:EE : Ch. 35).
Dathomir | Dathomir System | Quelli Sector | Outer Rim Territories
A world strong with the dark side of the Force, home to the Nightsisters, witches of the mist, who dwelt in stone fortresses, and of the Nightbrothers.
Devaron | Devaron System | Duluur Sector | Colonies
Home to the Jedi Temple of Eedit.
Eedit Jedi Temple | Built on a location strong with the Force and destroyed during the Galactic Civil War. Luke Skywalker visited the Temple’s ruins after having felt called to them (WoaJ).
D’janis IV | Unknown location
Not a confirmed planet or world, but nomenclature points to it. Would be home to teachers and priests believing in the Force (GotW).
Durkteel | Mid Rim
The location of a Phirmist Temple (JtR).
Durkteel Phirmist Temple | A place of worship (JtR).
Ilum | Ilum System | 7G Sector | Unknown regions
The most sacred world to the Jedi Order and a holy site for centuries, Ilum was home to an ancient Jedi Temple built at the entrance of the Crystal Caves, once used by the Jedi Order and later the Empire as a source of kyber crystals..
Ilum Jedi Temple | Built at the entrance of the Crystal Caves and accessible only to Force users. Decorated with dark/light symbols of the light type and markings in the Mortis geometric style.
Crystal Caves | A cave complex in which kyber crystals grow, long-used by the Jedi Order for their rite of passage of The Gathering.
Isde Naha | Greater Javin Region | Western Reaches | Outer Rim Territories
Homeworld of the Clan of the Toribota (RO:UVG)
Jakku | Jakku System | Western Reaches | Inner Rim
A remote desert world where Darth Sidious established one of his Observatories. Members of the Church of the Force later lived in a village there , and the planet had its own local anchorite tradition.
Plaintive Hand Plateau | A holy site believed to have been home to the Consacred Eremite by the local anchorites. Believed to be significant by Darth Sidious.
Jakku Observatory | An underground facility built between 30 and 20 BBY under the Plaintive Hand Plateau under Darth Sidious’ orders, one in a network of such Observatories. This one contained Sith artefacts, a replica of the Imperialis yacht, and ancient computer systems charting a route to the depths of the Unknown Regions, where, Darth Sidious believed “something waited for him out there—some origin of the Force, some dark presence formed of malevolent substance (A:EE : Ch. 35).” It also housed a hole drilled in the mantle of the planet, part of the Contingency.
Tuanul | A village sacred to members of the Church of the Force. Explorer Lor San Tekka dwelt there for a number of years.
Jedha | Jedha System | Freestanding Subsectors | Terrabe Sector | Mid Rim
The location of Jedha’s Holy City and its temples, first among which was the temple of the Kyber of the Guardians and Disciples of the Whills. A multidenominational pilgrimage site and a source of kyber crystals. Held by some Jedi scholars to be the location of the first Jedi temple (CL : 100).
Holy City of Jedha | NiJedha | Jedha City | A walled city built in a meteor crater that formed a mesa. Many faiths built temples in the city.
Temple of the Kyber | Temple of the Whills | A triangular, towering structure. The Temple of the Disciples and Guardians of the Whills, also held sacred by the Church of the Force.
Catacombs of Caldera | Once a monastery and “the final resting place for adherents of an unknown faith.” Used by the Church of the Contained Crescent for a time. Destroyed during the Galactic Civil War.
Kyber mines | Where Jedha’s kyber crystals grew and were extracted.
Kuat | Kuat System | Kuat Sector | Core Worlds
Probable homeworld of the Zealots of Psusan (RO:UVG : 68)
Lew’el | Unknown location
A remote planet where people, at least some of which are Force users or sensitives, believe in the Tide, “the always-present, ever-powerful web that connected everything and everyone (LLS : Fishing in the Deluge)”. Stories are told of the Lew’elan’s magic, leading Luke Skywalker to the planet, where he learned a bit of their way.
Lira San | Wild Space
Prophesized to be found again, hidden behind an energy anomaly and only accessible through an ancient ritual, Lira San is the forgotten homeworld of the Lasat, believers in the Ashla and the Bogan.
Lorrd | Lord System | Kanz Sector | Outer Rim Territories (Legends location)
Probable homeworld of the Brotherhood of the Beatific Countenance (RO:UVG).
Lothal | Lothal System | Lothal Sector | Outer Rim Territories
Home to an ancient Jedi Temple and a source of kyber crystal, who grow in the planet’s crust.
