Force ghost




 * ''"There is no death, there is only the Force.
 * &mdash;The Jedi Code.

The Force ghost was the apparition of a deceased Jedi who became one with the Force and retained his individuality.

The Jedi believed and knew that death was a part of life, and in reality it was becoming one with the Force. By death though, persons lost their individuality, memories and knowledge. However some knowledge could avert it. Qui-Gon Jinn was the first of the recent Jedi who discovered this secret (or just rediscovered it from ancient knowledge) with the assistance of a Whill Shaman. Qui-Gon's spirit guided Yoda and Obi-Wan Kenobi, and revealed to them the secret of retaining one's individuality after becoming one with the Force. They must have evolved the 'technique' since then. Yoda during his exile taught it to his student, Qu Rahn.

Death for those Jedi was different: their spirits could retain their individuality and could return as voices, dreams or apparitions at will, so that they could help those in need of their guidance. Perhaps they were visible only to Force sensitive individuals. Also, on death, their bodies vanished. This is not the case with Qui-Gon however, probably being a technique evolved by Obi-Wan and Yoda, under Qui-Gon's guidance.

This state was temporary since ghosts were intermediate between life and afterlife. From some point on, they had to move on to another realm of existence.

Presumably, Darth Vader did not learn of this ability, which explains his surprise when Obi-Wan's body disappears when he is slain on the Death Star. However being the strongest in the Force of all the Jedi, the natural fate for him was to become a ghost no matter what.

Interestingly, Sith Lords had access to similar techniques. Though their bodies would not fade, it was not uncommon for the spirits of Sith Lords to remain, bound to the living world through an object, location, or simply their malice and hatred. Unlike the Jedi, however, the Sith could find no peace in this form, and instead could exist for restless centuries, eventually driving themselves insane with their own malice.

Known Force ghosts

 * Ulic Qel-Droma (presumed, only disappeaerd)
 * Qui-Gon Jinn
 * Morgan Katarn (the only known non-Jedi)
 * Obi-Wan Kenobi
 * Yoda
 * Anakin Skywalker
 * Qu Rahn
 * An'ya Kuro

Some notable Sith to have existed in this form were:
 * Ajunta Pall
 * Freedon Nadd
 * Exar Kun
 * Marka Ragnos

Behind the scenes
During the original trilogy, fans and Expanded Universe writers believed that this happened to all Jedi who died, even fallen Jedi who repented at the end of their lives, such as Darth Vader and the Jedi Ulic Qel-Droma. In the latter case, the vanishing was a sign that his spirit was redeemed.

It is believed by some that the organic part of Vader's body disappeared, and that Luke just burned his suit and mechanical parts for ritualistic purposes. This is explicitly stated in the databank at the official site.

Many questions arose during The Phantom Menace, when Qui-Gon Jinn's body did not vanish after his duel with Darth Maul, and instead was burned on a Jedi funeral pyre like Vader. In Revenge of the Sith it is made known that "dying AND maintaining one's identity" is not in fact what happens to every Jedi, but only a recently discovered ability.

Controversy sparked when in the DVD of Return of the Jedi, Sebastian Shaw's force ghost is replaced by that of Hayden Christensen's image. This indicates that Anakin's identity as a light side Jedi was left behind when he became Vader.

Appearances

 * Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones
 * Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
 * Darth Vader: Extinction
 * Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope
 * Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back
 * Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi