“The power to destroy a planet is insignificant next to the power of the Force.”
When Darth Vader uttered this now iconic line, not a whole lot was known about the mythical essence that binds the Star Wars universe together. They were still hauntingly chilling then and even more so once fans learned more about what Jedi Knights and Sith Lords were able to accomplish when they channeled the Force.
There actually wasn’t a lot of Jedi action in the original trilogy. In the sixteen years between Return Of The Jedi and The Phantom Menace, all kinds of Jedi were introduced both on the Light Side and the Dark. Children of Han and Leia; clones of Luke Skywalker; and all kinds of non-related Skywalker Jedi were introduced. Obviously, that number has only increased with the prequels and sequels, and all kinds of side stories and video games.
Since Disney bought the whole franchise, they’ve split all of the Star Wars universe into two columns – Canon and Legends. Canon are the films, along with the Rebels and Clone Wars stories, and anything released after Lucasfilm was purchased. Anything else, like the beloved Dark Horse Comics or Thrawn storylines, for example, are now considered Legends. No matter what the storyline, the Jedi have done some incredible feats over the years. Here are 25 Crazy Superpowers Jedi’s Have (But Won’t Use).
Yoda Heads To The Dark Side
Anakin Skywalker wasn’t the only Jedi to fall to the Dark Side. He was just the one who did it so famously. There were plenty of others. His predecessor, Darth Tyrannus, aka Count Dooku, was once an esteemed Jedi Knight. He even trained Qui-Gon Jinn.
Even Yoda has exerted such powers on several occasions. While facing off against Dooku, the Sith Lord marveled at how much Yoda looked like Darth Sidious. On another, he literally fought a manifestation of himself had he turned to the Dark Side. All just to see what the fuss was about.
Alter Environments
Obi-Wan and Vader have one of the most epic lightsaber duels in Star Wars history. They fought to a standstill on the lava planet of Mustafar until Obi-Wan had the high ground. For all their strength and skills, somehow neither of them thought it would be a good idea to freeze over the lava and fight on safer terrain?
Some Jedi over the years have been able to not only control the elements around them on a planet but alter them as well. Master Plo Koon, for example, had been known to create powerful whirlwinds and use his knowledge of the terrain to change it.
Take Down Ships
While no longer canon, the video game series The Force Unleashed told a pretty cool story of Vader’s apprentice, Starkiller. He was tasked with taking out whatever Jedi survived Order 66. In the first game, the Dark apprentice takes out a Star Destroyer with the Force.
A. Star. Destroyer. Ripped from the sky! There are Jedi flinging around silly battle droids for funsies and this guy is using his power to take down massive space vessels. It might have been, nay, would have been, really cool to see this power in the movies.
Force Fear
If fear leads to anger and anger leads to hate and so forth on the path to the Dark Side, then why don’t we see a lot more Sith Lords utilize fear to their advantage? Or even the Jedi? In the years before the Skywalker saga, Sith lords would use either Force Fear, Horror, or Insanity to cast doubts into their opponents and drive them insane.
Even Luke had this power in the books. He once used it on Coruscant on a pack of animals to protect himself and his friends.
Force Travel
There are abilities and powers that the Force allow the Sith and Jedi to do some incredible things. For every Force Push or Jedi Mind Trick, there are ridiculously powerful feats of strength and shows of power. But seldom few have been used and then both sides of the Force have decided it’s probably not a good idea to rip through the Galaxy just to pull off a trick or two.
One such ability was Force Travel. A user would be able to rip through space from point A to point B. To perform such a move though corrupts the galaxy by breaking the normal rules of science (at least for Star Wars), and immediately pushed a Jedi to the Dark Side.
Midi-Chlorian Manipulation
The Revenge Of The Sith is the best of the prequels. Mostly because it’s Ian McDiarmid’s show. Watching the slow reveal of him fully becoming the Emperor is crazy to watch. His story he tells Anakin at the Opera House about Darth Plagueis has sealed Vader’s fate before he even realized it.
Plagueis was able to utilize the Midi-Chlorians that bind the Force to not just prolong and preserve life but create it as well. Thanks to this, Anakin was born from the sheer will of the Force.
Combustion
In The Last Jedi, we saw a Force Ghost cause a tree to catch fire. If an apparition haunting Luke can do it - then why didn’t see a lot of fierier Jedi-Sith duels throughout the prequels? The Jedi Yarael Poof was able to pull this off, although
Throughout the Legends, plenty of Jedi and Sith have been able to make objects and sometimes people explode through combustion or Flamusfracta. Perhaps the two sides of the Force didn’t use it in the movies because then they’d both be too busy fighting fires instead of each other.
Vader Has Force Lighting
Before all of the Expanded Universe truly began with Timothy Zahn’s Heir To The Empire, fans had to settle for the novel that took place between Episodes IV and V, Splinter Of The Mind’s Eye.
The book has Luke and Leia in search of the Kalibur Crystal. But they also have to face off with a Vader who knows a thing or two about Force Lightning. Since using Lightning would short out the Dark Lord’s suit, he instead uses the similar Kinetite. He wasn’t the only one, either. Master Shaak Ti has been known to use the ability as well.
Force Destruction
If only these mystical fighters had Tony Stark’s engineering skill. Then they’d be able to create huge concussive blasts ala Iron Man without exerting themselves too much. Several Force practitioners over the years have been able to channel a tremendous amount of energy into a destructive force – Force Destruction.
Several Sith and Dark Jedi have used this concussive blast but Darth Vader himself is actually the most famous user. He pulled off this skill as part of his move set in the video game, Soul Caliber IV. But he also utilizes it to decimate Galen Marek in The Force Unleashed.
