Force phantom

"&hellip;a Force technique permitting [&hellip;] the projection of phantoms across space. It appears in every way to match the lost technique of Darth Vectivus."

- Dician

Force phantoms were the product of an elaborate Sith ritual that allowed a darksider to create lifelike apparitions from the siphoned Force energy of another life form, sentient or otherwise, and project them across the expanse of the cosmos. An ability that required considerable mental reserve and strength of will, phantoms of the Force manifested in the physical realm and served as extensions of their creator's will. Their insidious nature was only revealed when they were destroyed, at which time the being or creature to which the phantom was anchored also perished. The power was developed and perfected by the ancient Sith Lord Darth Vectivus, and by 40 ABY, the technique had been thought lost among modern Sith. On the contrary, the rituals for conjuring Force phantoms had been discovered and mastered by the Dark Lady of the Sith Lumiya, and later the Twi'lek Dark Jedi Aleema Rar, both of whom employed the illusions to great effect during the Second Galactic Civil War. The secret of their creation was coveted by many during that same time, but none so highly as the mysterious One Sith Order who, rather than allow knowledge of such power to fall into the hands of the Jedi Knights, destroyed the former asteroid home of Darth Vectivus, also the source from which the last known practitioners harnessed the dark side for the creation of Force phantoms.

Creation
"Every phantom you see here, every one you encounter, is connected to something that is distinctly real, distinctly alive&mdash;though possibly far, far away."

- Darth Vectivus

Phantoms born of the dark side of the Force were the result of a complex Sith ritual that was dependent on the availability of a subject, irrespective of sentience, with sufficient mental facility and vitality to sustain the influence of the creator. Through the Force, the darksider searched for the mentality of an unsuspecting target to serve as an anchor in reality; foreknowledge of the prey's whereabouts served to expedite the process, but was not requisite. The target aura was perceived in color and distinct from that of the originator's, whose own influence surrounded the victim in bright sparks of Force energy. Once securely affixed to the initial subject, the creator withdrew their influence and sought out another pliant mentality capable of also withstanding their prolonged assertion. The range of possibilities manifested in a variety of hues, and only through close scrutiny of each was an optimal host discovered. Species, gender, physical health, and current cognitive state were all ascertainable through the inspection, and each lent weight toward the eventual selection. To this mind the creator ultimately attached themselves, and began to drain life energy in a manner akin to that of a spectral parasite. The extracted essence was then given corporeal form and shaped into whatever likeness the creator desired, to travel wherever in the galaxy the conjurer chose.

Drawbacks
"I try not to negotiate with phantoms, with things that don't exist. Better to just cut them in half and watch them disappear."

- Jacen Solo, exposing the incongruity of a Luke Skywalker Force phantom

While an effective and convenient ability, the mere ritualistic preparation of Force phantoms was extremely physically taxing process. Without sufficient rest, the conjurer was beset with fatigue, and prolonged projection riddled the body with tremors as the creator struggled to maintain their concentration. If interrupted, the Force phantom wavered as would a piece of fabric in a breeze; if focus was totally broken, or the creator was overcome with exhaustion the illusion disappeared. Various sensor applications were also able to expose their duplicity; through primary examination, Force phantoms manifested considerably more haziness than actual flesh and blood. Infrared scrutiny revealed a monotonously consistent hue, much different from the spectrum of color emanated by living beings. Both radar and sonar pings revealed the entirety of the truth, as Force phantoms had no real mass for reflect the signals.

Applications
"Alema's found us. And if we've guessed right about the way she operates now&hellip;''" "''She'll conjure up a Force phantom and send it against us."

- Leia Organa and Han Solo

Force phantoms were primarily used to beleaguer the enemy from afar, often in situations when the creator themselves was incapable of doing so in person. Those who were not attuned to the Force rationalized what they perceived as ghosts, and were often dismissed as insane.

Lumiya's phantoms
The ability to create Force phantoms rested with an ancient Sith Lord known as Darth Vectivus, who resided in an immense asteroid called The Home. Due to prolonged exposure, his asteroid became over time permeated with the dark side of the Force. It was abandoned after Vectivus' death, until 40 ABY, when Lumiya, Dark Lady of the Sith, took up residence, and learned the ancient Sith's ability to create phantoms through the dark side of the Force. The asteroid's inherent potency was an ideal source of empowerment for Lumiya, who could create multiple phantoms simultaneously, and over incredible distances in the galaxy.

In 40 ABY, Lumiya brought Jedi Knights Nelani Dinn, and the cousins Ben Skywalker and Jacen Solo, there and confounded them with complex Force phantoms. Solo was attacked by an apparition of his uncle Luke Skywalker, while Ben was attacked by a phantom of his own mother.

Lumiya also appeared as a Force phantom to Admiral Matric Klauskin while he was in prison. Klauskin, who suffered from visions of his deceased wife Edela, was completely unaware that his mind was being manipulated from afar. Lumiya was in truth appearing to him as Edela, and eventually eroded his sanity to the point that her creation was able to influence Klauskin into inciting events that would eventually lead to the end of the blockade of Corellia.

Behind the scenes
Force phantoms first appeared in Betrayal, the introductory novel in the nine part Legacy of the Force series. It next appeared in Bloodlines, the second Legacy novel, and went on to feature as the primary means of Force harassment employed by the series' main dark side-wielding antagonists in Exile, Inferno, and Fury. The ability was ambiguously mentioned in The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia entry for Darth Vectivus, and received a specific reference in Omen the first book in the Legacy of the Force succeeding, nine-part Fate of the Jedi series.

Appearances

 * Betrayal
 * Bloodlines
 * Exile
 * Inferno
 * Fury
 * Omen