The idea that the Force is a cosmic deity with some consciousness of its own is an idea that may have some slight merit but is overall not corroborated by sources. In this blog, I will address what may contribute to some misconceptions about the Force’s deity or lack thereof and will briefly cover various ideas presented in sources such as the will of the Force and a few Force religions outside of the Jedi and Sith Orders.

So is the Force a conscious deity? I would answer that question with a somewhat hesitant but resounding “no,” but it is important to give credit where it’s due. To the best of my understanding, the idea of the Force being a deity at least in part comes from varying interpretations on aspects of its so-called “will,” a literal translation of the phrase “the Living Force,” references in sources to the Force being a living being, and different Force cults that hold to the idea that the Force is a god. I won’t be too unfair to the idea of deification of the Force, because even George Lucas has acknowledged that his spiritual and philosophical concepts in the films were drawn from every major religion in the world, which obviously would include theistic religions, and he has made vague comments about the Force being a kind of amalgam of eastern ideas of a universal mind with western ideas of monotheism. The Star Wars story lines, including the movies, narratively incorporate the Force as influencing events and guiding actions, which could convey some mindful, deistic control. But other than that, Lucas has been very clear in his interviews on the Force that it’s meant to resemble a universal consciousness based on eastern religions more than anything, the countless water metaphors for the Force being basic evidence of that.

Despite some facets of it that may imply otherwise, the Force is not a sentient being. It does not have the faculty of thought and for the better part is not consistently portrayed as a decision-making being. The Force is a metaphor for consciousness and unites living beings, but by itself, the Force is not a conscious entity. But if that’s true, what do the Jedi mean when they refer to the “will of the Force”? There are numerous dimensions to the concept of the Force’s “will,” but quite possibly the simplest one is that presented by Obi-Wan in a conversation with Padme in Revenge of the Sith:

"But the will of the Force—isn't that what Jedi follow?"

"Well, yes. But you must understand that not even the Jedi know all there is to be known about the Force; no mortal mind can. We speak of the will of the Force as someone ignorant of gravity might say it is the will of a river to flow to the ocean: it is a metaphor that describes our ignorance. The simple truth—if any truth is ever simple—is that we do not truly know what the will of the Force may be. We can never know. It is so far beyond our limited understanding that we can only surrender to its mystery."

--Taken from Revenge of the Sith

This is both an easily understandable and honest description for the will of the Force and the Jedi’s role in service to it. The common phraseology I’ve used as a substitute for the phrase “the will of the Force” is the Force’s “natural inclination,” which relates this idea that the Force’s will is just its natural order, not necessarily a conscious will. The Force is possessed of a number of defining characteristics, many definite, some all-inclusive. It has a natural state that its inherent qualities dictate it ought to be in. For the most common and well-known example, the Force has a light and a dark side, and the Jedi and the Sith both recognize that the Force demands balance between them, which is to say, it’s the will of the Force, or the Force’s natural inclination, to be in balance. The difference between the Jedi and the Sith is that the Jedi submit to the will of the Force and serve to maintain the balance; the Sith goal is to subjugate the Force (and the galaxy and all life) and often defy it.

Judging from this idea of the will of the Force, this would hardly point to the Force being a sentient being or deity that has a master plan for the universe. Rather, the Force just has a standard condition that its qualities will naturally resort to, in much the same way as a river’s standard condition is to flow down-stream. The river will never suddenly just up and decide to turn the other direction, and it will never decide anything of its own accord. It just moves along in compliant accordance with its innate characteristics precisely because it’s a river; it has no conscious choice. Obi-Wan’s analogy of the gravity that pulls a river is similar to the fact that living, decision-making beings have a direct influence on the Force. While the Force has a will (not in the literal sense of the word but in the sense of having a kinetic direction and normal status quo), thinking beings that live in the galaxy also have a will, and their will is more meditative and choice-oriented than the Force’s will is.

