George Lucas blessed the world in 1977 when he released the first installment in what would eventually become one of the most popular franchises in the entire galaxy - Star Wars. Spanning across films, television shows, books, comics, and practically every other imaginable aspect of the entertainment business, Star Wars is close to 50 years old and is nowhere near stopping. The franchise has several projects planned for the near future. The first is the live-action Obi-Wan Kenobi series set to hit Disney+ in May.

One of the most popular aspects of the Star Wars universe is the concept of the Jedi Knights (as well as the Sith) combined with their mystical powers of The Force and their deadly lightsabers. As soon as the first Star Wars movie came out, fans hoped and prayed that they would be endowed with the telekinetic abilities they witnessed Obi-Wan Kenobi teach to Luke Skywalker. Ewan McGregor has even admitted in interviews to trying to use The Force in real life – just like everybody else has. But with that being said, when it comes to combat, Jedi are known for their superior skill and prowess with their lightsabers – but not for their abilities with The Force. Despite lightsabers being one of the coolest weapons in all of sci-fi lore, The Force is an asset that Jedi have never utilized properly in battle - and there are a few reasons why they should.

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Rules Are Meant to Be Broken

     Lucasfilm Ltd.

Let’s get this out of the way – the only valid reason Jedi don’t utilize The Force in battle is that the Jedi Code tells them not to. So what? Star Wars has proven time and time again that the Jedi Codes can be bent, broken, and flat-out ignored if the situation calls for it. They’re more like guidelines than actual rules for Jedi to follow and seem to be more of a “cop-out” system used whenever the Jedi Council wanted to sway influence over a decision (i.e., the Jedi Council loved to play favorites).

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Not to mention, several of the Jedi Code rules contradict each other, most of them pertaining to combat and attacking rather than defending. The only issue with this is that we’ve seen several Jedi (even members of the Council) use The Force to attack enemies. As with their lightsabers, it’s meant to be a last resort, but they still use it. In that light, even though the Jedi Code forbids it, The Force is too handy an asset to just be a defense mechanism rather than an attack strategy.

The Force is a Jedi’s Strongest Power

     Lucasfilm Animation

Speaking of The Force being handy, it’s also powerful. In fact, if Jedi utilized The Force properly in battle, there probably wouldn’t have been any need for an army of clone troopers. The Jedi never had enough members to create an army themselves, but one Jedi proved to be worth several thousand troopers (at minimum). Despite this, the Jedi often chose to run into battle with nothing but their lightsabers to defend themselves, only choosing to use The Force as a last resort.

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In the name of peace, one has the choice to sit a fight out if they so choose. However, the Jedi made it well-known which side of the intergalactic war they were on and simply chose to let their condescending codes cripple them in battles where their powers could have been more effective. Say whatever you will about how ‘peaceful’ the Jedi tried to stay throughout The Clone Wars - if you run into battle with a glow-stick when you have the capability of crushing a tank with your mind, you’re choosing to let countless clones die for nothing.

The Force Is Cooler Than Lightsabers

As we said, lightsabers are one of the most popular and well-known weapons in the entirety of sci-fi lore. Most fanatics would argue that they’re easily top five. Regardless, that doesn’t change the fact that The Force is the coolest - end of story. Audiences still remember when Darth Vader choked the admiral in A New Hope and how Luke was able to destroy the Death Star by trusting in The Force. Four and a half decades later, and cinematic visuals for The Force are more spectacular than ever. Not to mention, animated series like The Clone Wars allows the franchise to really utilize The Force during combat in a visual way that the live-action series’ still can’t match.

In short, The Force is easily the best part about being a Jedi and is arguably the greatest part of the entire Star Wars franchise. Perhaps Jedi need to drop the code and start kicking some butt with the most powerful asset at their disposal.