The Force

The Force was an energy field created by all life that connected everything in the universe, and was known by a variety of names throughout galactic history. It was called the Ashla by Lasats, It by the dianoga Omi, the Life Current by Mustafarians, the Tide by the Lew'elans, the Sight by the Chiss, the Life Wind by the Zeffo, the Great Presence by the people of the Chaos, and the Luminous Mist by the Mist-Weavers. The Force was created by life, and therefore, resided in all lifeforms. It was especially powerful in a select group of individuals who were born with a high concentration of midi-chlorians—microscopic, intelligent lifeforms that formed a symbiotic relationship with and communicated the will of the Force to their host—in their blood. These people were deemed Force-sensitive, and were capable of consciously sensing the Force. With this conscious sense of the Force came the ability to harness it, accessing various Force powers. Unlike organic beings, droids and other artificial constructs existed outside of the Force. As such, they possessed no connection to the energy field that was created and sustained by life. Apart from its scientific aspect, the Force was the basis of various religious organizations such as the Church of the Force, the Guardians of the Whills, and most notably the Jedi Order and the Sith Order. In addition, the Lasats believed that the Force was the "spirit" of the galaxy.

The Force as a recorded concept existed for well over twenty-five thousand years. There were two, overarching and symbiotic aspects of the Force. The Living Force was the energy of all life, which, in turn, fed into the Cosmic Force—that which bound everything together and communicated the will of the Force through midi-chlorians that resided in all lifeforms. The Jedi Order followed a code of selflessness and service to others; therefore, they adhered to the light side of the Force, one of two methods of using the all-encompassing energy field. The Jedi's adversaries, the Sith, coveted strength and power through the dark side of the Force. Their opposing philosophies led to millennia of cyclical conflict between the two orders, and resulted in both the extinction of the Sith and the near annihilation of the Jedi.