About Midichlorian levels

Midi-chlorians aren't power level.

They're potential power level. (And, I'd argue, they are representive of your 'talent' for the Force - the speed at which you can learn)

So, assuming that twice the number means twice the potential, and Yoda and Sidious are at around the same level (pushing 20,000 - one assumes) - so 18,000-just under 20,000 - one would expect Anakin to be around 36,000 - 40,000.

It's a mistake to say that RotS Obi-Wan was "much less powerful" than Anakin (unless you mean it in the same way that Federer is "less powerful" than Nadal). He was near enough Anakin's equal. This was not because Obi-Wan's midi-count in any way approached Anakin's but because Anakin had yet to come anywhere near to approaching his true peak.

I mean, Anakin has got to the point that Obi-Wan is at in a third of the time (13 years as opposed to 37) and he was probably being held back. (Since Luke got a lot further in a fraction of the time on the same potential, more or less). So my guess is that Anakin had a midi-chlorian count at least three times as large as Obi-Wans.

 

Why does everyone assume Yoda and Sidious had the same midi-chlorian counts? Remember, Yoda had to use the force to keep his body functional while fighting, along with actual force powers (kinda like what Cable used to do with Telepathy in Marvel comics). Also, Yoda was capable of more in terms of displays of raw power than that which was shown, I think Luke speaks on that in the Thrawn Duology, Yoda stopped drawing heavily on the force so he could feel the small ripples)

 

I think I'm actually being quite kind to Yoda in assuming that he had anywhere near the natural talent of the single most powerful Dark Lord of the Sith to have ever existed. Especially since Yoda had a good 800 years or so on Palpatine.

But that's just me

Nice analogy and you raise a good point.

Yeah, that's just it, isn't it? It's not that Yoda WAS capable of much more in terms of raw power, it's that Yoda *would have been* more capable with displays of raw power had he chosen to go down that road. The indications are that the Force is a bit like a muscle in that regard. If you stop using it for massive displays of power, then it takes a fair while before you can work up to that level again.

(See Luke vs Droideka, even after he's proven he can singlehandedly wipe out droid armies with the wave of a hand)

If Yoda were capable of more in the duel against Sidious, he'd have used it - "background noise" be damned.

The numbers are:

Anakin (unmaimed) = 200%
Palpatine = 100%
Vader (Maimed) = 80%

So Anakin being >20,000 means Sidious would have to be at least >10,000. (Assuming that midichlorian counts work that way. 20,000 isn't neccessarily "twice as much potential" as 10,000, though I think it's likely.)

I've always figured, from the way Obi-Wan says, "even master yoda doesn't have a midi-chlorian THAT high" that Yoda was an example of someone who was pushing the bounderies of the chart. I doubt Palpatine was too far removed from Yoda (be he of lesser or greater talent).

 

Ha. Oh well.

Yeah, I'd agree with that.

That would be my guess. Well, I'd say "19 thousand and something", but it's effectively the same.

I don't know. I would assume the Trooper's lack of any real training would have something to do with it too.

The Star Wars canon doesn't really seem to agree on what "strength in the Force" is after all. Sometimes it's used to refer to a fixed potential whereas othertimes it's used to refer to something that can improve, "you have grown strong in the Force".

Does Luke having a really high midi-chlorian count mean he was always "strong in the Force", or does it mean that he had the potential to become "strong in the Force"? I tend to prefer the latter interpretation.

Though I'm weird in that I prefer to think that a midi-chlorian count is something that can *change*... Lucas' talk of fixed potentials be damned.

 

Since 2500 is normal and Anakin Skywalker had over 20000, I wonder how much Shimi Skywalker had in Midichlorian levels?

 

IMO it need not be an exceptional number. That's why Darth Plagueis is the man.

 

Jedi can't tell midichlorian levels through mere sensing. That's what they need the blood test for. And if Vader didn't detect Leia's midi count in ANH he certainly ain't gonna notice no 5000.

 

Good points.

I think the only reason Vader could sense "the Force is strong with this one" in Luke's case is because the kid had recieved some training and was probably actively drawing upon it at.

Qui-Gon never went, "WHOA! The Force is way strong with you!" the first moment he met Anakin either, did he?

 

Still on the whole Sidious thing, ummm, why was he the most powerful sith Lord ever? The point of waiting according to Bane was to uncover all of the knowledge of the dark side, not to try to recover the Sith'ari, who he didn't even believe in.
Darth Sidious was merely at the right time, a time when the Old Republic was corrupt on its own, giving the dark side more power, and a time when the lore of the old sith lords had been predominantly uncovered, giving him the ability to take over. Sure he had to be high, but why does he have to be at the top of the charts.
And I agree that displays of force strength is similar to displays of physical strength, but remember the dark side revels in displays of pure unadulterated power, while the light side relies more on guidance.
Once again, as far as being the most powerful sith lord ever, read Darth Bane's first use of force lightning, then go see a clip of Sidious doing the same thing, which sounds like more force is being channeled.

And you can become more powerful in the force, after NJO several authors mention characters feeling Jacen becoming steadily more powerful in the force.

 

No, he didn't. He didn't begin to suspect anything until the conversation around the dinner table, and he didn't know for sure until the blood test.

 

Interesting... Kopecz thought Bane might have been the Sith'ari, and one could interpret POD as promoting this view.

 

But neither Githany nor Bane believed in the Sith'ari, and we are led to believe they have a better handle on the nature of the dark side than the others.

 

It's hard to say, but IMO we are meant to believe that the Sith prophecy would come true at some point ( much like the Jedi prophecy ).

 

Because the Dark Empire Sourcebook says that he has fully mastered every single dark side technique ever devised and invents new ones at his leisure.

Indeed, which is why I'd love to see all this talk of capped potentials - and the idea of midi-chlorian counts being fixed - scrapped.

 

Mastering every dark side technique doesn't mean that you are neccessarily powerful, merely patient. In fact, it mens it is even less important that Sidious is powerful in the force, because he tapped into old knowledge.
By the way, if that is true, sidious lied about plagueis and immortality, because he couldn't keep his body going through the force, he used cloning for that. (not important for this topic, but I thought it was important to note)