A question for Star Wars fans.

[DanDeFool]

Okay, here's something I've always wondered about. I'm not trying to troll here, but I was always confused about this and I'm hoping someone can clear the issue up for me.

I understand most of the reasons why people didn't like The Phantom Menace, except one. I've heard a lot of people get pissed about how The Force was linked to midi-chlorians, giving it a sort of biological explanation (i.e., Jedi can use The Force by communicating with the midi-chlorians, or whatever).

It seemed perfectly reasonable to me that there would be some kind of explanation for why some people are Force-sensitive while others are not. Yet, this seems to be one of the points of the film which generates the most ire from the fanbase.

So why all the rage over the midi-chlorians?

 

[DominicxD]

>Implaying that a magical mystical power can be scientifically analysed through some blood.

 

[cernik]

I'm no hardcore starwars fan, But I would be pissed too if I found out that the mystic mind over matter power that I had dreamed about controlling since I saw the first movie was just caused by bacteria.

 

[Greenshoes]

I dont know either, I consider myself a Star Wars fan, and rather liked The Phantom Menace, maybe because I was only 9 when I first saw it.

 

[Rayjay06]

I'm a fan who has wondered the same thing. That was one of my favorite aspects of the prequels because it added a scientific and, by extension, plausible layer to an overly mystical concept of the originals.

 

[whiskey rock n' roller]

Yep agree with those above, plus remember that Luke Skywalker was a farm boy initially, it gave you the feeling that anyone could rise to the occassion no matter who they were or where they came from. Just being born with it makes the Jedi sound like an exclusive club for dicks in robes who get all the chicks.

 

[Jharry5]

In the original trilogy, no one was that sure what the Force was, and the mystery was part of the attraction.
Any explaination would have been met with rage, but a scientific one just didn't fit.

Personally though, I took less issue with the midichlorians as I did with the inclusion of Jar Jar Binks... *shudders*

 

[SonicKoala]

At its heart, Star Wars is a science fiction movie for the post-modernist world. By taking the freaking CORE of that movie and giving it some dull, scientific explanation, you essentially destroy the mystique surrounding the force, thereby destroying one of the central appeals of the original trilogy. That's totally not cool.

 

[Space Spoons]

I think it has a lot to do with the fact that before midi-chlorians were introduced, the Jedi were viewed as more spiritual in nature, and the Force was something mysterious, powerful and not completely understood. It ties into the common complaint of prequels ruining the mystery of the films they're precluding. It's like magic tricks, I guess; If you know exactly how and why the "saw the lady in half" trick works, it's just not as fun.

Personally, I'm not bothered much by the concept of midi-chlorians because I read the Expanded Universe novels, in which it's commonly accepted that midi-chlorians aren't the source or cause of a Jedi's connection with the Force, but merely a kind of channel, like a wand that a magician channels magic through. No matter what George Lucas does to damage the franchise, there are skilled writers who can fix it down the line.

 

[snow]

I agree with everyone above.. It drained all the mystery out of what the force actually is.. It was not needed at all, and the film wouldn't have changed in any way whether the explanation was added or not.

edit:

Also the way it was added so randomly to the film makes it seem like Lucas created a reason off the top of his head just to have a reason to put in his film...

I myself just pretend that little accident never happened. So I could live in my ignorant bliss that is what the Jedi are really supposed to be...

 

[urglen]

It distracts from the magical, spiritual heart of the series, which is the victory of faith and uncertainty over cold mechanical oppression. If you want to see a religious subtext in this, go ahead.

It reduces a series that is totally about fantasy to plain logic, and by doing that, you make it boring. I mean, it's a series for escaping from this worlds certainty about everything into a world we can't explain!

In short:

It just makes them boring!

This, a thousand time this. Furburt nailed it for me.

 

[Absimilliard]

It literally destroys a lot of the magic. Also, it's a lot less logical than just saying "magic". How the hell can microscopic organisms predict the future? And even though I can see how you might used said organisms to alter someone's mind, it seems like it would take a while, as you would have to communicate with all the damn things in a guys head, and then alter each one minutely. Most extensive brain surgery in the galaxy done in microseconds?

 

[Razvelius]

Yeah,the Force was something like a mythological mystery and I think it was supposed to stay that way.If you discover the facts behind a mystery,it is no longer interesting,right?

 

[madcap2112]

In A New Hope, Obi-Wan explains outright that the Force is "an energy field that surrounds all living things." Han Solo refers to it all as a 'hokey religion'. Midi-chlorians contradict the explanation given in the original movies.

 

[snow]

In A New Hope, Obi-Wan explains outright that the Force is "an energy field that surrounds all living things." Han Solo refers to it all as a 'hokey religion'. Midi-chlorians contradict the explanation given in the original movies.

Very good point, I never realized the contradictions in each explanation of the force...

Although at first thought, I was going to explain that it could just be different ideas of what each character thought the force was. (Besides Han-solo, because he was going on opinion more than fact)

That wouldn't work however because if the Jedi are all trained the same way, they would all understand what the force really was... Although I could understand this theory better if there was no logical explanation in training for Jedi, but sadly, Lucas did not allow that possibility to surface....

 

[ttkdoolittle]

"Luminous beings are we not this crude matter"

midi chlorians are crude matter

 

[DanDeFool]

It distracts from the magical, spiritual heart of the series, which is the victory of faith and uncertainty over cold mechanical oppression. If you want to see a religious subtext in this, go ahead.

It reduces a series that is totally about fantasy to plain logic, and by doing that, you make it boring. I mean, it's a series for escaping from this worlds certainty about everything into a world we can't explain!

In short:

It just makes them boring!

>Implaying that a magical mystical power can be scientifically analysed through some blood.

I agree with everyone above.. It drained all the mystery out of what the force actually is.. It was not needed at all, and the film wouldn't have changed in any way whether the explanation was added or not.

edit:

Also the way it was added so randomly to the film makes it seem like Lucas created a reason off the top of his head just to have a reason to put in his film...

I myself just pretend that little accident never happened. So I could live in my ignorant bliss that is what the Jedi are really supposed to be...

I had a feeling it was something like this. Now it makes sense. Thank you, Escapist!

 

[Kamaitachi]

It distracts from the magical, spiritual heart of the series, which is the victory of faith and uncertainty over cold mechanical oppression.

It just makes them boring!

>Implaying that a magical mystical power can be scientifically analysed through some blood.

This. I guess the thread is over?


Yoda just presents it so beautifully. Like a dream we all share but not all over us can remember. It's such a migthy scene. You cannot believe in the force, you must know it. As soon as you start mixing in science it gets boring. Explaining the force was the stupidest thing Lucas could've done. Why not leave it to the audience to figure out if it really is magic or some kind of gadget they use etc.

He destroyed a beautiful illusion. That Jedis were these higher beings, but chose to serve instead of ruling. Kinda like Superman I guess :S Damn you Lucas. But oh well

Kind of similar to spiderman, in the movie he gained the ability to shoot webs, in the comic book, it was a gadget.