Lothal Jedi Temple | Built into a hollowed stone spire and hidden under the ground, it could only be accessed by using the Force. The outside displayed a dark/light symbol of the light type and it was decorated with markings in the Old Tongue style and parietal art depicting lothwolves.
Malachor | Outer Rim Territories
A planet home to a Sith Temple and the site of an ancient battle between Jedi and Sith that ended in the destruction of all combatants, an event known as the Great Scourge of Malachor.
Malachor Sith temple | A pyramidal temple, decorated with markings in the Old Tongue style. Contained a weapon powered by a giant kyber crystal that caused the Great Scourge of Malachor. Destroyed during the Galactic Civil War.
Moraband / Korriban | Outer Rim Territories
An ancient homeworld of the Sith Order, Moraband was the site of devastating wars.
Valley of the Dark Lord | “A corridor of ancient monuments that serve as crypts for the Dark Lords of millennia past.”
Moraband Sith Temple | Largest monument in the Valley of the Dark Lords. Houses the sarcophagus of Darth Bane’s, founder of the Rule of Two, and the entrance to an execution chamber dedicated to the sacrifice of Jedi prisoners.
Mortis
A place beyond the physical realm and the reach of time, “a world seemingly fashioned from the Force itself (GA),” existing inside a black monolith, and inhabited by the Force Wielders Trinity, “god-like beings [...] locked in an eternal struggle for dominance, which made Mortis the fulcrum of the entire galaxy and the Force.” Cannot be found on maps or reached by conventional means.
Altar of Mortis | An underground chamber containing the Dagger of Mortis.
Mortis Monastery | A pyramidal stone building, decorated with dark/light symbols with the two types represented and markings in the Mortis geometric style.
Mortis Tower | An Orthanc-like building.
Mustafar | Mustafar System | Atravis Sector | Outer Rim
A locus for the dark side of the Force, occupied by the ancient and modern Sith.
Darth Vader’s Castle | An obsidian tower,dividing in the middle to resemble tuning forks, designed to channel the power of the dark side and built above an ancient Sith Cave.
Mustafar Sith Cave | A cave strong with dark side energy, in which Darth Vader bled his kyber crystal and where he would have a castle built.
Mustafar Sith Temple | Known by Darth Sidious (CL).
Ninn | Ninn System | Corporate Sector | Outer Rim (Legends location)
Probable homeworld of the Ninn Orthodoxy (RO:UVG : 68)
Ossus | Outer Rim
Held by some Jedi scholars to be the location of the first Jedi temple, it was home to the Great Jedi Library (CL : 100).
Great Jedi Library | A Jedi Temple, destroyed some time before the Clone Wars (CL : 100).
Roalj Temple | Unknown location
Probably a Phirmist Temple, probably in Jedha (RO:UVG : 76)
Ruusan | Ruusan System | Mid Rim
The site of a critical battle between the ancient Jedi and Sith.
Takodana | Tashtor Sector | Western Reaches | Mid Rim
The site of a battle between the ancient Jedi and Sith.
Tython | Deep Core
A world shrouded in myth, held by some Jedi scholars to be the location of the first Jedi temple (CL : 100).
Utapau | Utapau System | Tarabba Sector | Outer Rim
Known for a giant kyber crystal, possession of which was disputed between the Jedi Order and the Confederacy of Independant Systems during the Clone Wars.
Vrogas Vas | Unknown location
A barren planet, home to a Jedi Temple.
Vrogas Vas Jedi Temple | Reduced to ruins some time before c. 0 ABY. Luke Skywalker visited the Temple’s ruins.
Yavin 4 | Yavin System | Gordian Reach | Outer Rim
Ancient homeworld of the Massassi, enslaved by the ancient Sith.
Great Massassi Temple | Although its purpose and history remain mysterious, the building houses a mechanism that would lead rogue archaeologist Dr Aphra to the Fortress of Garn during the Galactic Civil War.
Wellspring of the Force / Force Planet
A mystical world beyond the physical realm, existing inside a hollowed planet, “the foundation of life itself,” and “the birthplace of the midi-chlorians.” Cannot be found on maps or reached by conventional means.
Zardossa Styx | Unknown location
A desert moon where the Frangawl Clan established itself.
Zardossa Stix Pyramid | A stone ziggurat serving as a temple to Malmourral, and a site of sacrifice.
