Force lightning/Legends

"Now you will experience the full power of the dark side."

- Emperor Palpatine to Grand Master Yoda, and later Luke Skywalker

Force lightning was a well known Force ability associated with the dark side of the Force.

Description


It was a purely energy-based attack used most commonly by, but not restricted to, the Sith. It was often called "Sith lightning" because of its association with the Sith. Force energy took the form of lightning bolts which exited the Force-user's body through his fingertips or palms; Force lightning could be executed with either one or two hands. The greater the user's aptitude, the more power the lightning bolts possessed and the more they forked, allowing the possibility of striking multiple foes at once.



Force lightning power was often used as a form of torture as it not only caused severe physical damage but also extreme agony to the victim's emotional and spiritual capacities. However, a single powerful blast may have been sufficient to kill a person instantly. It is unclear why Palpatine kept assaulting Luke Skywalker with the lightning for so long, but it is likely that Palpatine, harboring extreme antipathy toward the Jedi, sought to maximize the intensity and duration of Luke's suffering in order to satisfy himself with the tormenting of the last of their kind. The fact that Luke survived the ordeal at all is nothing short of a miracle of the Force.

The intensity varied based on a number of factors, but a skilled user could render a target unconscious with only a short burst. Depending on the level of intensity, Force lightning could apparently ground itself on an ignited lightsaber. Powerful light-siders were sometimes able to resist Force lightning, even block it. Mace Windu, with his lightsaber combat form Vaapad, could reflect the lightning back to its source with a "superconducting loop". Nevertheless, a sufficiently powerful Force-user could blast through the defenses afforded by a lightsaber, as seen when Darth Sidious blasted, with a single Force lightning stroke, Grand Master Yoda's lightsaber right out of his hand during their duel in the Grand Convocation Chamber. Force lightning could also be absorbed and redirected by a Jedi of sufficient skill; Yoda demonstrated this ability by both reflecting and absorbing it during a fight with Count Dooku.

There existed an advanced version of Force lightning which may have been used by Revan and the Jedi Exile in the Jedi Civil War called Force Storm.

Effect of Force lightning
"The attempt on my life has left me scarred and horribly deformed."

- Palpatine



It is thought that very intense use of Force lightning could drain the user physically, and possibly result in severe facial and body deformations. This is considered by some to have been shown when Darth Sidious unleashed a barrage of Force lightning on Mace Windu, but it reflected back upon him by the Jedi Master's lightsaber. Nevertheless, this view is controversial; it is thought by some that Sidious's physical appearance as Chancellor Palpatine was an illusion created with Force energy, or a physical form of concealment, and that the lightning merely melted it away.

Deformities like the Chancellor's&mdash;to a lesser extent&mdash;have been the product of intense use of the Force and long-time immersion to the dark side, so perhaps the lightning did not actually cause the transformation. Testament to this are the bloodshot yellow eyes, rotten teeth and sharp, dirty fingernails that replaced the Chancellor's clear blue eyes and healthy teeth and nails after the lightning was redirected to him. Nevertheless, it is clear that Palpatine's lightning caused him some physical damage, external or internal, though to what extent is unknown.

When Anakin Skywalker snapped back to life and seized the Emperor, hurling him away from his son, his life support circuitry was critically damaged to the point of leaving him a heavy and lifeless quadriplegic. The electrical output was probably multiplied exponentially by the shock of the former Sith Lord's assault against his master, and the lightning made very short work of Anakin's systems. Because Force Lightning requires a living conduit for the energy to be channeled, Vader was never able to employ this power, as all his limbs were prosthetics. Even if Vader had a remaining flesh-and-blood limb intact, the lightning may have damaged the rest of his circuitry in any case.



Besides draining the user's energy, Force lightning had the added drawback of occasionally charring the hand of the person who used it. When Jacen Solo flew into a rage underneath the ruins of the Jedi Temple on Yuuzhan'tar and attacked his Yuuzhan Vong pursuers with Force lightning, he later found that the blasts had burned charred holes in his palm. However, unlike other users of Force lightning, Jacen was untested with the ability, and it is possible that Force users more experienced with the technique can prevent this. It is also possible that the sheer intensity with which Jacen lashed out at his attackers caused the power to exceed his capacity to restrain it, which could also explain why he fell unconscious immediately after using the ability.

