Saga Force Chokes - An In-Depth Analysis

After rewatching TCW for the umpteenth time, one thing that caught my attention was the force chokes used throughout it. It is an iconic force ability and one of Darth Vader's trademarks. More importantly, however, it seems to be... well... too useful. I have some questions that I hope will start up an interesting conversation about this unique ability as well as some food for thought while considering these questions. I am sure some of the stuff I am curious about has a canonical explanation while some of the other stuff I am curious about will never be answered, but it is fun to discuss both. Whether you have answers to my questions, questions of your own, evidence, speculation, or just general thoughts on the subject, I am interested to hear what you guys think.

Here are my questions:

• Is force choking considered a "dark side" ability?
• If not, why don't more Jedi use it? (If it is, why does no one care that Anakin uses it?)
• Is there any way to block a force choke? Examples?
• If not, why don't Sith (and/or Jedi) use that ability more often?
• What is required to perform a force choke? Do you have to see the person, or is it something else?
• How draining is it to perform a force choke? How much concentration does it take?

Here is some stuff to consider:

This force choke was impressively lethal. If it could kill so quickly, what was it not used more?

Force choking obviously required little skill and was not repelled by physical strength.

This is an example of when someone was seemingly force choked without visual contact. To be fair, however, Barriss Offee could have tapped into the security feed somehow.

Just another example of no visual contact. This was performed by Dooku.

This is meant to show that force choking does not seem to be too draining or require too much concentration.


If anyone could resist force choking, you would think it would be one of these two.


The only other person I would think could resist a force choke would be Anakin, and he obviously couldn't either (at least not at this point in his life). Although, to be fair, Ventress was really straining.


If force choking was a dark side ability, why would Anakin carelessly use it in public on a bartender?


This shows that you can force choke long distance if you have visual contact. It doesn't prove that visual contact is required; it simply shows one of the only instances of a long distance force choke and it happens to be while Vader can see the victim.


I couldn't leave this one out.



Here are my speculations just in case you were curious:

• Is force choking considered a "dark side" ability?

Not necessarily. It is kind of a grey area that most Jedi avoid, and it will definitely raise a few brows if a Jedi does it.

• If not, why don't more Jedi use it? (If it is, why does no one care that Anakin uses it?)

Like I said, it is a grey area. Most Jedi err on the side of caution. People take note of Anakin doing it, but most people don't have the guts to mention it to him.

• Is there any way to block a force choke? Examples?

I have never seen someone block a force choke, but it seems like it can only temporarily incapacitate force users, not kill them.

• If not, why don't Sith (and/or Jedi) use that ability more often?

This is my biggest question and I really have no good answer to it.

• What is required to perform a force choke? Do you have to see the person, or is it something else?

I am not sure exactly how to explain it, but I think you have to feel their presence in the force.

• How draining is it to perform a force choke? How much concentration does it take?

It seems to be relatively easy against non-force users and moderately difficult against force users.

 

For really long distance Force Choking, there's Sidious choking Dooku:



Presumably Sidious is on Coruscant in the Core Sectors and Dooku is on Serenno in the Outer Rim, several thousand light years away.

 

In my headcanon, Force choke is absolutely a dark use of the Force, even if it's only telekinesis applied to the throat. "A Jedi uses the Force for knowledge and defense, never for attack."

And any time the Force is used to end life, that is a very dangerous thing. "Life creates the Force, and makes it grow." If you're using the Force to end life which creates the Force, you're twisting it back against itself. That has to have repercussions, and I believe that's why Darksiders usually look so twisted and malformed. The Force extracts a price from those who abuse it.

 

Agreed. Absolutely dark side. There is nothing that can be done by choking someone that can't be done some other way that is less cruel. There's just no justification for it.

 

Luke force choked a Gamorrean Guard in Jabba's palace. So I would imagine that it's not just a Dark Side ability. And I would assume that another force user could block it.

 

Luke was borderline between light and dark in ROTJ. So he uses it as a result. It's a sign that he has to reconcile the darkness within him and that he hasn't fully completed his training. The Jedi don't choke because as noted, it is an attack. An aggressive use of the Force. Anakin, like Luke, is also borderline in TCW and has fallen in ROTS when he attacks Padme.

 

Just my $0.02...

I think the Force choke is something that was originally created to make Vader (and later Anakin Skywalker in ROTS) more formidable, but was grossly overused in TCW, effectively ruining its clout.

Like I said, just my 2 cents.

 

Yes, his Force choke against the Gamorrean guards was foreshadowing his coming temptation by the Dark side in the Emperor's throne room. That moment showed Luke was not a purely virtuous scion of Light, but subject to temptations, just like his father. It made his final dark berserker rage attack against Vader believable and scary.

 

Ah the Gamorrean guard attack. Is it a Force-choke?, IMHO Luke just disables them but not chokes them, but it's inconclusive, again IMHO it was just showing how powerful he had become. HE WENT IN UNARMED!

Anyways, I tend to disregard TCW, and other spin-offs. Yes, I know they're "canon" according to official sources, and I do find them enjoyable enough to watch, but to me it's just expanded universe stuff and not to be settle Saga level debates.

I think that if you could time it well enough you could counter-act a force-choke, just like Obi-wan was able to counter Dooku's lightning or Anakin's force push when they were dueling. But if you mis-time it, it may not work.

I also think it's a Dark-side power as it is a cheap-trick, short-cut or under-handed blow (and doesn't fit the using the force for knowledge and defense). In that subject why not just stop the heart or force-pull the heart from your opponent. That would be awesome, maybe not PG-13...

I think the examples provided above from the cartoons show how cheapened it has become. Why didn't Vader just Force-choke everyone on the Tantive IV?, why didn't he force-choked all the Rebel pilots on the trench run?, why didn't he Force-choked Lando, Chewie, etc. when they were escaping in ESB?, he was seeing the Falcon from the bridge of the Star Destroyer, he could've force-choke them all if we use the evidence there.

It's one of those powers that causes some problems as it's not used consistently,

 

The only explanation I have heard about blocking force chokes is using a force wall. Unfortunately, I don't think force walls are canon anymore.

 

The guard does grab for his throat in a similar manner to Admiral Motti in ANH.

 

There's also gurgling noises.

 

I agree. I really like a lot of the stuff in TCW, but there is also some stuff in there that takes away from the OT and PT. I wish they would have left the force choke thing to Darth Vader so that it would be his "signature move" so to speak and not just a dark side cliché.

I like this idea. It seems like only someone around Yoda's level of force prowess would be able to pull this off on a regular basis. Or maybe it is one of those things that you constantly have to be on guard against, and if you ever let your guard down, then the opponent can capitalize on the opportunity.

That thought is why I created this thread. I was thinking, if this force choke thing works so well, why is it so rare? I guess maybe the answer is just that it was never meant to be as easy as it is made to seem in TCW.

---

One more thing to consider: Is there a difference between incapacitating someone with a force choke and killing them with one?

It seems to me like this would still be considered a dark side ability if we use the reasoning that the force should not be used offensively. However, maybe force choking is only able to incapacitate force users, as I cannot recall any Jedi or Sith being force choked to death.

Furthermore, it seems to me like force choking requires one's full attention if they are not incredibly strong in the force. Almost everyone who did it (except for Sith Lords) deactivated their lightsabers and focused solely on that task. If that is the case, then maybe the reason it isn't used often is because you have to find a moment where you can safely stop fighting and concentrate without risking being hit. Plus, since the victim of a force choke can still move, they could still do something to attack you and break your concentration. Thoughts on this?