Battle meditation



Battle meditation was a manifestation of the Force which instilled in the meditator's allies a greater morale in battle and reduced the enemy's will to fight. Using the Force, one could coordinate entire fleets of ships, allowing them to perform at maximum efficiency, acting as one to counter every enemy move quickly and effectively.

A refinement of battle meditation was known as Force Meld. Unlike battle meditation, which could influence both the Force-sensitives and insensitives of both sides, Force Meld concentrates on coordinating and improving the Force-sensitives of the user's side.

This Force power was first made famous by the ancient Jedi Odan-Urr, Arca Jeth, and Nomi Sunrider. It was also practiced by Bastila Shan (who perhaps is the only one to ever truly master this power), as well as later Jedi Council members Yoda, Yarael Poof, and Oppo Rancisis, who used it in both the Stark Hyperspace War and the Clone Wars.

Battle meditation was not merely province of the light side; Emperor Palpatine and Grand Admiral Nial Declann had also mastered this technique, and used it to great effect in the Battle of Endor. Following Palpatine's death, the shock of the sudden removal of this influence threw the Imperial Navy into chaos and allowed the Rebel fleet to defeat them. One thousand years earlier, Lord Kaan also used battle meditation during the New Sith Wars. It should also be noted that while Luke Skywalker studied battle meditation at some point after the Battle of Endor, there has yet to be a documented account of him using it.

Another practitioner was the clone Joruus C'baoth, the guardian of Mount Tantiss on Wayland. Presumably, this meant that Jorus C'baoth could use battle meditation as well, and it was known that Jorus performed Force Meld at least eight times in his life.

A dark side version of battle meditation called Sith Battle Coordination (i.e. Jedi battle meditation except with pure domination of the wills of one's servants) was mentioned by Lumiya to Jacen Solo.

Users

 * Ood Bnar
 * Jorus C'baoth
 * Joruus C'baoth
 * Nial Declann
 * Jedi Exile
 * Arca Jeth
 * Kaan
 * Madurrin
 * Memit Nadill
 * Odan-Urr
 * Palpatine
 * Yarael Poof
 * Oppo Rancisis
 * Alema Rar
 * Naga Sadow (possibly)
 * Bastila Shan
 * Jacen Solo
 * Leia Organa Solo
 * Nomi Sunrider
 * Thon
 * Vima-Da-Boda
 * Yoda
 * Ooroo

Behind the scenes

 * The concept of battle meditation may come from the book Foundation and Empire, where the Mule uses his psychic powers to sap the will of enemy fleets and demoralize entire planets. When the Mule describes the concept and effects of his power, it meshes perfectly with the descriptions of battle meditation given in the Expanded Universe sources.
 * Another possible source are some divine spells from the DnD universes, more specifically a combination of Bless (bonus to allies) and Curse (penalties to foes) simultaneously.
 * Despite remaining a proper and useful RPG magic spell, in Knights of the Old Republic, this power is exclusive to Bastila Shan, and is actually a plot element (MacGuffin) rather than an actual usable ability. This is explained in the game by saying that the power can only be used when the user is in deep concentration, thus it cannot be used while the character is in the heat of battle. This contradicts earlier sources, where Nomi Sunrider is shown to use Battle Meditation while fighting.
 * In Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords, battle meditation is a usable ability. Using the power grants a bonus to attack rolls, damage, Will saves and increases Vitality Points Regeneration to the player's entire party. At higher levels, it can also impair enemies. If mastered, the power can be used by the Jedi Exile to turn the tide of the Onderon throne room battle to the favor of Queen Talia or General Vaklu (depending on who the player has allied with).

Appearances



 * Tales of the Jedi: The Golden Age of the Sith
 * Tales of the Jedi: The Fall of the Sith Empire
 * Tales of the Jedi: Knights of the Old Republic
 * Tales of the Jedi: Dark Lords of the Sith
 * Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
 * Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords
 * Darth Bane: Path of Destruction
 * Star Wars Republic: The Stark Hyperspace War
 * Star Wars Republic: The Siege of Saleucami
 * Star Wars Republic: The Hidden Enemy
 * Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi
 * Heir to the Empire
 * The Last Command
 * Dark Empire II
 * Empire's End
 * The Unifying Force
 * Exile
 * Sacrifice
 * Inferno