Reviews Books The JC Lit Reviews Special: DESTINY'S WAY (DW spoilers)

But Jacen didn't use it to kill. I mean, is it of the Dark Side to use Force Push? No, it's done all the time. But is it of the Dark Side to Force Push an enemy off a cliff when you don't have to? Of course. Why is lightning any different? He could've killed them, easily. Instead he just knocked them unconscious. His other alternative would've been to kill them. Which is more of the Dark Side?

 

Unfortunately, yes. An author?s intentions aren?t canon. What?s in the book is canon.

I don't think it is unfortunate. I've enjoyed debating with you. But yeah, what the author says isn't canon. Kind of sucks when you consider all the things Allston said (like Myn meeting up with Lara). We can't count them as canon, only as author's intentions.

Mastadge: JediJSolo was arguing that while Jacen did not kill them, he drew on negative emotions to do his little lightning trick.

 

IIRC , you can only create Force lightning by drawing on anger and hatred.

 

How so? That's like saying you can only pour water out of a bottle when you're thirsty.

 

I suppose, technically, it?s not Force lighting if it?s not fueled by negative emotions. If it?s fueled by something else, it?s called something else. But I don?t know that for sure? I seem to remember a debate about this a while ago?

 

I suppose, technically, it?s not Force lighting if it?s not fueled by negative emotions. If it?s fueled by something else, it?s called something else. But I don?t know that for sure? I seem to remember a debate about this a while ago?

That's silly. Remember, this was green Force Lightning. Also, is lightning any less lightning whether it comes from the sky or from a "lightning gun"? Does the intent or emotion behind a bolt of lightning have anything to do with lightning? Is lightning any less lightning because it's not generated in anger or hatred?

 

Hey, I?m not the one who came up with this. I?m just going by what I?ve heard.

In the arguments made back then, Plo Koon's "Bolt of Justice" wasn?t Force lighting, it was Bolt of Justice, or so the argument went, I think?

But I?m with you in this case. I thought the distinction was pretty silly too.

 

Well, according AOTC visual dictionary Dooku uses "Sith Lightning", to which there is no lightside equivalent.

"Dooku reveals the full measure of his dark nature when he casts legendary Sith lightning. Virtually impossible to deflect, Sith lightning causes ecruciating pain and weakins life. The jedi possess no exact equivalent to such an evil use of the force"

As for force lightning from WEG totj sourcebook,

"Force Lightning:

A jedi who uses this power for any reason automatically gains a darkside point."

Which interprets to if a jedi uses it it corrupts himself just a little.

It continues:

"This power is a corruption of the force. When used it produces bolts of white or blue energythat fly fromt he user's fingertips like sorcerous lightning. The bolts tear through their target, causing painful wounds. Since this power is force-generated, it can be force-repelled using dissipate energy. Force lightning courses over and into it's target, convulsing the target with pain, siphoning off his power, and eventually killing him. Armor does not protect a character from force lightning.

From JK manual,

"No jedi will underestimate the power of the dark side once it's living spark surges through his very bones. The dark jedi master calls down fire from the dark abyss to strike enemies. Lighting bolts find and destory their targets."

I'll try to find more refrences to what force powers are if I can. Sadly I can't give the exact info of bolt of judgement from the manual of JPB, as my sister lost it, . If someone has access to it, a listing of plo-koons info would be appreciated.

 

Blue or White kills?

Jacen created green lightning ? Man, he's not even good at being evil. Pansy. j/k

I'd say that deep down Jacen didn't have it in him to call the force the type of power that kills.

Jaina on the other hand...

 

This power is a corruption of the force. When used it produces bolts of white or blue energythat fly fromt he user's fingertips like sorcerous lightning.

Okay, and Jacen's is green. It's obviously another kind that ISN'T a corruption of the Force.

 

One should be careful about reading into a comment to literally. Just because it says blue or white, doesn't mean it can't be other colors, just that those are the most common.

For instance we know that purple lightning has been used before, and does exactly the same killing as blue or white, but it's not mentioned in that other comment. Does that make it different? No not really. We also know that yellow that comes before green on the rainbow which is said to be a lightside power, can still be a corruptive influence if the person using it isn't careful. Which can lead a person to the darkside. That actually falls in line with that 1 darkside point scheme. Just because a jedi used force lightning once, it isn't going to take him to the darkside. But he has moved himself one step closer to making that choice later on, since the power had influence on his character.

I'll point out that one can stun someone with any kind of force lightning, even the purple kinds. They can vary power to sturn, torture, kill ect. Just depends on what the force user wants to do with it.

We really don't know too much about bolt of judgement except that plo koon worries about it, and it has a different name, and a different color.

 

Maybe this type of lightning is part of the New Jedi Order. Maybe there is going to be a new and different understanding of the force. Since we're heading toward the Heretic series and heretic is some one who dissents from an accepted belief or doctrine, maybe Jacen is going to blaze the way to a new understanding(use) of the force.

 

Yeah, but Jacen's lightning didn't do a thing to the Vong. Didn't even incapacitate them like the yellow lightning that is bolt of judgement would.

It put them to sleep, didn't it?

Jacen's lightning in Traitor did nothing to the Yuuzhan Vong at all. This seemed to be a different type of lightning in DW. Possibly a more refined version.

EDIT: Seeing as Trias edited out his post, many will wonder who I'm replying to.

