Summary
- Jedi training is not limited to those who can wield the Force. Anyone can tap into the Force, but it requires discipline and dedication to become a Jedi.
- The Force is an energy field surrounding all living things, not just Jedi. Natural talent is helpful, but without training and discipline, it means nothing.
- Sabine Wren’s ability to progress in her Jedi training depends on her willingness to open herself up to the Force.
George Lucas explained the rules for the Force over four decades ago, and Star Wars is finally following through. Sabine Wren is undergoing Jedi training in Ahsoka, but she’s an unconventional apprentice in that she can’t wield the Force. This is merely a road block for the Mandalorian warrior, however, as Star Wars‘ creator confirmed that one’s aptitude for the Force doesn’t dictate if they can be a Jedi.
A 1981 conversation transcribed in J.W. Rinzler’s The Making of Return of the Jedi features Lucas, screenwriter Lawrence Kasdan, and director Richard Marquand breaking the story for the original trilogy’s final installment. Lucas explains the rules of the Force to his collaborators, likening Jedi training to yoga and karate.
Kasdan: The Force was available to anyone who could hook into it?
Lucas: Yes, everybody can do it.
Kasdan: Not just the Jedi?
Lucas: It’s just the Jedi who take the time to do it.
Marquand: They use it as a technique.
Lucas: Like yoga. If you want to take the time to do it, you can do it; but the ones that really want to do it are the ones who are into that kind of thing. Also like karate.
Jedi aren’t in sole possession of the Force, nor are the Sith. While Jedi like Luke Skywalker have an easier path to wielding the Force, it’s an ability Lucas believes is available to everybody.
Anyone Can Use The Force
As Obi-Wan said, the Force is an energy field that surrounds all living things. In theory, anybody can tap into it – but they have to be open. Most of the Force-wielders in Star Wars are naturally talented, giving them a leg up on their journeys. That will only get them so far, however; Luke perfectly explained the Jedi path in The Mandalorian when stating that “talent without training in nothing.” It requires discipline to be a Jedi, a willingness to listen to the Force and devote a lifetime to practicing the arts.
While Sabine is less in-tune with the Force than any previous Padawan, her ability to open herself will determine how her Jedi training progresses. Kanan Jarrus and Ahsoka Tano have both acknowledged that she’s closed off, in large part due to her Mandalorian upbringing. Lucas’ concept of Force abilities coming from training tap into both the spiritual and disciplinary ways of the Jedi, a key tenet of Star Wars that Ahsoka is finally paying of.