Force Clones
Most fans know full well that Star Wars science is about as mumbo-jumbo as the Force itself. Don’t look for deep scientific discovery in the space saga. That’s what Star Trek is for. In the physics of Star Wars, if the Force is everywhere, then it can even be tapped into by soulless clones.
Luke fought one of these, a clone made from the remnants of his severed hand – Luke Skywalker. The two dueled during The Last Command, where the clone was revealed to be Joruus C’baoth.
Fast Teleport
Force Travel wasn’t the only way to completely unravel the Living Force. There was actually an entire alien race called the Aing–Tii. They were a group of Force Sensitive monks who lived near the Kathol Rift. Jacen Solo, the Legends’ analog to Kylo Ren, had studied with these monks for some time.
But it would be Luke and his son, Ben, who would study from them, and not only learn about what caused Jacen’s fall from grace; but also, how to “Fold Space.” If anyone who has ever heard a real scientist describe the theory of “Folding Space,” then you’d know it’s a pretty safe way to Time Travel.
Shatterpoint And Known Weaknesses
If the Force didn’t inspire a kind of sixth sense in sensitive users as it is, there was even an ability to detect the weaknesses in an opponent or an event. Several Jedi and Sith have utilized Shatterpoint throughout the Legends storylines.
The phenomenon allowed hypersensitive Force users, such as Mace Windu and future Skywalker prodigy, Cade were able to use the ability to detect weaknesses in their opponents. Mace even saw that he’d be able to end the Trade Federation War if he took out Count Dooku. But he was unable to take out his old friend.
Electric Judgement
In Legends and in Canon, there have been several Sith Lords like Tyrannus, Plageuis, and Palpatine himself using the destructive power of Force Lightning. Like many Dark Side and Light Side abilities, Force Lighting too has its Light Side counterpart – Electric Judgement.
The ability, Sith users believed to be a weaker version of their Lighting and it’s even frowned upon by the Jedi. But some have been able to use Electric Judgement, like Luke, who used it to save his family during the Dark Nest Trilogy, the saga where Luke declares himself Grand Master Of The Jedi.
Blasting Sight
As the old saying goes, “if looks could [end].” Not only is there an app for that, but there’s also a Force ability for that. Not quite as powerful as Darkseid’s Omega Beams or Cyclops’ Optic Blast, Sith and Dark Jedi can use the Force for Blasting Sight.
It was used by the Dark Jedi Sariss during the proceedings of the video game, Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II. The Dark Side ability was also part of the old Star Wars card game. The downside is that it is an uncontrollable ability that would burn friend or foe alive.
Foliage Mastery
If you don’t think controlling plant life is a strong power to have, then you know nothing about plants. That and/or you haven’t met Poison Ivy. But several Jedi have been able to help bring life to foliage throughout the galaxy. You, as a player had to contend with this Jedi ability when Marek fought Shaak-Ti in The Force Unleashed.
In the game, Shaak-Ti doesn’t just use foliage to her advantage, but she can use the tentacles of a nearby Sarlaac to try and stop Marek.
Thought Bombs
Many of the abilities of the Force on either side have to do with what your thoughts can conjure up with the will of the Force. Some crazy Force user decided to make an explosive with his mind. “It’s an old Sith skill, the Force can be mentally bound into a shape primed for explosion,” Lord Kopecz once has said.
When several Sith get together to focus their energies enough, the blast can wipe out any and all Force-sensitive beings within the blast radius. Or perhaps worse, leave them in mental pain and anguish for the rest of their days.
Intense Rage
Throughout the thirteen movies that have already been released and countless TV shows, books, games, and etc that have come out over the years Star Wars fans are a loyal, if not divisive bunch. Even when a moment like Vader shouting “noooooo” like the Frankenstein Monster unites us in vitriol, someone just has to explain it as a Force moment.
Force Rage is a traditional Dark Side power, where the user taps into uncontrollable nature to access raw power beyond belief. If a Jedi were to tap into this power, even if they were in the right to use it – they could lose their connection to the Light Side forever.
Chagrin Harm
In the novel Lando Calrissian And The Flamewind Of Oseon, the swindler is taken captive and harmed by the Force-sensitive Rokur Gepta. That harm couldn’t be just any run of the mill, Earthly sort of beatdown. Lando was messed with superiorly, Star Wars style.
Dark Side users could delve into their bag of tricks to use Memory Walk or Chagrin Harm. The user heads right into his opponent’s brain and forces (no pun intended) them to relive all of the worst memories of their life until they’re in copious amounts of physical pain.
Flow Walk
The Sith and Jedi view the Force in strict shades of Light and Dark. But then there Force users like the Aing-Tii monks. They look at the Force as a full spectrum of colors. Perhaps that’s why they use the Force in extraordinary ways like Flow Walking.
Instead of time-traveling outright – Flow Walking allows a person to walk through time and review events. A handy tool, one that allows for all points of view when reviewing history.
Sith Alchemy
When the Nightsisters of Dathomir we’re introduced in The Courtship Of Princess Leia, magic was introduced into the Star Wars mythos. A bonus is that the Nightsisters are actually canon thanks to the Clone Wars cartoon, which made Asajj Ventress a Nightsister and the returning Darth Maul a Nightbrother.
But onscreen in the movies, Maul did not exhibit any of the Sith Alchemy that the Nightsisters would have taught him. Nor did Sidious, who in theory was taught by Plagueis. The Jedi forbade this Alchemy because it goes against whatever the will of the Force is.
