MidiChlorians

[Darth Hayze 19]

What are your thoughts on the MidiChlorians?

[Meatbag Exterminator 3]

Sardonic Response: A rather pointless idea that was brought up by Qui-Con in TPM a few times and then never really brought up in a meaningful way again,  at least in the films. I think it might have shown up again in Plagieus though when the Sith duo attempted to manipulate them.

[Kerk 12]

They dumb down the Force. It becomes akin to electricity. The more of those little shits you have in your blood, the more electricity for you. Don't go to Yoda for training and discipline, just inject a few ml of Medichlorians!

 

Hey that sounded awful lot like an advertisement! Someone should make a meme of it.

[Sith Holocron 2,473]

1) If it's only midichlorians keeping the vast majority of sentient life forms from being Force users, you'd think that they would be able to figure out how to make them.  They already had cloning technology . . .
 
2) My main issue with midichlorians isn't an argument for religion.  It's an argument of changing what was established as a philosophical (as opposed to religious)discussion and undermining with an explanation that isn't necessary. Besides the fancy tricks the heroes and villians can do with the Force (lighting, telekinesis, mind control, et cetera), the main role of the Force is to divide the heroes and villains by assigning them as either light and dark.  Since midichlorians doesn't add anything to that aspect, what's the point?
 
3) Midichlorians as violation of the rule on Chekhov's Gun...

Chekhov's gun is a dramatic principle that requires every element in a narrative be necessary and irreplaceable, and that everything else be removed.

 

"If in the first act you have hung a pistol on the wall, then in the following one it should be fired. Otherwise don't put it there." Anton Chekhov

 

If we removed all references to midichlorians from the movies, would any of the movies suffer? Nope. If the presence or absence of an explanation how the Force works isn't important to the story, then why bother to include it?

[defreili 10]

I think the midichlorians were used as a prop to explain how Anakin came into being without a father.

It's a mix of science fiction and religion in order to explain Anakin as The Chosen One.

If you think about it that way. Then adding the midichlorians makes sense.

[Nsinger998 17]

I'm surprised nobody has mentioned this:

 

In a new hope. Obi Wan says: The force is an energy field created by all living beings, It surrounds us, It penetrates us, And binds the universe together

 

This means that the force is not mystical but biological. My personal belief is that midchlorians function like the element zero (eezo) nodules in mass effect:

 

Some people when exposed to element zero will grow nodules composed of said element along their spines. The nodules act as a form of adaption and allow mental manipulation of eezo(usually as a form of telekenisis or energy bending). I see the midichlorians as something similar:

 

I see midichlorians as a method of adaption by organic beings in response to force energy and allow the body to deal with it.

Some individuals produce a great deal of midichlorians which in turn channels a great deal of force energy that the individual can become aware of(a 'sensisitivity' if you will) and thru training can manipulate the energy field kind of like martial artists manipulate chi.

 

It is also possible that the Rakatan(see Kotor) performed research on themselves and certain "slave" races in their empire to better understand the midichlorians which gave some races(e.g. Humans) a greater chance at developing high midichlorian counts. This research was probabably used by rebels to develop a midichlorian killer that lowered the chance of Rakatan gaining sizable amounts of midichlorians to nil and lead to the collapse of their empire.

 

It could also be possible that the force like element zero is a naturally occuring thing in the star wars galaxy and many races like the rakatan evolved midichlorians to deal with its prescence and some gained "magic powers" as a consqeunce. This is supported by the extragalactic Yuuzhan Vong not having the force.

 

What do you think of my theories? 

[Mandalore 61]

That's a pretty good point - nice work there. As for myself, I support their inclusion simply because I don't like things that are unexplained (it's been around for millennia, someone must've worked out what it is and where it came from).

[Kerk 12]

Uh yes, I forgot about that. Yeah, if Obi-wan said it in the the original, then it's gotta be it. Force is energy. Medichlorians make perfect sense. I was wrong. 

 

And more importantly, if it's created by living beings, then it can be destroyed. Krea was not insane after all.

[Darth Hayze 19]

Yeah, what Nsinger said makes perfect sense. Especially in light of TCW "Mortis" arc, the Father, Son, and Daughter were simply Celestials with super high MidiChlorian counts.

I always found the Chlorians to be just as Star Warsy as anything else, and I actually think the reason they have been rejected by so many is that the version of Episode I that we got is bantha poodo(especially compared to the rough draft screenplay/Terry Brooks Novelization) and accepting the MidiChlorians means excepting the film.

[Gray Jedi Adept 5]

Listen to Yoda's speech in Empire. The biggest point he makes that just says "no to midichlorians" for me is simply "Luminous beings are we, not this crude matter (touching Luke's arm). You must feel the Force around you."