Abbreviations
A:EE Star Wars: Aftermath: Empire’s End
CL Star Wars: Complete Locations
GA Star Wars: Galactic Atlas
GotW Star Wars: Guardians of the Whills
JtR Star Wars: Join the Resistance
LLS Star Wars: The Legends of Luke Skywalker
RON Rogue One: A Star Wars Story Novelization
RO:UVG Rogue One: A Star Wars Story: The Ultimate Visual Guide
WoaJ Star Wars: The Weapon of a Jedi: A Luke Skywalker Adventure
A few notes
Ahch-To’s location curtesy of u/MasterCalari via r/StarWarsReference
I did not reference general attested belief in the Force because 1) i would probably cover that map with dots and 2) that’s just loads of work tbh. Hope to do it at some point tho.
I did not reference Nexus of Power material, because it’s semi canonical at best.
I did not reference the various religious traditions not linked (yet?) linked to the Force in one way or another either because this makes for a long enough list. Maybe later.
I did not reference the Netherworld of the World or Mist-Beyond or whatever you want to call it because as far as i’m concerned it’s not an actual place, not even of the Mortis/Force Planet kind.
There’s a lot of Force traditions not accounted for here, but that’s because they’re only tied to Jedha and even then as pilgrims.
The sourcing is half-assed because I Am Lazy. Maybe later.
Okay here comes the actual meat, which is a series of notes from my in-progress whills meta, made semi-legible. With more maps but of the really ugly kind.
So let’s start with talking spheres of influence, like the really glaring one - the Jedi’s, approximately but beautifully delimited in map (1):
..I stress that this is a tentative map. Also I was kidding it’s ugly af. Anyway - in white the conservative estimate, in grey the less conservative one
If we look at the non-green dots in that sphere -
Kuat’s involvement with the Zealots of Psusan is yet to be confirmed, and we know squat about them, so we can just about forget Kuat for now
Bardotta is a cultural enclave and kept away from the Galactic Republic and the Jedi Order; the Dagoyan Order seems to be a local tradition, not exported and not proselytized.
So nothing to oppose the cultural hegemony of the Jedi here.
Now if we look to where that sphere of influence ends, it’s pretty worthless to try and trace it - best look at what we could call areas of friction, represented here on (1b) with some amazing orangeish scribbles:
Looking rimward towards the Unknown Regions we have the remote Jedha / Jakku combo in the Western Reaches (i.e one of the back-ends of the GFFA).
Jedha’s link to the Jedi is of the mysterious kind but it clearly goes back to sometime around the dawn of time, and nothing hints to their having maintained a strong presence there.
Nothing on Jakku hints to Jedi influence either; the similarities in the beliefs of the local tradition of anchorites and some of the core tenets of the Jedi philosophy can either hint to ancient contacts or to there not having been any, considering the lack of competitive traditions in the Jedi’s sphere of influence could mean they’ve come to subsume those over the centuries. As to the Church of the Force, it settled there only after the fall of the Jedi Order.
Moreover, that way lay the unmapped Unknown Regions, where the Jedi’s only interest is Ilum, which is pretty much in the other direction anyway. The Jedi sphere of influence ends there because it’s a natural limit.
Rimward again, to the south, we have a cluster made up of
The Anoat Sector, who has its own tradition of Force users, the Advisers
Isda Naha, origin world of the Clan of the Toribota
Mustafar, where the ancient Sith at least had a foothold
(Dagobah doesn’t belong to the cluster because it was uninhabited. A Jedi hiding there for two decades doesn’t make it a Jedi world either)
It’s noteworthy that we’re in the Outer Rim, also known as The Other Back-end of the GFFA, which the Jedi Order wasn’t particularly known to care about.
Still rimward, our final cluster:
Dathomir, which is not known for being welcoming to Jedi
Yavin IV, with its ancient Massassi temples
(Lorrd, who may be the origin world of the Brotherhood of the Beatific Countenance)
(Ninn, who may be the origin world of the Ninn Orthodoxy)
(Atollon doesn’t count because it’s only home to the Bendu)
Two Sith worlds, Malachor and Moriband.
So here we’re again in the back-ends of the GFFA, with worlds in the Outer Rim, but two of those are Sith so at least we’ve got attested conflict. More on that later.