In spite of the fact that all life, and even death, is linked to and springs from the Force, living beings can still make choices independent of the Force’s will, but the Force may react just by its natural inclination. Again, following Obi-Wan’s analogy, if the river is flowing down-stream, and I try to swim up-stream, the fact that the river is moving down-stream doesn’t mean I no longer have the capacity to choose to swim the opposite direction. It just means it will be next to impossible to fight its natural flow. This is basically how the Sith of the Banite Order operated. They fought the will of the Force by imbalancing it toward its dark side, but the Force “struck back,” so to speak, by working through its Chosen One to destroy those Sith and restore its balance. So did the Force make a fatalistic decision to kill off the Sith Lords? Not exactly. Anakin Skywalker still had to fulfill his part, and he is a decision-making, sentient being with the capacity to make independent choices irrespective of anything else including the Force. But that doesn’t mean the Force is without influence.

There could be debate over whether the Force’s natural inclination is completely fatalistic and controlling or not, but I think there is validity to a degree in both the idea that the Force is deterministic and the idea that individuals have a free will. Stories make use of both, describing the galactic consequences of the actions of thinking individuals but also the guiding influence of the Force. The fact that numerous sources talk of the Force as being all-inclusive leaves room for both ideas to be explored, as much as that may sound like a contradiction. Luke described this dichotomy in one of his notes in the Book of Sith, during a conversation with Jacen at the conclusion of the Yuuzhan Vong War, and then again in his address to the Jedi after the war ended:

"Seeing into the future is an aspect of the Unifying Force, but Yoda warned me that the future is always changing. We have the power to make our own destinies."

—Luke

--Taken from Book of Sith: Secrets of the Dark Side

“Sentience gave rise to the dark side. Does it exist in nature? No. Left to itself, nature maintains the balance. But we've changed that. We are a new order of consciousness that has an impact on all life. The Force now contains light and dark because of what thinking beings have brought to it. That's why balance has become something that must be maintained—because our actions have the power to tip the scales."

"But here's what I wish to say to all of you: if I have learned anything from the events of the past five years, it is that the Force is more all-embracing than I ever realized. Light and dark do not always stand opposed, but mingle with each other in curious ways. More important, the Force seems to have a will, and it's when we're acting against the will of the Force that we can get into trouble. Anger by itself is not of the dark side unless it is accompanied by a desire to dominate. When we act in harmony with the will of the Force, we disappear into it. When we struggle against it, we not only sever our ties with the Force, but also feed the needs of chaos.

"The evolution of sentience reflects the constant movement between those two poles. Evil—the dark side—won't be eradicated until it has been discarded as an option for acquiring power, subjugating would-be opponents, or offsetting feelings of anger, envy, or exclusion. Where victims of injustice exist, the dark side finds initiates. That is the cycle our actions are meant to forestall, and in this battle the Force is both our ally and our guardian. We serve it best by listening to its will, and serving the good with our every action—by personifying the Force.”

--Taken from The Unifying Force

From this, we can surmise that Obi-Wan’s view of the will of the Force is correct. If the Force could act independently of thinking beings, then the Force wouldn’t need any actuators or servants for its will, such as the Jedi, and yet Luke points out that sentient beings have the ability to serve or defy the will of the Force. This would lead us to conclude that the Force is not a decision-making, thinking being, or at the very least, not a completely deterministic being.

But then, how do we interpret sources that indicate the Force is a living being?

One all-encompassing driving Force influences the destiny of the galaxy. An energy field generated by all living things, the Force surrounds and penetrates everything, binding the galaxy together. Universal balance—life and death, creation and destruction—is reflected in the Force, and thus is reflected from the Force back into the galaxy at large. The Force, for all the mystery and the power it provides, is as much a part of the natural order as suns and planets and life itself.

