New RetroZapper Adam Parker takes a fresh look at one of the most divisive Star Wars subjects ever–midi-chlorians.
By Adam Parker // Did the use of midi-chlorians to biologically identify Force-sensitive beings contribute to the fall of the Jedi? Let’s investigate.
Too old to begin the training
The Jedi in The Phantom Menace have been the guardians of peace and justice for a thousand generations. In this time the orders understanding of the Force has moved from the spiritual and towards the biological. Using midi-chlorians to identify Force-sensitive individuals shows the scientific understanding of the order is advanced. The Jedi have clearly moved their knowledge of the Force in a direction that the technology and skills of the time allow. In The Phantom Menace Anakin is nine years old, and is identified as being too old to start Jedi training. Obi-Wan states that had Anakin been born to a core world he would have been identified. Anakin’s not identified until he’s too old, as Tatooine is in the Outer Rim. Using biological screening would be the only feasible way to identify individuals with high midi-chlorian counts on all the planets in the core.
Understanding and enlightenment
Attack of the Clones shows Yoda working with a group of younglings. The younglings appear significantly younger than Anakin was in The Phantom Menace. They are evidently proficient in some aspects of the Force, as they are shown working with lightsabers, because of this they must have been training for some time. If this is taken in conjunction with the story ‘Children of the Force’ from season three of The Clone Wars judgments can be drawn. In the episode Cad Bane is trying to steal a holocron containing a list of Force-sensitive children. This shows that data is collected, stored and shared with the Jedi Order. Children will be screened in all core worlds. The screening results then passed to the Jedi for review. Following identification younglings will then be taken to the Jedi temple at around the age of five or six.
From spiritual to biological understanding
Wide-scale screening and identification of large numbers of young life forms shows the Jedi to have advanced biological understanding of the Force. This clearly large-scale process could leave the Jedi Order separated from the people and the galaxy. Before the Clone Wars begin the Jedi are rarely shown beyond the Jedi temple supporting this isolation. I believe this separation from the spiritual Force and move towards biological understanding lessened the Jedi. The isolation and move away from a spiritual focus contributed to the Jedi’s inability to sense the rise of Sith.
The prequels and The Clone Wars show a reliance on biological understanding for the identification of Force-sensitive life forms. The Jedi Order clearly have the spirituality of the Force embedded in their order. From the glimpses of ancient Jedi temples in Star Wars Rebels, it’s clear that the order began from a spiritual stand point.
One member of the Jedi Order portrayed as a renegade often pushing against the will of the order is Qui-Gon Jinn. With the Jedi Order of The Phantom Menace cemented in the biological understanding of the Force, Qui-Gon pursues spiritual knowledge and skills. This quest for understanding beyond that of the order leads him to be able to commune with Yoda from within the Force after his death. At the end of Revenge of the Sith, Yoda shares his new found spiritual understanding with Obi-Wan. As a result Luke is able to destroy the Death Star and later learn of Yoda and his location. The movement within the prequel and original trilogies from the hard science of midi-chlorians towards a return to more spiritual expression of the Force is evident. The intentions and visions behind this are also as evident.
Balance Between Biological and Spiritual Understanding
The foundations laid down by George Lucas in 1977 for the Star Wars saga fed through to the themes seen in the prequel trilogy. George had originally conceptualized the relationship between life forms and midi-chlorians in 1977. This was first shared in 2007 with the publication of The Making of Star Wars: The Definitive Story Behind The Original Film. Midi-chlorians themselves were not mentioned in any Star Wars source until 1999s The Phantom Menace. George’s intention to include measurable biology of the Force into the Jedi Order is clear from his initial planning of the saga. Links can be drawn between the concept of midi-chlorians and cutting edge biological research of the 1970s that make this intention clearer.
George envisaged that those life forms with a high midi-chlorian count would have a greater awareness of the Force. In sufficient numbers, midi-chlorians would allow the individual to physically connect to the Force. The will of the Force is communicated to the host life form through the midi-chlorians, and the host can use the power of the Force.