 

So, in DW Jacen stuns someone with Force lightning?

Well, if Plo Koon can wield yellow force lightning that's not a corruption of the Force, so can Jacen.

EDIT: Seeing as Trias edited out his post, many will wonder who I'm replying to.

Yes, I was unaware that his lightning had an effect in DW.

 

So, in DW Jacen astuns someone with Force lightning?

Well it's supposed to put them to sleep for a very long time. I don't think it brings actual harm to them.

Well, if Plo Koon can wield yellow force lightning that's not a corruption of the Force, then Jacen can too.

Oh, definately. That's what I've been arguing for the past 50 posts!

 

Actually, like I said, bolt of judgement while the "jedi masters" would sometimes deem it ok to wield it. They wouldn't put it into the hands of a jedi apprentice, because it was ultimately destructive to the wielder. It could lead to the user being pulled to the darkside. Only masters had the willpower necessery to overcome that pull, but even then plo koon has his questions about using it.

The seductive nature similer to how one can use reguler ol' force lightning, the first time isn't going to make him go to the darkside. But a tiny bit of corruption has already seeded in his soul, I.e. that darkside point. Do it too many times, and well you just might cross over to the dark path.

As for stunning that can be done with any form of force lighting, depending on how the wielder varies the power range. Just because plo koon uses it to stun his enemies, may be just the jedi varying the power range. I can't remember if it denied the ability to kill with it or not. So really it's a thin red line that the power treads on.

We really need that manual's quotes to know the exact particulers. I'm only going by memory.

 

Matthew Trias: Well, if Plo Koon can wield yellow force lightning that's not a corruption of the Force, so can Jacen.

Aside from what Valiento has already said about Bolt of Justice being considered too seductive for anyone under the level of Master, the major difference is how those powers were summoned and fueled. Jacen used the Dark Side to summon and fuel his lightning, while Plo Koon didn?t, from what I understand?

I think it?s safe to say that the Dark Side is more seductive than the Light Side.

 

A couple of more points I want to say. I think Nom Anor really stole the show in DW. He was great and fun to read in the book.

IMO, when looking at the other thread with Vergere so powerful, in debates with Luke yes, but I really thought she was acting childish and a little pathetic with her loyalties and young master stuff.

and tsavong lah had to die in one sense. There is really no role to play now with Shimmra on stage. Nom Anor still has a role to play but the warmaster's was finished with the real military battles done and now the "Force Heretic" and "Unifying Force" books to come.

 

Ok, I've been looking up stuff on plo koon from JPB on online strategy guides, apparently the power is really called, "Electric Judgement" at least within the game itself. Prima Guides confirmed that name is an official terms. Unless someone can find a copy of the psx version manual we won't know what that said for sure about the power though, as all those sites tend to just talk about the gameplay rather than story aspects. It would have to be the PSX manual, as the dreamcast version manual cut out alot of the cool EU information.

 

Did you guys even read the freakin book? The whole thing was about how using emotions with the force (even negative emotions) did not necesarily lead to the darkside. This is stated explicitely in one of Vergere's talks with Luke. She goes on to say that elimination of emotions (what Luke was teaching) could lead to the darkside. Basically, she said emotions (even negative ones) help if you recognize and acknowledge their presence and orgin.

By the way, I give the book 7 out of 10. Traitor was the best so far, with 9.5 out of 10. Pellaon (sp) was mischaracterized, as was a handful of other characters, and the Vong were defeated way to easily.

 

Negative emotions, when used to fuel a Jedi?s power when attacking, is the Dark Side. That is not contradicted by even Vergere?s statements in DW, IIRC. Had Luke lashed out at Vergere using his anger, he would have used the Dark Side. That?s pretty much stated in the book, IIRC.

?Now my question is, was that anger dark? Was it an evil passion that possessed you, such that the dark side might have taken you as a consequence??

Luke chose his thoughts carefully. ?It could have been. If I had used that anger to strike out at you, or harm you, particularly through the Force, then it would have been a dark passion.?

(Vergere babbles about nothing overly relevant to Luke?s statement, but then?)

?Very well, young Master. You are correct when you said that if you had entered my cell and struck out at me with the Force, that such an action would have been dark.? (page 183)

 

With regards to Force Lightning, just prior to the time CoPL came out, George Lucas went on record as saying that the Jedi did not have power over the elements : rain, lightning, ice, fire, that sort of thing, but after CoPL that changed. The way aroud this was the Jedi's ability of Telekinesis, whereby Force users would manipulate air molecules or some such for a variety of effects.

In courtship of Princess Leia, for example, a Nightsister uses the Force to lift an AT-ST so that it could get a better shot at the defenders. A Dathomir witch (a nice one) then called down lighting to destroy the AT-ST.

So, at least in that since, a Jedi would be able to send ACTUAL lightning at his opponents. This would be "real world" lightning as opposed to the SITH kind that sucks out your life force, etc. As a physical manifistation, it would be able to affect the Yuuzham Vong (just like throwing a rock would) whereas SITH lightning would not (as it is an unnatural, Force based power).

 

Oh, and getting hit by ACTUAL lightning would probably knock out the Baddest Yuuzham Vong for a while, I would suspect.

 

Counting 29 reviews.

JC Lit Average Rating of DW = 243.6/29 = 8.40/10