The Force has as many mysteries as it has aspects. It may be a nonsentient energy field, the sum of all creation. It may be an eternal entity, knowing and unknowable. It may be both of these and more; it may be something else entirely. The only certain truth is that the Force exists and is omnipresent, and that’s enough for most who study its various influences. From the Living Force to the Unifying Force, this mysterious energy field consists of a multitude of properties. The light side and dark side are always present, constantly struggling for balance in the galaxy and within individual beings.

The natural order encompasses balance. Day and night, life and death, light and dark—each pair represents a different kind of balance. As a part of the natural order, the Force follows the same rules. The light side embodies peace, knowledge, and serenity. The dark side encompasses fear, anger, and aggression.

--Taken from The Dark Side Sourcebook

The Force is not inherently good or evil. It has its light side and its dark side. It is a tool, and like any other tool it can be misused or even broken. Ignorance leads to improper use of the Force; the unwise use the Force emotionally. Incorrect use of the Force can lead to death and destruction. Only through proper training can the Force be justly applied.

In addition, the Force is a living entity, generating life. The Force is a necessary and vital part of the universe. When running a Jedi campaign, think of the Force as more than merely a means by which the characters can gain extreme powers. It is a metaphor for the universal nature of life itself, vibrant, dynamic, and dangerous. All Jedi are permeated by the Force, just as all beings are, but the Jedi are most aware of it. Events in one region might affect another as if the galaxy were one interconnected being, with the Force as its blood and life.

--Taken from Power of the Jedi Sourcebook

What do we make of these sources if others seems to suggest that the Force is not an independent being? This is mostly why I said that I “hesitantly” deny that the Force is a conscious being. With that in mind, I should point this out: just because the Force is living does not mean the Force is sentient. The Force is the combined essence of creation and destruction, life and death. It is both created by living things, and it also creates living things. Its relationship with living beings is interdependent. This by itself is not proof that the Force is a conscious, thinking entity, especially when you read the text from The Jedi Path as a whole. The beginning of the paragraph from The Jedi Path says that the Force is a “tool” that can be “misused or even broken,” making its use subordinate to the prejudices of the user. That hardly helps any case for the Force being a sentient being, much less a deity.

Now what about the Potentium concept? For those of you not familiar with it, the Potentium theory of the Force is as follows:

The core tenets of the Potentium held that all living things had the potential to create newer and better living things, and that ultimately the Force and the galaxy were developing as per a master plan that was inherently good. As such, there was no dark side, no evil undercurrent that could be tapped through the Force. Advocates of the concept believed that the Force could not turn one to evil. Rather, the living Force was the beginning and end of all things, and one's connections to it should not be mediated or obscured by any sort of training or discipline.

--Taken from The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia

As Jedi learn more about the Force, they frequently form their own theories about how and why it works. They question how, if the Force creates and sustains life, it can have a dark side. Some arrive at the erroneous conclusion that the Force is not divided into dark and light—that there is only the Force, and that its energy is inherently positive, despite the use to which it is sometimes put. Those who believe in this theory feel that no "dark side" waits to corrupt them for daring to explore the limits of the Force any more than monsters wait beyond the galactic rim to devour starships. To them, the Jedi theory of the Force is just one way to perceive this potent life-energy, and the training and discipline the Jedi employ to reinforce their perspective only serves to justify the existence of the Jedi Order.

Seeking another answer, these self-styled philosophers relabel the Force something that fits their perception of it—"the Potentium" is but one example—and attempt to explore their philosophy as far as possible. Some come perilously close to the dark side before other Jedi patiently bring them back from the brink. These "heresies" are fortunately rare, for, if unchecked, they can produce dangerously powerful Dark Jedi. Sadly, those who follow this line of reasoning straight to the dark side rarely perceive the danger, believing that they are making new discoveries that the Jedi are afraid to explore. Some come back from the dark side willingly when they see the error of their ways. Some refuse to renounce their mistaken beliefs and must be exiled to the farthest reaches of the galaxy. Some few must be, regrettably, destroyed.