While on Coruscant, Qui-Gon explains the concept of midi-chlorians to Anakin. He tells Anakin ‘midi-chlorians are a microscopic life form that resides within all living cells. We are symbionts with them, life forms living together for mutual advantage. Without the midi-chlorians life cannot exist, and we would have no knowledge of the Force. They continually speak to us, telling us the will of the Force. When you learn to quiet your mind you will hear them speak to you.’
The power within the cells
Within the field of biology throughout the 1970s, scientists were studying and working with mitochondria, a structure found within cells of complex living organisms. The function of mitochondria is to be the powerhouse of the cells. Mitochondria are the site of the chemical reaction respiration. Respiration releases energy to power all the aspects needed for the cell’s metabolism.
While midi-chlorians provide the connection to life forms to be able to utilize the power of the Force; mitochondria complete a chemical reaction to provide power for our cells. Without the energy provided by mitochondria much life would not exist. The parallel between the two structures goes beyond the similarity in their name. Both structures provide a life form with power they can utilize.
Science in the saga
Qui-Gon describes midi-chlorians as ‘microscopic life forms that reside within all living cells’. Many scientists believe mitochondria were once living organisms that resided within larger cells. All the cells of complex organisms such as plants and animals contain mitochondria. In 1976, George Lucas was completing the fourth draft of The Adventures of Luke Skywalker. At the same time scientists were researching the DNA of mitochondria. The majority of DNA in plants and animals is a long straight molecule. Simpler organisms like bacteria also have DNA, but their DNA is circular not straight. This is one of the key differences between simple and complex organisms. Mitochondria have circular DNA, so do simple single celled organisms like bacteria.
The life forms within
One prominent theory for the evolution of mitochondria is the endosymbiotic theory. In this theory mitochondria were once simple cells that were able to release energy by respiration. More complex cells were unable to do this; so the two cells formed a symbiotic relationship. The mitochondria lived within the complex cell. Over time, through evolution, the mitochondria became organelles rather than cells in their own right. Recent research from Oregon State University supports this. Mitochondria share a common ancestor with modern bacteria. This again parallels the idea of midi-chlorians as life forms residing in living cells.
George Lucas envisaged that life forms with more mid-chlorians within their cells would have a stronger connection to the Force. The number of mitochondria in cells varies within all organisms. Cells that require large amounts of energy such as brain cells and muscle cells have high numbers of mitochondria. Cells that have a lower energy demand such as skin cells have a lower number of mitochondria. Studies of elite athletes have shown that they contain a higher count of mitochondria in muscle cells than amateur athletes. Sport science is increasingly looking at the number of mitochondria in athletes muscles as a judgment for their athletic potential. This parallels the way the Jedi use midi-chlorian counts to identify Force sensitive life forms. The number of mitochondria can be increased in muscle cells however midi-chlorian numbers appear to be set from birth within the Star Wars universe.
The pendulum has swung
The links to George Lucas’s original vision and the science research of the time runs in parallel to his use of myths and legends in creating the Star Wars universe. The biological Force and spiritual Force sit as two pillars of the Jedi order within the saga.
The use of science allowed the Jedi Order to thrive and swell its numbers into the thousands. It is the spiritual development of the Force that ensures the light is not extinguished from the universe when the order falls. The saga has moved a long way from the measurable biology seen in The Phantom Menace. The pendulum has now completely swung the other way to the point where currently the saga sits in a very spiritual position. In the final scene of The Force Awakens the spirituality of the Force is evident. Atop an ancient Jedi temple Rey reaches out holding a light saber in offering to Luke.
The measurable nature of midi-chlorians appears something of a different age. As the saga moves forward with The Last Jedi and beyond I think there will be more exploration into the spirituality of the Force. The pendulum will not move again towards the science of the Force as a measurable power until there is an established Jedi Order within canon. I for one hope it does happen at some point. If a more biologically focused Jedi Order results in a more powerful Sith rising again it can only be a good thing for the story telling within the saga.