Summary
One particular Force ability was supposed to be exceedingly rare within theStar Warsgalaxy, but recently, it’s become much more common. Force abilities have always affectedStar Warsstorytelling. The Jedi mind trick, for instance, allowed the galaxy’s Jedi and Rebel heroes to enter Imperial compounds during the Galactic Civil War; the ability to tame beasts allowed a character like Ezra Bridger to take the Empire by surprise and liberate an entire planet inStar Wars Rebels, and more common skills, like the Force push and jump, allow the Jedi to do what they do best against powerful, dark enemies.
There are other, less common Force abilities, though, ones that can serve a direct, impactful narrative purpose. One such ability was recently bestowed uponVernestra Rwoh inStar Wars: The Acolyte, despite never having shown an inkling of this power previously in theStar Wars: The High Republicbooks. In this specific case, that’s not necessarily a bad thing, butStar Warsneeds to be careful – rely on an ability like this too much, and it not only loses its rarity but its usefulness in the storytelling as well.
Star Wars: All 43 Light & Dark Side Force Powers In Canon
Over the decades, the Star Wars franchise has introduced countless Force powers - light, dark, and balance. Here’s your guide to the canon abilities.
Quinlan Vos' Force Power Was Supposed To Be Rare
InStar Wars: The Clone Wars, viewers are introduced to theJedi Quinlan Vos. Vos is no ordinary Jedi, however. He’s roguish, stubborn, independent, and enjoys a good fight. Most importantly, Quinlan Vos has a rare Force ability: psychometry. Essentially,anyone with this ability can re-experience the past by touching an object or entering a specific location.The object is usually tied to an incredibly emotional event, and, through the Force, the wielder will hear, see, and feel what happened – though the vision will usually be somewhat distorted – even if they weren’t there to witness it themselves.
Making psychometry so rare was a wise decision, because if too many Jedi can touch an object and learn all the answers, giving them a challenge to overcome becomes increasingly difficult.
What makes psychometry such a rare ability is that a Jedi, or any other Force user, needs to be born with it. It cannot simply be taught in a class at the Jedi Temple. That’s what makes it so different from the Jedi mind trick or the ability to tame beasts – technically, any Jedi can learn to wield those powers, though some are more proficient at them than others. Making psychometry so rare was a wise decision, because if too many Jedi can touch an object and learn all the answers, giving them a challenge to overcome becomes increasingly difficult.
Modern Star Wars Is Making Psychometry Commonplace
Since Quinlan Vos’ introduction, psychometry has become much more commonplace on screen,particularly since the release ofStar Wars: The Force Awakensand the advent of Disney+. InThe Force Awakens,Rey experiences the power of psychometryfor the first time when she touches Anakin Skywalker’s lightsaber. She sees visions and catches glimpses of the past, and though she doesn’t know what any of those flashes mean, it’s clear she possesses the same power as Vos. Considering Rey’s history, it’s not necessarily surprising she’d also have such a rare power.
Rey’s psychometry was confirmed inThe Star Wars Book, which features contributions from Pablo Hidalgo, Cole Horton, and Dan Zehr.
Two years later, in 2019, the gameStar Wars Jedi: Fallen Orderwas released, and players were introduced to Cal Kestis, an Order 66 survivor forced out of hiding when Darth Vader’s Inquisitors paid him a visit on the planet Bracca. During the game, it is revealed that Cal also possesses psychometry, though he originally described his power as being able to sense “Force Echoes.” The ability is perfect for the game’s mechanics, so it’s not surprising that Cal was given this power, either.
After that, however, in quick succession, two previously established characters were granted the power of psychometry too: Ahsoka Tano and Vernestra Rwoh. Ahsoka Tano used it to track Sabine Wren’s whereabouts after their altercation with the Force-wielding mercenaries on Seatos inAhsoka, and Vernestra used it in the final episode ofThe Acolyteto finally discover the tragic and violent truth of what the Jedi did on Brendok all those years ago. These reveals were much more surprising, as neither character had demonstrated this ability in the past. So why the change?
Why Is Psychometry Such A Useful Force Power?
Psychometry is both useful for the characters who wield this ability and useful for the writers who write about them.Thematically speaking, giving a Jedi this ability creates incredible development potential. As the visions they experience are steeped in emotion, they must learn to control their own at the same time – Quinlan Vos experiences this very dilemma in the novelStar Wars: Dark Discipleby Christie Golden, as he becomes closely linked to the dark side. This power essentially asks how empathetic these Jedi are, and how well-equipped they are to handle other people’s emotions.
This power essentially asks how empathetic these Jedi are, and how well-equipped they are to handle other people’s emotions.
Narratively speaking, psychometry is exceedingly useful because it negates the need for excessive info dumps and backstories– theStar Wars Jedigames demonstrate this perfectly. Instead of having one character tell another character about a past event, they can simply experience it themselves, giving audiences a glimpse of how they feel about it at the same time. That’s why, in terms of storytelling, giving Vernestra this power inThe Acolytemade sense, too. She needed to know the truth, but there was no one left to tell her. This way, she experienced her friend’s grief, fear, and distress for herself.
Star Warsneeds to be careful, however. Psychometry is supposed to be rare – and sure, five out of tens of thousands of Jedi having this particular power doesn’t make it common in the grand scheme of things – but the more canon, live-action stories include Jedi wielding this power, the less impressive it becomes.It can’t be used as a cop-out; visions can’t be a constant replacement for good storytelling. Hopefully, for the time being,Star Warsrealizes that five active characters with psychometry are more than enough.
Star Wars
Star Wars is a multimedia franchise that started in 1977 by creator George Lucas. After the release of Star Wars: Episode IV- A New Hope (originally just titled Star Wars), the franchise quickly exploded, spawning multiple sequels, prequels, TV shows, video games, comics, and much more. After Disney acquired the rights to the franchise, they quickly expanded the universe on Disney+, starting with The Mandalorian.