The core of this theory asserts that there is no distinction between the light side and the dark side. It claims that both aspects of the Force are the same energy viewed from different perspectives. Its adherents theorize that using dark side powers (Fear, Force Grip, Force Lightning, and so on) in the service of good still serves the cause of good, and doing so cannot actually lead a person to want to use the Force for evil. They question why using a lightsaber to strike down an opponent is any different from using the Force to choke the breath out of someone. What they fail to see—and what the Jedi so diligently try to establish—is that being a Jedi is not about exploring the limits of the Force, but about using what is already known to protect peace and justice. Jedi students should concentrate on learning how to use the Force, and leave careful exploration to the Jedi Masters.

--Taken from the Power of the Jedi Sourcebook

Founded in the pre-Palpatine Republic by would-be Jedi, the order known as the Potentium professed belief in a Force that was not divisible into light and dark.

--Taken from The Unifying Force

Basically, the Potentium is a term used for the Force by those who insist that the Force is underlyingly good and benevolent and can't lead one to evil. Some also believed that training and meditation to determine wise decision-making was pointless as long as one followed the guidance of the Potentium, which would always lead them to a good action. This view has been decried by the Jedi practically from its inception and found little mass following. Asli Krimsan questioned the moral ramifications of this philosophy in a recording in Jedi vs Sith: The Essential Guide to the Force, and many Sith Lords, such as Darth Plagueis, also resented this ideology.

But the Potentium concept would more denote that the Force has a meaningful intent to it and that its intent is gracious; taking this theory, I could see how someone could argue that the Force is a deity with a specifically good nature. The problem is that this theory is never given any credence narratively or by objective sources. The Potentium theory is at best an incomplete perspective on the Force and at worst an obstinate corruption of it. The simple existence of Force sensitives who use the Force for evil purposes is sufficient to disprove this theory. Were it outside the Force’s attributes to be used for destructive or malevolent purposes, we would never find it possible for a being to darken the entire galaxy and dominate life through the Force, and yet we find exactly that in the Star Wars films. The Potentium concept isn’t enough to prove that the Force is some kind, generous deity looking out for the interests of the galaxy.

With that said, it should be noted that the Force’s will for balance will support life and its wellbeing, though not necessarily from a particularly kindness-motivated source. Luke noted that it was the will of the Force for the Death Star to be destroyed. The Force had been out of balance and leaning toward the dark side, and the Death Star was a physical representation of that imbalance. It was a weapon that could be used by the Empire to destroy any target they wanted and intimidate others into obeisance. This stood in opposition to the Force’s inclination for balance, and this gives a clear example of how the Force’s natural inclination can affect galactic events and life itself:

I may have been the one who fired the shot, but the Force itself wanted to purge the galaxy of the Death Star. It was the embodiment of everything that’s wrong with the dark side.

—Luke

--Taken from Book of Sith: Secrets from the Dark Side

Keeping that in mind, sources have made it very clear that the Force itself is not good or evil on its own merits. Although the misconception exists that classifies the light side of the Force as good and the dark side of the Force as evil, this is untrue because the Force doesn’t make decisions. As Luke explained, the light and dark sides of the Force are reflections of the light and dark sides of thinking beings. That is to say, the light and dark sides of the Force are not good or evil, but the light and dark sides of thinking beings are. Thinking beings have the capacity for good and evil choices, and therefore they can pass to either their light or dark sides. The Force though doesn’t have this attribute as its power for purposeful action is limited. Only conscious choices can be labeled good or evil, and the Force has never, to my knowledge, been said to make conscious choices. Therefore the Force is not good or evil.

The Light is positive. It is intimately bound with the essence of living things; it is peace, harmony and knowledge. The Light Side springs from the great pattern of existence. It draws strength from diversity and tolerance. It is also inherently communal in nature, thriving on cooperation. Those emotions that enhance the existence of the whole flow from it and tap into its great reserves of strength and peace. Patience, humility and self-sacrifice are paths to enlightenment. Above all, it seeks harmony and perfection.

