The balance of the Force has remained something of a mystery since it was first mentioned inStar Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace, but I thinkStar Warshas finally revealed what it really is. Viewers were taken aback whenThe Phantom Menaceintroduced Anakin Skywalker as theChosen One, a being foretold to bring balance to the Force. It introduced a new Messianic element toStar Wars, but unfortunately the concept wasn’t really developed in the prequels. Frustratingly,Yoda even concluded that the prophecy could have been “misread,“leaving its true meaning in doubt.
The idea of “balance” seems to be somehow central to understanding the Force. Unfortunately, over the years it’s become clear that every Force tradition has their own definition of “balance,” and they don’t all go together particularly well. Greg Rucka’sGuardians of the Whillsintroduced a haunting mantra from one cult suggesting balance is a transitory thing, but Claudia Gray’sMaster & Apprenticerevealed the Chosen One was supposed to bring “ultimate balance” to the Force. Finally, though, I think I’m beginning to figure out what balance really means.
Star Wars: The High Republic Is All About The Balance Of The Force
The Path of the Open Hand offer a tantalizing hint
Star Warshas always been so much more than a mere film franchise. Personally, I absolutely love the ever-expanding range ofStar Warsbooks- and I’ve been hooked toStar Wars: The High Republicsince the transmedia initiative launched back in 2021. These novels, audiobooks, and comics are set during theHigh Republic Era, the golden age of the Jedi and the Republic, which ran from roughly 500-100 years beforeThe Phantom Menace. Intriguingly, I think they’re actually an exploration of balance on a cosmic scale.
The High RepublicPhase II introduced a Force cult known as the Path of the Open Hand, who believed the Force could actually be depleted. In their view, every Force-sensitive naturally disrupts the balance of the Force by drawing on the Force, using it up, and they used monstrousForce predators known as the Namelessto hunt down the Jedi. Centuries later, the Path would have morphed into a band of pirates known as the Nihil, who used the Nameless en masse.
A Jedi defends and preserves life, meaning their actions protect and enhance the Force.
The Path of the Open Hand is wrong, of course. While it’s true the Chosen One destroyed both the Jedi and the Sith, Anakin didn’t bring an end to all Force-users, meaning this doesn’t fit with the idea of “ultimate balance.” But why is the Path’s philosophy flawed? I think it’s becausethe Force is generated by life. A Jedi defends and preserves life, meaning their actions protect and enhance the Force.
The Nameless Have Unleashed A Blight On The Galaxy
The Force can be consumed after all
I’ve already mentioned the monstrous creatures called the Nameless (or the Shrii Ka Rai, the Levelers, or Force-Eaters). These monstrous being originate from aplanet rich in the Forcecalled Planet X, a unique vergence so rich in the Force that they have evolved to feed on Force-sensitives. They literally consume the Force, leaving Jedi reeling in fear and turning them to dust when they feed on them. Shockingly, though, the Nameless are the harbingers of an even worse threat.
The Nameless have somehow disrupted the balance of the Force itself, meaning - in an ironic twist - the Path of the Open Hand’s fear is becoming a reality. The Force is being consumed on a cosmic scale now, with entire worlds suffering the same fate as the victims of the Nameless. Planets are falling to this Blight, andeven the Jedi Temple on Coruscant is vulnerable. The problem, of course, is that the Nameless evolved on a planet where the Force is unusually rich. The Force exists at lower levels in the wider galaxy, and the Nameless are disrupting that balance.
The Nameless & The Blight Are Massive Clues To The Balance Of The Force
The Force is life, and balance is life
This is a tale of world-breaking destruction, and - according to George Mann’s newly-publishedTears of the Nameless-it all flows from an imbalance in the Force. That, I think, is the last clue I needed to put the pieces together; the Force is generated by life, and it loses balance when there is death on a cosmic scale. But how does this fit with Anakin Skywalker’s destiny as the Chosen One, which the Jedi took to mean he was destined to destroy the Sith?
I’ve recently been thinking about theSith homeworld of Moraband, which I think is another important clue. That planet was originally called Korriban in Legends, but Lucas changed it for Moraband, a name linked to the word “moribund” - which means “at the point of death.” The Sith, you see, are agents of death; there’s a reason their homeworld is a barren wasteland, and the Sith redoubt of Exegol inStar Wars: The Rise of Skywalkeris devoid of life. They consume and destroy, their very existence creating an imbalance in the Force.
The shroud of the dark side fell across the galaxy when the Clone Wars began, and the Sith orchestrated countless atrocities and acts of genocide during that galactic conflict. Death only increased under Palpatine’s reign, with the Emperor eagerly seeking to create superweapons that could destroy entire planets. It’s not a coincidence that the Sith Empire created superweapons; it’s an expression of their purpose, because they establish dominance through destruction. The Sith are destruction by nature.
To circle back to the Chosen One, this means the Jedi were right about Anakin’s destiny. The Force lost balance as death spiraled out of control, with the Jedi unable to stem its rise. A Sith Lord literally took control of the Republic for over a decade without the Jedi knowing it (it’s easy to miss, butAndor’s flashbacks revealed the Republic itself committed atrocities during the Clone Wars, showing how bad things got). Anakin’s destiny was to put matters right, to destroy the Sith, as foretold inStar Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace’s Chosen One prophecy.
Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader
Conceived by the will of the Force itself, Anakin Skywalker was the prophesied Chosen One, destined to bring the Force into balance. Anakin struggled to balance competing attachments to the Jedi Order and his wife Padmé Amidala, and ultimately fell to the dark side, becoming Darth Vader. For years he served as Palpatine’s right hand man, but he was ultimately redeemed by the faith of his son, Luke Skywalker. Now a Force Ghost, Anakin continues to act as an agent of balance.
