Force sense

Obi-Wan Kenobi and Qui-Gon Jinn sense their ship being destroyed.

"I felt a great disturbance in the Force… as if millions of voices suddenly cried out in terror and were suddenly silenced."

―Obi-Wan Kenobi^[src]

Force sense was among the most basic of Force abilities. It could be used to feel another being's feelings, the future, ripples in the Force caused by momentous or traumatic events, impending danger and the presence of the dark side. A more concentrated, more directed form of this ability was likely how Jedi and Miralukas were able to see others without relying on their physical senses. Closely related also to force sense and force sight was precognition, the ability to hear direction and whispered promptings from the Force about what lay ahead in the immediate future.

Applications[edit | edit source]

"I sense something, a presence I've not felt since…"

―Darth Vader^[src]

The ability to heighten the senses with the Force was usually one of the first things taught to a Jedi when they begin their training. A Jedi student would learn how the Force binds all living things together, and learns to recognize these bonds and how they interact. This enables them to feel their environment, detect danger and the location of hidden beings or enemies even through barriers, as well as see in complete darkness.^[1] However, as stated by Ahsoka Tano to Riyo Chuchi, a Force users ability to sense through the Force was never fully under their control.^[2]

A Jedi could use the Force to sense the approach of an enemy.

Jedi and other Force-users would use this ability to sense impending danger, allowing the Force to warn them of a threat. This ability to sense danger would often come naturally to Force-sensitives and allowed the user to escape a potentially deadly situation, as when Yoda thwarted the attempt on his life at the hands of his clone troopers on Kashyyyk.^[3] This danger sense was often described as tingling feeling in the back of the mind that foretold danger,^[4]^[5] though it was known only to warn a Jedi of danger and wouldn't provide any information as to where the danger would come from.^[6] The danger sense would usually flare up just before an attack or some other threat occurred, giving the Force-user time to react to the danger.^[7]

Jedi could sense the location of hidden beings or enemies from a distance, and through barriers, allowing them to find, engage or avoid a being. Advanced users of this ability, such as Jedi Master Kyle Katarn and his apprentice Jaden Korr, were even able to sense the health of a nearby being.^[8]

When many beings died, Jedi would often feel their deaths through the Force, such as after the destruction of Alderaan by the Death Star, Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi sensed a "great disturbance in the Force".^[9] This was also seen during the initial execution of Order 66, when Grand Master Yoda felt the deaths of thousands of Jedi across the galaxy.^[3] Great disturbances, such as planets being destroyed, were able to be sensed from anywhere in the galaxy.^[10]

Jedi were also able to sense when a close friend or relative was in mortal danger great pain from great distances, sometimes as much as from 10,000 light-years away.^[10] Qui-Gon Jinn sensed the impending danger of his love, Tahl, from a great distance and even saw some of her situation. This ability was closely related to the more advanced technique of farsight which usually came naturally as a Jedi's ability progressed. Luke Skywalker was known to have developed this ability while training with Yoda on Dagobah in 3 ABY, when he gained a brief glimpse of his friends in pain on Cloud City.^[11]

An extension of Force sense, was the Jedi ability of Telepathy. With this ability, Jedi could use the Force to sense a person's feelings, gain impressions or images of their thoughts, or even mentally communicate with other Jedi.

Clear mind[edit | edit source]

Some Force-users had the ability to conceal themselves from other Force-users who might be trying to sense them with the Force. This ability was called "clear mind." Some Jedi Sentinels had this ability, which would help them avoid detection in their covert missions to hunt down darksiders.^[10]