The Dark Side, in comparison, is the force of entropy and destruction. Chaos and rage feed it and are its sources of power. The Dark Side is a part of nature—it is not inherently evil, but evil comes from its irrationality, its intolerance and its lack of control. Bestial and predatory, domination is its goal. Mercilessly aggressive and unforgiving, its adherents are blinded by greed and lust for power over those weaker than themselves.

The Light and Dark Side manifest themselves in the way they are used; they are simply different interpretations of a single aspect of nature, and they exist in balance with themselves and the universe. Just as with any aspect of life and death, both the Dark Side and the Light Side are intertwined with each other, are necessary to each other and form a cosmic balance.

--Taken from Dark Empire Sourcebook

Moving on from that subject, there are other concepts we could dissect, such as the diametrically opposed religion of the Nightsisters and the Fallanassi or the beliefs of the Ysanna, but all of those religions are primitive and reflect only certain aspects of the Force without acknowledging the whole. Even though the Nightsisters and the Ysanna subscribe to a certain element of deity in the Force, their observations of it are imperfect. This isn’t to say that even the Jedi have discovered all there is to know about the Force, because the Jedi will freely admit that they neither do nor can know everything. But the teaching of the Force that the Jedi espouse, that the Force is an energy field that more interacts with living beings just by virtue of its existence, is typically shown to be closer to the truth than the idea of the Force as a god over the universe. On the other hand, because Jedi, being sometimes semi-relativists, are not predisposed to dogmatically assuming they know all there is to know, the option is left open that there is more to the Force than the Jedi believe in. Luke pointed out that the Jedi path is only one way to gleaning wisdom from the Force:

"Is it that the Jedi are unwilling to share the Force, then?" she asked. "Are you uncomfortable knowing I have a path to knowledge that doesn't require you, that isn't yet open to you? At the same time that you ask me to teach you, you seem to need to doubt, even to discredit—"

Luke was shaking his head vigorously. "No, no, that's wrong. The Force is a river from which many can drink, and the training of the Jedi is not the only cup that can catch it," he said. "If we didn't know that before we met the witches of Dathomir, we surely know it now."

"That is something, at least."

"But the truth lives side by side with lies, and errors, and self-deceptions—with hopeful dreams, and baseless fears, and mistaken memories," Luke added gently. "And we have to try to know one from the other. All I ask is that you help me understand the source of your insight. That will help me know what weight to give it."

--Taken from Tyrant’s Test

Just to quickly cover the concept of the Living Force, the phrase “the Living Force” is not as much a reference to the Force being a conscious, living being itself per se, as much as it is the Force manifesting itself in conscious, living beings. The Living Force is the immediate, personal, even minute aspect of the Force and is contrasted with the Unifying Force, which is the Force on a cosmic and timeless scale. So the use of the phrase “the Living Force” is no more proof that the Force is a sentient being than the phrase “the will of the Force.” It has a very specific definition in Jedi philosophy. To be fair though, the Living Force does add to the reality of the Force’s inseparable connection to living beings.

On Ossus, the Jedi came to understand that both the light side and dark side of the Force reflect aspects of the living Force, the in-the-moment manifestation of life energy, and the unifying Force, the cosmic expression of prophecies and destinies.

--Taken from Jedi vs Sith: The Essential Guide to the Force

The Force is bigger than all of us, but expresses itself in two aspects. The Living Force is raw and close at hand. It is the life energy tingling around you when you pass among plants and animals in a walk through the jungle. When beings die, you sense it through the Living Force. When many die at once, the loss of their energy may shock you, even knock you out. All of your tangible Force Force abilities—such as running, jumping, heightened senses, moving objects, or soothing the emotions of others—are techniques by which we become agents of the Living Force.

