Edge of the Empire Book

(Joyce) #1

THE FORCE


"The ability to destroy a planet is insignificant next to


  • '• the power of the Force."
    I • ' -Darth Vader


B


elief in the Force is nearly extinct in the galaxy. The
Empire has relentlessly destroyed all evidence of
the Jedi and their ancient religion. However, there are
still those few who believe in the Force and those even
rarer few who can draw from its power. These indi-
viduals know the presence of the Force still reaches
through every being, planet, and star system in the
galaxy. It binds, entwines, and penetrates all life.
At its most basic level, the Force is balance. Within
it is both joy and sorrow, rage and love, fear and hope,
and light and darkness. People speak of a "light side"
and a "dark side" to the Force, elements representing
its positive and negative aspects. However, these as-
pects are not in conflict with each other. Rather, they
all form facets of a unifying whole. Although those
who call upon the Force to aid them may only tap into
certain aspects of it, they still count the entirety of the
Force as their ally.

There are only a few individuals in the galaxy who
have the ability to call upon the Force. However, this rare
gift makes these individuals both admired and. feared,
for those who count the Force as their ally find it to be a

powerful ally indeed. It allows people to perform impos-
sible tasks, project themselves from their crude mortal
forms, read and influence the minds of others, and even
peer into the tangled webs of the future. •
Those who can manipulate the Force find that it
manipulates them in turn; It guides their actions and
obeys their commands. For this reason, how one uses
the Force is important. Those who use the Force for
knowledge and defense instead of aggression and
ambition, who act when they are at peace with them-
selves and others, find their actions bolstered by the
light side. However, those who call on the Force for
destruction, and who tap into their hatred, anger, and
fear, find their destructive desires reinforced and am-
plified by the dark side of the Force.

There are'those who say. the dark side of the Force
is easier to use, more seductive, and that it constantly
tempts those who can sense the Force. However, it is
not stronger. When one is calm, when one works tc
preserve and defend, he finds the power of the light
side of the Force to be just as mighty as the dark side
Free download pdf