Balance of the Force

From Wookieepedia, the Star Wars wiki.

The idea of a Balance of the Force was a central tenet of the Jedi Order. Balance refers to the ideal state in which The Force exists in nature, i.e. as the Light Side. The presence of the Dark Side corrupts and destroys this natural balance, and the Jedi viewed it as their duty to restore it. The concept of balance figures prominently in the prophecy of the Chosen One, a being born of the Force itself who would restore this balance. This being was Anakin Skywalker, who eventually fulfilled the prophecy and restored the Balance of the Force in 4 ABY by destroying the last of the Sith.

[edit] Behind the scenes

Many fans incorrectly assume that balance refers to an equal mix of both Light and Dark side users. However, as George Lucas explains in the introductory documentary for the VHS version A New Hope, Special Edition, this is not the case:

"The first film starts with the last age of the Republic, which is it's getting tired, it's old, it's getting corrupt.

There's the rise of the Sith, who are becoming a force, and in the backdrop of this we have Anakin Skywalker, a young boy who is destined to be a significant player in bringing balance back to the Force and to the Republic...

Then in the second film we get into more of that turmoil. It's the beginning of the Clone Wars, it's the beginning of the end of democracy in the Republic, sort of the beginning of the end of the Republic. And it's Anakin Skywalker beginning to deal with some of his more intense emotions of Anger, Hatred, Sense of Loss, Possesiveness, Jealousy, and the other things he has to cope with.

And then we will get to the 3rd film where he is seduced to the Dark Side..

Which brings us up to the films 4, 5, and 6, in which Anakin's offspring redeem him and allow him to fulfill the prophecy where he brings Balance to the Force by doing away with the Sith and getting rid of evil in the universe..."

In an interview, Lucas compared the difference between the Light and Dark Sides as being like the difference between a symbiotic relationship and a cancer. A symbiotic relationship is one which benefits both parties and in which neither is harmed, wheras a cancer takes without giving back, eventually causing the death of both parties.^[1]

[edit] Sources

• Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace
• Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
• Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi
• Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, Special Edition, VHS

[edit] Notes and references