The Unifying Force is a vast cosmic power. You may not sense it yet, but with patience and insight you will. The Unifying Force is the stars and galaxies, the rippling surface of space and time. It is this voice that whispers of your destiny, and make no mistake—the Force does have a will. To commune with the Unifying Force is to temporarily leave your body, allowing you to walk in the past or see the future. Some of the ancients believe it is even possible to transcend death.

--Taken from The Jedi Path: A Manual for Students of the Force

This will be an out-of-universe perspective, but to be honest, I think one of the major reasons that many people see the Force as a kind of deity is because Star Wars was written in and to a western culture. For those of us who are westerners (and even many who aren’t), our basic concept of spirituality is from a monotheistic perspective. It’s normal to assess things by our own experiences, and westerners by and large are somewhat unfamiliar with eastern religions, which Star Wars draws inspiration from just as much as it does western religions. Some eastern religions are polytheistic, and there are other sects of eastern religions that are entirely atheistic and simply adhere to the idea that the universe is a connected consciousness or some kind of animistic idea of spiritual personalities inhabiting a place or object. This isn't ordinary to think about for western viewers of Star Wars, and so our natural inclination is to attach our religious exposure onto it, which would more attribute the Force the quality of being a god. The idea of the Force being a deity of any kind is usually not attested to by the source material though.

Having said all of this, there are vague references to the Force being a living being or even a deity. Lucas’ original concepts for the Force played with the idea that the Force is basically everything in every world religion; it’s a god, a cause-and-effect force of karma, a path to understanding, a spiritual moral determinant, a universal guiding principle, a balance of nature's intrinsic dualities, an existential metaphor, and so on. However, for the most part, the films and other source material define the Force as a universal consciousness that flows with the cycle of creation and destruction; expresses the duality in nature; and corresponds to life and death and the light and dark side of thinking beings. Despite the Force in recent years and in more recent stories taking on characteristics that more resemble choice, it’s still come just short of actual sentience. This could be disputed based on obscure concepts that have arisen, such as the Ones or the Celestials, but overall, the Force is not expressly a deity.

To conclude this blog, I will post this scene from the Revenge of the Sith novelization. This is at the time of Luke and Leia’s birth at the end of the story. Yoda is in meditation over the import of recent events and feelings of personal failure. He searches the Force in his meditation, and the narration says that he spoke to the Force and that the Force spoke back. But the Force spoke in the person of Qui-Gon Jinn, who had become one with the Force. The Jedi technique of becoming a “Force Ghost” is seen as retaining one’s identity even after death. All living things that die return to the Force and become one with it, but the Jedi technique of retaining individuality even after death is one that has to be learned. This is accomplished, not by selfishly grasping at one’s own identity, but by selflessly releasing it only for it to be retained.

The strong influence from eastern religions is present here. In some philosophies and religions, there is no true individuality, or at least not permanently; everything is part of a collective consciousness. Notice that the Force didn’t respond to Yoda in its own voice; it spoke through use of an individual consciousness, Qui-Gon, who learned how to retain his individual being even after surrendering to the Force’s united being. This seems to suggest that the Force doesn’t have a personal identity or a conscious existence of its own. Of course, there are instances in stories where the Force speaks to someone without a personal identity named with it (Darth Plagueis, Labyrinth of Evil, Dark Empire, etc.), but more often than not, as shown in the scene below, the Force remains the sum total of all consciousness in existence, not a conscious deity on its own.

Beyond the transparisteel crystal of the observation dome on the airless crags of Polis Massa, the galaxy wheeled in a spray of hard, cold pinpricks through the veil of infinite night. Beneath that dome sat Yoda. He did not look at the stars. He sat a very long time.

Even after nearly nine hundred years, the road to self-knowledge was rugged enough to leave him bruised and bleeding.

He spoke softly, but not to himself.

Though no one was with him, he was not alone.

"My failure, this was. Failed the Jedi, I did."

He spoke to the Force.

And the Force answered him. Do not blame yourself, my old friend.

As it sometimes had these past thirteen years, when the Force spoke to him, it spoke in the voice of Qui-Gon Jinn.

