"The Force is strong in my family"

I know this subject of thread has been reguritated too many times to count- but hear me out.

Now, in the OT, The Force was something that was passed on from force-sensitive people to their offspring. But it also, in a way, was a gift to those open-minded and patient enough to wield it.

With the introduction of midichlorians in the PT, The Force is being describing as hereditary. The confusing part: Jedi are not necessarily allowed to become romantically involved. This leads to the realization that the midichlorians are not being passed down. I realize that most of this has been laid out previously, but I have been thinking:

Have any of you dismissed the whole midichlorian revelation as a scientific myth in the SW myth, preferring to believe in Yoda's/Obi's descriptions of the force? (After all, Qui-Gon was always one to formulate his own opinions) Campbell and Moyers relate how the Force has become "elitist" in the PT. Some have said that in a way, GL has successfully destroyed the mystical and magical sense of The Force by pinning it down with scientific explanations.

OR, maybe

Do midichlorians, if you "accept" them, start anew in life forms without their parents having Force sensitivity, thus allowing new Jedi to be realized?

OR, maybe

Is the genectic pool of midichlorians being siphoned of as a byproduct of the Jedi Code, letting midichlorians die before being passed on, thus making way for a quiet Jedi Purge?


That's all I can think of. I thank you if you have read this far. I know it's not a favorite subject of many hardcore fans, while others could care less about such small issues in the trilogies. I can relate that the whole describing every facet of the Force is very EU-like at times, but I decided to brave posting a new thread to see what any of you think out there.

Thanks for reading!

 

nice post

I like to think of Force strength as multifactorial- i.e. midicholrians are one of many factors contributing to Force strength. (Like cholesterol being one of many factors contributing to heart disease.) Most of these factors are unknown, which enables to Force to retain it's magical and mystical qualities. Midichlorian counts are easily measureable which is why Qui-Gon uses them.

Just because attachments are forbidden, doesn't mean Jedi can't have children. I can picture Qui-Gon having fathered children all over the galaxy. He's probably got a girl in every spaceport.
I see what you mean though. If Force strength is passed to children, it does imply that Force powers are being bred out as a result of the Jedi code. Is it then the will of the Force that the Jedi are wiped out only to return with a different set of rules? Perhaps genetic Force strength is more the result of random matching of genes from 2 parents rather than direct inheritance from 1 parent. Thus, it's not a particular gene but a rare and very particular combination of millions that produce a Force-sensitive child.

Was it ever established that midichlorian count is hereditary?I do remember hearing that they're inherited from the mother. (Correct me if I'm wrong.) This clearly implies that there is more to the Force than midichlorians considering how powerful Luke becomes.

 

If "force ability" through midichlorians is in fact a genetic trait, it could be passed down through other members of a Jedi's family who do not exhibit the trait. In the films, it is shown that there are very few force-sensitive beings in the galactic population. Force sensitivity almost appears to be random since it is so rare. It may happen once in a family and never be experienced again.

For example, let us say that Yoda had the highest midichlorian count ever recorded about 879 years prior to Yavin. If the "attachment is forbidden" rule was then in effect, presumably his mother and father did not have high midichlorian counts, thus they were never "recruited" to be Jedi and were free to create offspring. Then let's say that they have another son who also doesn't have a high midi count. He mates with someone without a high midi count, but many generations later one of his descendants is born with a high midichlorian count. Thus, the trait is passed despite many generations not having exhibited it.

This is similar to a child having blond hair when both the parents have brown hair; it is a trait passed to another generation although the parents don't exhibit it. Rather, an ancestor (grandfather, for example) may have passed on that gene. A high midi count seems to be the result of a highly regressive genetic pattern, since so few people actually seem to possess it. Given that there are only approximately 10,000 Jedi in the galaxy, as some sources have it, it is safe to assume that even in a family with a high midi member, very few, if any, others would have it.

Luke and Leia just happened to be twins, thus they were flukes among flukes. In addition their experience was further out on the bell curve of probabilities in having a father created by the midis, a once in creation event. Anakin and the twins are not even examples of what "typically" happens among those with high midi counts and their families, since their father's very existence was a freak of nature. Otherwise, given the number of Jedi at one time, I would imagine that a birth to a family of a force sensitive child is a one time event, statistically never to be repeated. Although the force may be strong in Luke's family, it probably isn't in any other family other than the Chosen One's.

 

Well,everyone has midichlorians,some more than others,I think that sometimes when a man and woman with a low or high midi. count who are not Jedi have a kid,they pass down either a lot or not a lot of midichlorians.

 

I made that a caption in my photo album

 

Interesting ideas. Scientifically, I'd go with PalpatineAntikristos' theory:

If "force ability" through midichlorians is in fact a genetic trait, it could be passed down through other members of a Jedi's family who do not exhibit the trait. [...] It may happen once in a family and never be experienced again.

Although, on the other hand, I personally find Latorski's explanation to be very emotionally satisfying.

I like to think of Force strength as multifactorial[...] Most of these factors are unknown, which enables to Force to retain it's magical and mystical qualities. Midichlorian counts are easily measureable which is why Qui-Gon uses them.

This reasoning that a mere midichlorian count is just the tip of the proverbial iceberg justifies GL's PT-Force a bit more, even if he didn't mean it to be percieved as such.



Well, it looks like this thread has breathed it's last breath unless someone else wants to reveal their thoughts...

 

>>>Have any of you dismissed the whole midichlorian revelation as a scientific myth in the SW myth, preferring to believe in Yoda's/Obi's descriptions of the force.

I don't see why both can't apply.


Ever heard of the "chopstick gene"?

If you do a study of the genetics of people who can use chopsticks, you'll find that there's certain genetic features that are much more common in those who can use chopsticks as those who can't.

Now, this could lead you to the conclusion that the ability to use chopsticks is actually genetic.

What the theory fails to take into account is that chopsticks are something used mainly in China, and that the genetic features being noticed are common to the Chinese. Although it would appear that there is a relationship just from looking at the genes and the ability to use chopsticks, the genes actually have nothing to do with it.


One theory is that midichlorians are something like that- a genetic feature common to those who the Force is strong with, but not necessarily related.

Another theory (one that I go by) is that midichlorians are related to the Force being strong with an individual (as Qui Gon says- they "speak to us"), but having nothing to do with an individual's (potential) power or abilities.
(Although it seems to be the popular belief, there isn't actually anything in the films that suggests that they have anything to do with this...)

And ever wonder how Palpatine managed to grow up in the Republic, not be trained as a Jedi, and yet become incredibly powerful?


I'm betting money (or at least, I would do if I could find anyone to bet with... and I had any money...) that Episode III will show that Luke doesn't have a particularly high midichlorian count, but that by this point Obi Wan/Yoda will have acknowledged that it's pretty much irrelevant.

 

I'll take that bet, Scott3eyez

I don't think midichlorians are irrelevant, but they are misunderstood.

The Force can be seen as a wonderful painting...midichlorians are just the hand that holds the brush.

 

The Force is strong in this thread...

Many good thoughts. Maybe midichlorians speak to many people, but some don't know how to listen. I guess that's where the real power comes from.

 

All genetic traits are passed through familys. However, not all are expressed. A father may not pass down a cancer gene to his daughter, but it may be expressed in his son. High Midicholirian counts may be a recessive gene, they are only expressed if two people who are strong in the force are parents. There are a lot of factors. Also, just because you are strong in the force doesn't mean that you have the temperment to be a Jedi (of course this is the whole nature vs. nuture thing which I won't discuss.)