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- "No! Fight! I am deflecting their salvos… with the Force!"
- ―Master Thon to Nomi Sunrider
Force Deflection was a Force power used by Jedi and Sith who were without a lightsaber, or chose not to carry one. It took much skill in the Force to use this, however, most Jedi used their lightsabers instead to deflect incoming attacks.
Notable uses[]
Obi-Wan Kenobi using Force Deflection to block Durge's attack.
While training with the Jedi Master Thon on the planet Ambria, Nomi Sunrider, her daughter Vima and Thon were attacked by Bogga the Hutt's gang of pirates. When the thugs fired upon Thon and his apprentices from their hovercraft, the Tchuukthai Jedi was able to use the Force and repel the incoming salvo bombardment.[1]
Nomi Sunrider used this ability to deflect a blaster bolt barehanded.[2]
During the Old Republic era, some years after the First Jedi Purge, Jedi Knight Revan used this Force power to hold in and deflect Force lightning from the Dark Councilor Darth Nyriss, tearing her body apart into ashes. He would also use it again against the Sith Emperor's lightning during his fight against him, turning one of Tenebare's bolts back on him.[3]
Yoda using Force deflection
In 22 BBY Yoda confronted Dooku, secretly the Sith Lord Darth Tyranus, in a hanger on Geonosis during the First Battle of Geonosis. Tyranus fired a blast of Force lightning at his former master. Yoda deflected the blast back at Tyranus, who in turn used the Force to deflect the blast into the ceiling of the hanger.[4] Yoda would use the Force to repel and cage Sith lightning bolts later in life, defending himself from killing blasts of blue fury flung from the hands of Palpatine, such as when he disarmed and almost killed the Sith,[5] and when the Dark Lord and he clashed in a Senate pod, leading to the warriors being flung apart.[6]
During the Clone Wars, Obi-Wan Kenobi also used this ability during a fight with Durge to deflect projectiles from his gatling gauntlet, and again later against a group of droidekas.[7] He was locked into a similar situation on Mustafar, when he and Darth Vader fought each other with thrusting Force,[6] and the Sith flung blasting pulses of the dark side at him, which he turned aside.[8]
During the Battle of Hypori Shaak Ti deflected a lightsaber blow from General Grievous using this ability. She must have not quite mastered this ability yet, since the blow was so strong, the kinetic energy blasted her off her feet and into a wall of wreckage.[7]
Galen Marek used this ability when the reach of his lightsaber is not sufficient to block incoming blaster fire in which he imbued his free hand with the Force to deflect them; notably he also used it against Darth Sidious, combined with Force lightning to protect Rahm Kota from being shocked, allowing him and the other rebels to board the Rogue Shadow and escape. While deflecting the lightning, Galen then unleashed a huge Force Explosion, not only burning the whole Observation Tower, but killing himself in the process and somewhat staggering Sidious.[9]
Jedi Master Rahm Kota was skilled in this ability, as seen at the start of his duel with Galen Marek when he was able to easily deflect the lightning the Sith apprentice had unleashed back to its source, as well as deflecting Marek's Force push back at him. Kota even made Marek choke himself at the same time as he choked the Jedi Master.[10]
When Luke Skywalker dueled his father, Darth Vader, in the Temple of Pomojema on Mimban, Vader fired a ball of kinetic energy at Luke. Luke was able to use this power and redirect it towards the Sith Lord, even though he had little training with Obi-Wan Kenobi.[11]
Darth Vader may have used this ability to deflect blaster fire from Han Solo in Cloud City.[12] However, Luke Skywalker believed that in this incident, Vader used the ability known as Force Absorb to absorb the incoming fire, and redirected the energy thus absorbed to pull the blaster out of Solo's hand.[13] He was witnessed using this ability for certain at an earlier date during a coup orchestrated by Moff Trachta to deflect the blaster bolts of the Moff's traitorous stormtroopers.[14]
Jacen Solo used this ability at the Battle of Snevu during the Swarm War; holding his hand above his head, he deflected cannon fire from a Chiss task force as though he held a deflector shield.[15] Jacen also used this ability to deflect Thrackan Sal-Solo's blaster shots on the Centerpoint Station in 40 ABY.[16]
During the Confrontation in the Caverns of the Hidden One Luke Skywalker used the Force to deflect a powerful whirlwind summoned by the Hidden One.[17]
Behind the scenes[]
In the Star Wars Revised d20 RPG, this skill is referred to as "Block" and normally cannot be used without some sort of protective gear or an item that can withstand the attack (though there are exceptions).
The Saga revision split this power into "Rebuke", allowing the user to resist, deflect, and possibly reflect back Force powers ("Force duels"), and "Negate energy" allowing the user to dissipate and possibly absorb energy attacks (the barehanded deflect).
In Star Wars: Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast and Star Wars: Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy, the player can use Force push to give a similar power to this against projectiles. In the latter game, however, blaster bolts cannot be deflected with the Force, only physical bullets/balls/rockets.
Appearances[]
Sources[]
- The Empire Strikes Back: The National Public Radio Dramatization
- Star Wars Roleplaying Game Core Rulebook
- Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords: Prima Official Game Guide
Notes and references[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Tales of the Jedi audio drama
- ↑ Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi – The Freedon Nadd Uprising
- ↑ The Old Republic: Revan
- ↑ Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones
- ↑ Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith (junior novelization)
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Star Wars: Clone Wars
- ↑ Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith (novelization)
- ↑ Star Wars: The Force Unleashed
- ↑ Star Wars: The Force Unleashed novelization
- ↑ Splinter of the Mind's Eye
- ↑ Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back
- ↑ I, Jedi
- ↑ Empire 1
- ↑ Dark Nest III: The Swarm War
- ↑ Legacy of the Force: Betrayal
- ↑ Fate of the Jedi: Outcast