Lit Force Potential

Training/experience is NOT one of those factors as it has NO EFFECT whatsoever on someone's potential, by definition.

that's 100% true but whether or not potential is reached is irrelevent if you are discussing "Who had the greatest Force potential", if the question was "Who had the greatest force Power" that would be different.

OP was kind of asking 2 different questions. in relation to the thread title "who had the greatest Force Potential", it is purely a function of midi-chlorian count or whatever other theory different writers have.
- When asking about who was the "most powerful" then training/experience the most important factor, probably even more so than potential, because, as you said, potential means nothing if it isn't fulfilled.
(in any case asking about who is "most powerful" in a thing such as star wars EU is a hopeless task considering the vast diversity in authors, mediums etc where such things vary wildly)

 

Yet it directly effects how strong one becomes in the Force at the end of the day.

Who had the greatest Force potential, and what determines a powerful Force user?

From the OP's first post.

 

i said exactly that in the post you just quoted . . .

 

No you didn't. You said who was the most powerful, not what determines who can become powerful.

 

There is absolutely no difference in this case

I said this:
"When asking about who was the "most powerful" then training/experience the most important factor, probably even more so than potential, because, as you said, potential means nothing if it isn't fulfilled."

important factor in what?
in determining who is most powerful, aka who can become powerful

Lets just leave it at:
Potential - midichlorian count (or natural talent, sensitivity, whatever)
Power - midichlorian count (or natural talent, sensitivity, whatever) + environment (training/experience) --> aka nature + nurture, whereas "potential" (thread title) is purely a function of "nature"

 

Sounds Good

 

I've always thought that training and experience would trump raw power any day. However, you have the example of Mace vs. Vastor. Vastor had literally no Force training. Completely self taught. Mace Windu was considered the most dangerous man in the galaxy. However, Vastor beat the snot out of Mace, somebody who had an entire lifetime of Jedi training under his belt. So, in that case, the raw power that Vastor possessed trumped Mace's training and experience.

 

It didn't help that Vastor had Yoda/Skywalker level power. Windu did get the upper hand though eventually.

 

Yeah surprising Vastor never got picked up for Darth Sidious Special Project. Although to be fair overwhelming power is useful its how Anakin beat Dooku besides style advantage but mostly power since style never helped him before. Fortunately, for Mace and Obi-wan, there opponents could still be out thought.

 

Vastor being a mute probably didn't help, unless he managed to regain the ability to speak.

 

Don't think Darth Sidious really cares too much about the speaking. Still you can do it via the Force or some tech.

 

Sidious used average Force-users much of the time because he feared those who were very powerful in the Force. I mean, look what happened with Vader in RotJ.

 

Well that was not really a defeat because Vader was overwhelming powerful. There were a whole lot more factors.

 

Vastor was good enough at getting his point across. He's just too untamed to be of much use to Palps.

 

Hmm then take some DNA samples and get to work in the lab.

 

Cloning is way overused on Star Wars in recent years.

 

It is getting absurd.

 

Yeah, clones really aggravate me. Mainly because of the whole Starkiller thing. I still find TFU to be the most ridiculous part of the EU. Granted, they had to exaggerate things or else it wouldn't have been a cool video game, but come on. Pulling a Star Destroyer out of the sky? Turning an AT-ST into a cube? Defeating Vader and fighting Palpatine to a standstill back to back? No, I don't buy it. Maybe the book tells things differently, but I just don't like Dragonball Z in my Star Wars. I don't see how anybody could be that powerful short of Yoda, Luke, or Palpatine.

 

There was no DBZ in it. If so, Starkiller wouldn't need to use a light saber. There are always going to be extremely powerful force users other than the big 3 you mentioned. However, Vader is to blame for Starkiller being over 9000.

 

Eh, I have to agree, he was a tad too overpowered for my liking, but I grew to accept it after he died. Now he has a clone just as ridiculous. no thank you.

 

Do you really expect a Sith apprentice of Vader to be anything but overpowered?

 

I expect him to be powerful, I can even live with him being able to take down member of the council, but to be able to own Vader and then mere moments after that gruelling fight, be able to duel Sidious to a dead end...I just can't buy it. I loved TFU and TFU II for what they were but I was disillusioned with story whilst playing it from pretty much the moment he pulled that destroyer down. Yoda was unable to beat Palpatine, but Starkiller can manage it fresh off the heels of his fight with the chosen one?

 

Vader did a good job training his apprentice. If he isn't capable of taking down his master, then he would be unworthy.
It wasn't all that easy on maximum difficulty, which is how I would imagine those fights going down.

 

Just to make something clear. Starkiller did not beat Palpatine.

I'm a huge Starkiller fan, and I'm the first one to admit this.

Starkiller beat Darth Vader.

And was subsequently annihilated by Darth Sidious.

Yoda was able to stalemate Palpatine and escape with his life. Starkiller had to sacrifice his life to save the Rebel leaders.

I really dislike it when people make this mistake, so I'll say it again.

Starkiller did not beat Palpatine. He beat Vader and then got wasted by the most powerful Sith Lord that ever lived.

That is all.

 

Bah. I insist Vader threw the fight, gambling that it would give him an opportunity to gauge his apprentice's abilities against the Emperor without any overt betrayal on his part. This also explains why he did such a shoddy job of enthralling the guy to the dark side in the first place.