Hey, Huttman! Great job on the multiple quote thing.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Huttman  Perhaps Mr. Lucas had not thought that far as to explain the Force back then or maybe it just didn't fit into the story. I'm sure over the past 30 years his search for knowledge and his own understanding of things has grown. To expand on the story, he came up with this to add to it, for better or worse is being commented on here and elsewhere... |
On face value, it would seem that George Lucas gave us more knowledge into the workings of the force by including Midi-Chlorians. But in really examining things, I don't think he did. Before TPM we knew that the force controlled actions, and obeyed commands. A jedi tuned himself to hear the force by letting go of consciousness (to a certain degree) and stretching out with his feelings (namely to feel the force).
Currently I know no more than that, accept that there is apparently another life-form involved in the whole process of using the force. I have to consider the possibility that (in a story oriented way) the Midi-Chlorians serve the purpose of smokescreen. (George Lucas knew that people would want to know more about the force when they came to see new Star Wars films.)
The smokescreen is this: Luke, in being a life-form, was able to accomplish certain superhuman feats in the Original Trilogy. In comparison, the creation of Anakin is no more or less superhuman than the abilities Luke displayed. Both are (widely considered) humanly impossible outside of fiction.
That is why I'm having trouble believing that George Lucas implemented Midi-Chlorians for the sake of explaining Anakin's birth. I believe the story would have held together whether he mentioned Midi-Chlorians, or not because adding them was just a trading of life-form for life-form.
Now, instead of Luke being able to jump really high by just listening to the force itself he has a go between, which is just another lifeform.
Although Midi-Chlorian does sound like a very scientific term, the New Trilogy neither went into the scientific workings concerning how they speak to the force, or how they help the jedi achieve different powers at will. That is why I gained very little new knowledge concerning the force from the New Trilogy.
The real question is: If the power to create life needed this sort of in-depth explanation, why were other superhuman abilities so readily accepted by people who know the story? I've never heard anyone dispute the validity of any jedi ability displayed in the original trilogy.