A question for Star Wars fans.

[Eclectic Dreck]

I actually have two problems with this explanation. First, it attempts to explain a pehenomena that expresses itself as magic using science. In doing so, we find the second problem and that is that the the explanation itself is less rigorous than simply not explaining how it worked in the first place. I'll take NO explanation in science fiction above a poor one any day.

 

[Les Awesome]

The force is mystical
your not supposed to know how it works

 

[EightGaugeHippo]

The force is like a joke, when you explain it it stops being funny.
Thats the best I can do.

 

[gigastrike]

I have no idea. The implied magic annoyed me.

 

[Billion Backs]

Star Wars, the original trilogy, is not science fiction. It is a sword and sorcery fantasy epic that contrives to add in to that the hardware, and therefore the visuals, of science fiction. The sword and sorcery is central to the action, the SF is secondary. By pushing it into the realm of fantasy rather than SF it gives the viewer permission to suspend disbelief and not analyse the SF elements too closely. Start analysing the science of Star Wars and it all unravels very quickly.

By adding in the midichlorians it is like Lucas is trying to argue that it is all SF. That simple action breaks the fourth wall, and calls attention to the million other inconsistencies.

Look at it this way: Star Trek is SF. It goes to great lengths to create an internally consistent universe, and can provide answers for any question you care to name about its science (accepting that some of the science relies on theories that have yet to be discovered). If Trek introduced something that could only be explained as magic then it breaks the genre and the story. It is as jarring as a rape scene in the middle of Sesame Street. In the same way the midichlorians are a painful and unnecessary device in Star Wars.

For another example of how to break a beautiful story by wrenching it out of its genre watch Highlander and then Highlander II. The sequel not only is rubbish, but breaks any nostalgic memories of the original.

well it was in space with spaceships and laser swords and aliens. i think its sci-fi.
and if it really isnt, "fantasy" makes it sound lame like WoW

Sci-fi isn't about spaceships, space, and aliens.

It stands for SCIENCE-fiction. Star Wars has very little in way of scientific elements, either realistic or made-up. It's only used for the setting, and with that out of the way, Star Wars is classic heroic fantasy.

light speed isnt science? outer space isnt science? light sabers aint science?

Lightsabers "aint science". They never explain the theory, however fictional, behind how they work. Of course, all lasers in general in Star Wars world are fucked up without any explanation...

Any sci-fi element in Star Wars could be easily replaced with fantasy equivalent without disrupting the story. Lightsabers? Magic swords! Ships? Flying carpets or some shit! Outer space? Portals and alternative planes!

Science fiction relies on the scientific elements to tell the story, however bullshitty they are at times. Star Wars uses generic science-fictiony background just as a background.

lightsabers arent magic. its some kind of mixture of crystals and elements and some perdioic table of elements shit. look it up

I see it's pointless to try to reason anything with you. Good day.

 

[Continuity]

It reduces a series that is totally about fantasy to plain logic

Ok well thats probably a bit srong, the only difference here is that the "magic" is channelled though a biological conduit.. its still magic.

 

[Marlun_42]

I figured that it could be consistent if a lot of midi-chlorians were just an indicator of a Force-sensitive individual instead of what make the Force. So testing for that would allow the Jedi Order to find true candidates.

Isn't that actually an official explanation? I mean, if the knowledge of the Force is ancient, it has to go back to old times when there was no modern technology. Just metal swords instead of lightsabers. Back then they had to pick new Jedi students without the blood tests. I doubt something like a Jedi order would just abandon talents discovery for technology testing.

I don't think it's offical canon, but it's really the only justification that will allow my brain to not strangle itself. The Jedi could have known of the Force many millenia ago before blood tests and the like (though you'd have to go back over 10,000 years at least if you go by the comics and books). We knew people got sick before we knew about germs. We could domesticate wolves before we understood evolution. In this case, they just found a more efficient indicator of Force talent instead of whatever trials they used before.

 

[Shadowfaze]

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?

This, in a nutshell.