Following Palpatine using Force lightning on Luke Skywalker it was found that his bones had undergone calcification and he was forced to rest for a number of days until his bones returned to normal status.

The young Cade Skywalker used Force lightning in an alternate form, reviving his dead master Wolf Sazen.

Very powerful blasts of Force Lightning can highlight and illuminate the victim's skeleton, as shown with Mace Windu, Asajj Ventress and Darth Vader.

Force lightning users



 * Though a powerful Sith Lord, Darth Vader's usage of Force lightning was suppressed, due to the prosthetic arm he had fitted to replace an arm lost in battle with Count Dooku, and after the disastrous confrontation on Mustafar (although this was compensated through his trademark use of Force Choke). Vader could not channel lightning through his body for fear of damaging his cybernetic parts, and also meant he became much more vulnerable to the effects of Force lightning. This vulnerability would eventually contribute to his death.


 * Emperor Palpatine used Force lightning to punish Luke Skywalker for his refusal to join him, beginning with an agonizing but non-lethal quantity and working his way gradually upwards toward lethality. When Darth Vader turned on the Emperor, Palpatine used the lightning at a much higher intensity, yet Vader was still able to endure it long enough to hurl his master into an air shaft.


 * Darth Tyranus used the technique to incapacitate Anakin Skywalker during the Battle of Geonosis. He also attempted the technique on Obi-Wan Kenobi, who was able to block with his lightsaber, and Master Yoda, who managed to reflect and dispel the energy with his bare hands. In addition, he uniquely used this power to stabilize the heartbeat of General Grievous after Grievous's body was mangled in a shuttle crash.


 * Darth Malak used Force lightning as a means of torture to turn Bastila Shan to the dark side. It was intended to give her "a taste" of the dark side's power.


 * Jorak Uln, the "crazy old hermit" who hid in the valley of the dark lords on Korriban during the Jedi Civil War, would sometimes kidnap and torture Sith students. One of his favorite games was testing his captives on the Sith philosophy, and then punishing them with Force Lightning, often until they expired.


 * Force lightning was not strictly available only to those who have fallen to the dark side. Jedi and other light-siders who were strong of will and character could learn this power without falling to the dark side–but its use was always inherently corrupting, and shunned by most Jedi. Force lightning was a purely offensive power, but it could be used in ways other than destroying your opponent. Some members of the New Jedi Order used Force Lightning, but it remained very controversial among most members.


 * Other Force-sensitives known to have used the power or its variants include Ommin, Exar Kun, Jerec, Vialco, Shaardan, Atris, Qordis, Kopecz, Sirak, Githany, Darth Bane, Volfe Karkko, Quinlan Vos, Desann, Tavion Axmis, Shadowtroopers, Alora, Luke Skywalker, Mara Jade Skywalker, Jacen Solo, Jaina Solo, Kyle Katarn, Kyp Durron, Mighella, Welk, Alema Rar, Plo Koon, Darth Nihilus, Darth Traya, Revan, Bastila Shan, Uthar Wynn, Visas Marr, Darth Krayt, Darth Nihl, Darth Talon and Cade Skywalker.

Appearances

 * Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
 * Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords
 * Darth Bane: Path of Destruction
 * Jedi vs. Sith
 * Darth Maul
 * Star Wars Republic: Twilight
 * Star Wars Republic: Darkness
 * Star Wars: Battlefront II
 * Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones / game/ novel
 * Star Wars: Galactic Battlegrounds (Clone Campaigns expansion set)
 * Star Wars: Clone Wars
 * "Chapter 7"
 * Dark Journey
 * Star Wars Republic: Trackdown
 * Star Wars Republic: The Siege of Saleucami
 * Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith / game/ novel
 * Star Wars Empire: Betrayal
 * Star Wars: Empire at War (Forces of Corruption expansion set)
 * Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi / novel
 * The Truce at Bakura
 * Star Wars: Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II
 * Dark Empire
 * Jedi Knight: Mysteries of the Sith
 * ''Star Wars: Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast
 * Star Wars: Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy
 * Dark Journey
 * The Apprentice
 * Tempest
 * Star Wars Legacy: Broken