There’s Durkteel and its Phirmist temple left, but it’s not exactly in the Core either. The overall picture is that indigenous Force traditions tend to survive better in the forgotten fringes of the galaxy. We can explain that by the fact by looking at the historical context; the end of the expansion era of the Galactic Republic defined those galactic fringes, and Jedi never grew as influential there because they simply were never as present, the Senate rarely having reasons to send them outside of actual Republic territory.
Bardotta and Kuat, depending on the data we’ll get, may allow us to make a case for a second scenario, in which richer Core worlds also cling to their own traditions, forming small enclaves in the greater sphere of influence of the Jedi.
Going back to the attested conflict part, we know a few of the ancient Jedi / SIth battlefields - there’s not many stars on the map yet, but I think it’s enough to get a picture of the war of old. We’ve got Takodana and Ruusan, standing for ancient Sith attempts to extend their dominion corewards. Coruscant, which seems to have changed hands a few times, stands for how far they got, and Malachor, a Sith world basically stands for Jedi efforts to push the Sith back in those unpopular fringes of the galaxy.
I’d like to make it Yavin IV-Ossus-Lothal because of the map to the Ordu Aspectu clusterfuck, but there’s a Hidalgo tweet about the Massassi having been enslaved by the Sith somewhere. probably should have put a red dot on Yavin IV actually.
Another thing: the GFFA as a whole is pretty far from church and state separation.
The Jedi Order serves the Galactic Senate but its Council acts as advisors for the Chancellor. It’s become the top dog Force tradition and pretty much believes it has a Force-given right to the mysteries of the Force, as well as to Force users themselves.
The Sith were the product of a schism within the Jedi Order and pretty much believe they have a Force-taken right to the mysteries of the Force. Pre-Banite Sith built at least one Empire and although it’s never been that clear because they always were easily distracted by mayhem and hellfire, Sith seem to be about galactic domination as much as they’re about Jedi killing.
The Dagoyan Order is a religious order but they also have seats in the Bahk-tov Council and before that the Frangawl Clan was in charge.
The Advisors, as far as I can figure, are an organization of Force users literally dedicated to the protection and continuation of the Anoat Sector aristocracy.
From what we’ve seen of the Ordu Aspectu, another Jedi Order splinter, Rur was both temporal and spiritual authority.
With Jedha we start on the unclear cases, but the Disciples and Guardians of the Whills seem to have had a certain preeminence.
The caveat is that many of the Force traditions currently known are not tied to a specific planet or system or species. And there’s just not much data yet. The Jedi Order worked on a bigger scale, and so did the pre-Banite Sith but still, currently the pattern is that Force traditions strongly linked to local culture and identity at the planetary level tend to exert both temporal and spiritual power.
Another point of note, although there’s not much to say, is that the known sources of kyber crystals are dispersed and all relatively far from the Core. Jedha’s the most coreward and coincidentally, it’s the one planet whose crystal were formed through a cataclysmic event rather than natural growth (as far as we know). I know jackshit about the subject, but I guess we could make up something about specific conditions to the formation of the kyber crystals.
Why are you sure the ST will respect Lucas' ideas on the Force? If TLJ has some big reveal isn't it likelier that it will go against?
Ooooh boy. That. For context: I’m writing a meaty follow-up to my already meaty but incomplete History of the Whills. At this point I’m pretty sure I’ll not finish before TLJ, because… there’s going to be Force stuff, even if not the actual Whills, so finishing before TLJ just means setting myself up for another rewrite.
So fuck not spoiling my own meta, here’s why I’m pretty sure TLJ and the rest of the ST will respect Lucas’ view of the Force. This is a big fat mess of data and a lot of speculation, and i recommend reading [this] before because it’s essential background. Kind of.
LF is positioning itself as custodian as much as heir of Lucas’ vision; the NEU is built around his SW. I’m not bothering to try and prove that one.
The “Lucas material” includes notes none of us will see ever, all the stuff he’s revealed to only a few, all the stuff that’s not made it yet to the NEU. An (incomplete) anthology, from the Canonpocalypse to today.
his Darth Bane (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6)
his Journal of the Whills (1) (2, this one mentions the TFA novelization quote being all ADF) (3) (4)
his version of Force ghosts (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6)
his Church of the Force (1, starts 23:55)
his Sith history (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7)
his lightsabers & crystals (1)
his view of the Jedi (1A, 1B, 1C, 1D - including a good nail for the coffin I’m building: “Q: Let me ask though..is everything you describe invented by Lucas or the Story Group after he left. Just curious if that’s how / PH: It’s taking his ideas. He went really deep during Clone Wars”) (2, Star Wars could have been Space Cops guys)
his Ashla and Bogan (1)
his Shaman of the Whills (1)
his Not-Son of the Suns (1)
Academy Just Isn’t George (1)
Hey About The Light Side… (1)
Forget About The Kryptonite (1)
Anyway, I kept to Force related stuff because that’s what i keep tabs on, but it’s a generalized pattern.
Going back to that bolded question above - how did Lucas go “deep” in TCW re: the Force stuff?
New traditions expanding the scope beyond Jedi and Sith
The Nightsisters
The Dagoyan Order & the Frangawl Cult
The Church of the Force, as seen above
The Force Priestesses of Great Mystery
Mythology-heavy arcs
Mortis (1) (2) (3) (4)
Yoda’s encounter with the Force Priestesses (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7)
That impetus started by Lucas, exploring the Force beyond Jedi and Sith is clearly something that’s been kept going.
Like I am not listing all the new (or recycled from Legends) Force traditions in the NEU but trust me when I say the rate of development of Force lore in the NEU is impressive.
And that it’s making Points about the Force
Here it’s worth noting R1 was the biggest update, and 1) it was built on Lucas’ Whills, 2) Hidalgo and more generally the SG was involved in the movie, 3) he wrote the VD and 90% of what we do know of the Guardians/Disciples etc.
Which brings me to TLJ! And its Force mysteries.
Well I’m pretty sure a huge part of Hidalgo/the SG’s involvement in TLJ has to do with Force stuff.
I totally have a precedent for that, thanks to Rogue One’s Jedha and its Guardians and Disciples of the Whills. I didn’t mention Hidalgo’s involvement for nothing - it’s kept vague but there’s a bunch of hints that it started out as a much plainer pilgrimage city in one of/the Chris Weisz screenplay (first called Mimban/Circapous V with the temple being the Temple of Pomojema, a Legends setting notable for featuring a giant kyber crystal), and then…
Well as far as I figure, some clever little shit thought tackling the Whills mythos on the pilgrimage city was a great idea
So we’re not done with the Whills stuff. Not with Jedha either (i’m getting lazy with the links but those exist - it won’t make it to Rebels as per Filoni and Gareth Edwards pretty much said LF and the SG was keeping the backstory to develop themselves.
I’m speculating when I say the SG/Hidalgo’s work on TLJ (1, mostly for the cute tbh) has probably a lot to do with the Force stuff. But I’m pretty sure.
And: it’s totally possible to both respect Lucas’ ideas and have a big fat reveal because
a) most of the audience doesn’t know how “deep” Lucas went. I mean, most people still think Force Ghosting is a Jedi ability (it really isn’t).
b) one of the best bit about the way the Force lore is being developed is that we’re repeatedly being reminded that the Jedi didn’t know everything and could even (gasp!) be wrong about shit - and that opens a door to weird unexpected new lore.
yeah okay let’s finish with a picture of me at work:
For every ebb there’s a flow; for every flow there’s an ebb. The full moon must wane just as the new moon must wax. Happiness turns to sorrow; sorrow is reborn as hope. There is nothing constant but change in the Tide, and I am Change.
Lew’elan saying (Ken Liu, The Legends of Luke Skywalker)
Ruins beneath the Coruscant Jedi Temple | Concept art for unfinished Clone Wars episodes shown during the Untold Clone Wars panel, at Celebration Anaheim (x)
PABLO HIDALGO: This I find fascinating.
DAVE FILONI: George and I had a discussion about - you know, Coruscant is built vertically, and something that I always liked to tell, a lot of churches are built on ancient sites, ancient pagan sites, they were other things before they became the present-day churches that they are, so he and I discussed how if you delve down beneath the Jedi temple to its ultimate base, that it’s probably built on top of ancient ruins, of other religions of the Force, and ultimately there is a possibility of there being a Sith temple way down at the bottom of it. So if you delved into the temple vertically this is some of the architecture that would you find, and there is a story where we journey down below the guts of the temple on Coruscant.
DAVID COLLINS: What happened? In that story?
DAVE FILONI: It was tragic. There were these things...
PABLO HIDALGO: Which is why you don’t go down there.
DAVE FILONI: Yeah. They fold up like these giant sleeping rocks and then they unfold and they’re just like these giant kind of skeletal kaiju things. I was really digging the idea. Creepy stuff. (x)