 

That alone to me makes me believe that the Force is mystical and not biological. I, personally do not agree with the midichlorians. I always viewed the Force as something you had to concentrate on to draw from or feel through training and understanding, not the amount you have in your body like a power up handicap or level etc.

 

But, that's just me. To each their own.

[Mephiles550 227]

Listen to Yoda's speech in Empire. The biggest point he makes that just says "no to midichlorians" for me is simply "Luminous beings are we, not this crude matter (touching Luke's arm). You must feel the Force around you."

 

That alone to me makes me believe that the Force is mystical and not biological. I, personally do not agree with the midichlorians. I always viewed the Force as something you had to concentrate on to draw from or feel through training and understanding, not the amount you have in your body like a power up handicap or level etc.

 

But, that's just me. To each their own.

As much as I dislike the idea of midichlorians and would much rather view the force as a concept similar to qi/chi, Yoda might have just been referring to Luke and himself when he said "we". I don't really see this as good evidence against midichlorians.

 

While I may not like the idea behind midichlorians, I think that they are most likely what allow force users to actually feel the force. The Rakata researchers were trying to find biological reasons for their loss of the force due to the "plague", and the information they need is in their temple. If Revan gives it to them, they claim that they might now know the reason why the Rakata have lost the force. The reason, if genetic mutations were behind their force loss due to the plague, most likely means that their midichlorians were altered. (It's been a while since I've done this side mission, so sorry If I'm missing a few key points)

 

Again, I dislike the idea of midichlorians, and I would prefer that anyone could be able to use the force, provided they are capable to be trained, but there are multiple clues that point to midichlorians being the cause for force sensitivity.

[Nsinger998 17]

I interpret a lot of what early Yoda says to be attempts to get Luke to stop whining and stop thinking of the force as a muscle but instead as an extension of will power and thus limited only by imagination.

 

If anyone could use the force then force users wouldn't be a rare breed; also, if the force was something that anyone could do then Ulic Qel Droma would have been able to get his force powers back.

[Mephiles550 227]

I interpet alot of what early Yoda says to be attempts to get Luke to stop whining and stop thinking of the force as a muscle but instead as an extention of will power and thus limited only by imagination.

 

If anyone could use the force then force users wouldn't be a rare breed; also, if the force was something that anyone could do then Ulic Qel Droma would have been able to get his force powers back.

Would it really matter in the long run though if force users were no longer rare? All life is touched by the force in one way or another and the force is an energy field created by all beings, as Kreia and Obi wan both say (or at least they say something similar). If this is the case, than everyone should be able to use it. Things would probably still be the same regardless of whether or not Midichlorians existed or not. I doubt the idea of Midichlorians even existed in Good ol' Georgie's head before Phantom Menace (if this is wrong though, I would love to know where the concept of Midichlorians were used prior), and before that came out, what was life like in Star Wars? Hardly anyone could actually use the force because they didn't know how to use it, believe it, or even know what it really was. Besides, some people didn't want to waste away their life as a jedi or sith anyway. Some people hated both groups, never wanting to associate themselves with any of their capabilities. The Midichlorians felt shoehorned last minute into the Phantom menace as a plot device to explain how Anakin was better than the rest of the jedi.

 

I'm also bringing back up the comparison to Qi energy: not everyone knows how to use it, most people could care less about using it, and some people might not be able to understand it ever. The energy is still there though, and the body could still, technically, be able to use it.

 

I suppose it doesn't matter. Logically, the idea of Midichlorians makes sense. I just greatly prefer the force to be something more mystical and universally adaptable as opposed to just lolgeneticgift.

 

I also know little to nothing about Qel Droma, so I don't really have a proper explanation for that. XD

[DeadMan 103]

I don't like the whole midichlorian idea, but it is in the movies, so we have to deal with it.

And I have a theory (quite similar to Nsinger's): what if high midichlorian count is not the cause of the Force sensivity, but actually a REACTION to it? It makes perfect sense. Some people are Force sensitive, some not. If you are sensitive - your body generates midichlorians.

[DarthTyren 103]

I don't like the whole midichlorian idea, but it is in the movies, so we have to deal with it.

And I have a theory (quite similar to Nsinger's): what if high midichlorian count is not the cause of the Force sensivity, but actually a REACTION to it? It makes perfect sense. Some people are Force sensitive, some not. If you are sensitive - your body generates midichlorians.

 

^This.^

 

Qui-Gon said that without MidiChlorians, life could not exist. With this understanding, there are MidiChlorians in every life form, and the amount is measured by the amount in each cell. A person's MidiChlorian count measures how much of their surroundings they should be able to feel, if they develop said abilities. The Force is a deeper part of said surroundings. If they can get in tune with the Force, they are considered Force Sensitive.

 

EDIT

Didn't see the date on the last post, sorry.