Religion and spirituality have manifested across human history as a firm staple in different cultures. Religious customs and beliefs have varied throughout ages of society on a regional basis, further diversifying how the natural world is interpreted. The necessity of religious and spiritual organizations or shared ideology has taken countless forms through the sharing of customs from generations and the rigidity of how theology directly affects the morals, values, and ethics of everyday life. Theological principles and the promise of an abundant afterlife have sat at the center of some popular religious practices, and the concepts of everlasting life have allowed for more personal understandings of what that may mean on an individual basis.
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Religious influences have greatly impacted the many worlds of fiction. Star Wars in particular has found an attachment to ideas shared with Christianity through the depiction of the Jedi Order, the Light Side of the Force, the Dark Side of the Force, and the Sith. Similar Biblical themes can loosely be found in the Way of the Jedi and the Jedi Code which outlines a certain way of life detailed by a set of commandments. Spirits and angels appear to the living, especially cloaked in a silver hue accented with soft blues, throughout Bible stories. The Force Ghosts in Star Wars share an uncanny resemblance to what one may imagine a divine being to look like. The Force Ghosts have played a significant role in the franchise and have been in key moments throughout the intergalactic saga, though the clarity around what a Force Ghost really is has been open to a variety of interpretations. For as frequently as they are called upon, there is still more to know about them.
What Exactly is a Force Ghost?
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Those who were Force-sensitive and able to achieve a full, clear, and undisrupted oneness with the Force are able to have their souls converted into Force Ghosts after their death. For a Force-sensitive being to truly transform into a Force Ghost, they had to accept the means of their death and embrace the peace of post-mortem. While some Jedi chose to fully subside into the Force after their passing, those who were Force Ghosts could retain their individuality away from it while still being able to bond with its interplanetary magnetic pull. They vow themselves to the Force without giving the Force the power to absorb them completely. Sometimes referred to as Force Spirits, they exist in the center ground between the Force and the living world around them. The mystery remains unanswered as to how well these Force Spirits can interact with tangible objects, or how accurate their use of the Force is. Some are seen passing through solid objects or are able to move about as if still on a material land. Others have been depicted in a more spirit-like sense as translucent figures. Those who have accepted the mid-afterlife are able to communicate with living beings as well as other Force Ghosts and have been seen congregating together on multiple occasions. Force Ghosts were able to reign true to their physical appearance and achieve a sense of immortality while existing between cosmic and living Forces.
How Do Jedi Become Force Ghosts?
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The rights to Force Ghost-dom are reserved for those who have dedicated their lives to following the Way of the Force and pursuing the Light Side. They live with a sense of clarity in mind and strive to earn balance with both the Living and Cosmic Force. Leading a selfless life full of sacrifice with the intention of the greater good in mind rewarded Jedi with an afterlife of immortality. There is a certain sense of pureness and deviation from altruistic causes that permit the most refined of the Jedi to achieve this higher sense of being, and becoming a Force Ghost is a skill. Immorality is earned, not given. Not all Jedi are inherently permitted to become Force Spirits; the transformation of becoming a Force Ghost is a time-old discipline that was to be learned instead of being a natural process. It was Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn who first learned this practice before it was studied by Grand Master Yoda and Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi. Those who desired to become Force Ghosts must learn how to rid any essence of the Dark Side of the Force, similar to the Hindu practice of achieving nirvana.
Are Sith Spirits and Force Ghosts the Same Thing?
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Much like the Jedi, the Sith are able to retain spiritual form after death. Unlike the connection to the Force, Sith Spirits choose to leech onto a tangible object. According to Screen Rant, they transfer their consciousness onto physical things or places. On occasion, they have the ability to possess the living. These Sith Spirits are less commonly found haunting the saga and do not share the same intentions as the Jedi who have transcended. They use a more unnatural means of gaining immortality out of ungenerous and self-indulgent intentions. Per CBR, it was written in the literary iteration of Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith that the Sith cannot partake in the immortality of the afterlife due to their selfishness and greed. The Star Wars novelization Shadow of the Sith explores the confrontation between Luke Skywalker and Sith Spirits, where it is shared that these Spirits lack any connection to the Force. They are unparalleled to Force Ghosts because they do not prioritize a relationship with the Force, nor do they feel a need to bond with it. Both Force Ghosts and Siths are now claimed in canon, though they do not exist for the same reasons. Polar differences in ethos drive a distinction between Sith Spirits and Force Ghosts, just as the Sith and the Jedi are terminally divided.