"Too old I was," Yoda said. "Too rigid. Too arrogant to see that the old way is not the only way. These Jedi, I trained to become the Jedi who had trained me, long centuries ago—but those ancient Jedi, of a different time they were. Changed, has the galaxy. Changed, the Order did not—because let it change, Idid not."

More easily said than done, my friend.

"An infinite mystery is the Force." Yoda lifted his head and turned his gaze out into the wheel of stars. "Much to learn, there still is."

And you will have time to learn it.

"Infinite knowledge..." Yoda shook his head. "Infinite time, does that require."

With my help, you can learn to join with the Force, yet retain consciousness. You can join your light to it forever. Perhaps, in time, even your physical self.

Yoda did not move. "Eternal life..."

The ultimate goal of the Sith, yet they can never achieve it; it comes only by the release of self, not the exaltation of self. It comes through compassion, not greed. Love is the answer to the darkness.

"Become one with the Force, yet influence still to have..." Yoda mused. "A power greater than all, it is."

It cannot be granted; it can only be taught. It is yours to learn, if you wish it.

Slowly, Yoda nodded. "A very great Jedi Master you have become, Qui-Gon Jinn. A very great Jedi Master you always were, but too blind I was to see it."

He rose, and folded his hands before him, and inclined his head in the Jedi bow of respect.

The bow of the student, in the presence of the Master.

"Your apprentice, I gratefully become.”

--Taken from Revenge of the Sith

Awesome!

Silver makes me feel stupid. :catprone

Good job, though. XD

I'm go have to get wasted to read all of that.:)

good post, didn't read, but I am sure it is a good post.

YOU? DIDN'T READ?!?!?!?!?!?!?

HOW DARE YOU!.......BEGONE!

Look at you writing again :-D

Another fascinating post. Admire the dedication put into these blogs, Silver.

Ah, an excellet and informative blog. A pleasure to read. Will you ever make a blog addressing the Ones?

Awesome stuff and I think you summed up the topic pretty nicely in the paragraph regarding the Force's "decision" (if you can call it that) to produce a Chosen One and restore balance; it will fight, like any living being or in this case, universal energy field, to restore it's own sense or state of natural balance, but you've also correctly pointed out that it's not a sentient, decision-making being. The Force, this massive energy field, through the course of simple nature will act through sentient beings who have their own free will in order to retain it's own balance, but at the same time the onus is on those beings to make their own decisions, form their own perceptions of the Force, and so on. Essentially nature will take it's course, and if you try to defy nature to a great extent, it will bite back.

Nice job.

Metaclorians

Heh... I remember people telling me to make a blog for them. I made a respect thread for them but I was never bothered to write some sort of exposition on them, though the story of their life (especially in the TCW Mortis arc) and its parallels to the SW saga are fascinating. I did discuss this with Silver at some point; maybe Silver could write it or we could collaborate or something.

Silver's definitely the better choice on relating the Ones to the Force, since he knows far more about the Force than anybody else I've ever met.

Not sure. I may or may not have time. It's strange, some of these blogs only take me a couple hours to write out, like this one; others that are not even this long have taken more time.

My problem with the Ones is that for me to write it with the larger bulk of lore in mind, I would be forced to reference FotJ, which I...don't want to do.

@Everyone: Thank you.

If only Chris Avellone had seen this before he wrote KotoR II. :P

That in mind, will you ever do a blog deconstructing Kreia's worldview? As someone who's gotten sick of people parroting the "Kreia was right!!!" business, it really would be nice to have a blog that neatly disproves it (although this does a pretty good job of that on it's own to be honest).

PS: Sorry about the Avatar steal.

Funnily enough someone just did exactly that kind of deconstruction on Reddit.

https://www.reddit.com/r/kotor/comments/9a48qw/kotor_ii_is_not_about_moral_ambiguity/

@i_like_swords: Yay! This'll shut the Kreia fanatics up ;)