30 years of Star Wars: The force

The concept of The Force is one of the greatest mysteries in Star Wars. To solve it is to penetrate an awesome world of mythology.

The Force has been inspired by the best of sci-fi tradition and fantasy literature as well as social mythology and religious schemes.

But what is The Force? According to the article Empire of Dreams (inserted in the DVD bonus of the first trilogy), in the first sketches of the original film the concept of The Force was represented by a galactic crystal.

"The concept of The Force was something very important in history. The difficulty was in trying to create a spiritual concept that worked in a simple way," explains Gary Kurtz, producer of Star Wars.

The best description of the Force is given in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, when Obi-Wan Kenobi introduced Luke Skywalker to the ways of the Jedi.

"The Force is what gives a Jedi his power. It's an energy field created by all living things. It surrounds us and penetrates us. It binds the galaxy together," said Obi-Wan.

So, we know that The Force was a metaphysical, binding and ubiquitous power that was behind the Jedi and Sith monastic orders. And we also know that The Force potential of an individual was measured in sentient creatures by a count of midi-chlorian (microscopic life forms that exist in living cells).

As with many great myths, the main characters are divided in two sides which are clearly differentiated. In Star Wars, we have servants of the luminous side of The Force (the Jedi) and those consumed by the dark side of The Force (the Sith).

The rebels

The Rebel Alliance was a military resistance that maintained opposition to the Galactic Empire, despite having inferior military power, very few opportunities of success and being persecuted across the entire galaxy.

Known as the Alliance to Restore the Republic, it was originally formed by a group of loyalists determined to keep the ideals of the former Galactic Republic alive. They upheld the idea of a "healthy Republic", even during the Separatist Crisis and the Clone Wars. Although the odds were against them, the Alliance had dedicated soldiers, brilliant commanders and a strong will to fight.

However, the rebellion existed before the birth of the Rebel Alliance. Almost from the moment Palpatine proclaimed himself Emperor, resistance groups arose across the galaxy. Their task was very hard at the beginning as they were extremely limited and could only cause annoyance to certain Moffs. When they became too much of a nuisance, the Empire would unite its forces and finish with them.

Three characters played a fundamental role in the creation of the Rebel Alliance: Bail Organa, the Viceroy of Alderaan; Mon Mothma, Senator of Chandrila; and Garm Bel Iblis, Senator of Corellia. The organisation of the rebellion was based on discussions held between Mon Mothma and Bail Organa in Coruscant. They wrote the Declaration of Rebellion that was sent to the Emperor and widely distributed across the Galaxy. Diverse groups declared their support to the Rebel Alliance leading to the biggest problem yet for the Emperor and his tyranny.

The troopers

After the events in Star Wars Episode II: The Attack of the Clones, the galaxy changed completely with the eruption of a new army that would soon be under the command of the Galactic Empire. This military force was called the Troopers, which was divided into many levels.

The Empire mixed the clones that survived the Clone Wars with a new generation of clones and newly recruited troops (mostly human). This enabled Darth Sidious to command a complete army of Assault Soldiers and Stormtroopers, among others.

Dressed in the famous white armour and handling powerful weapons, the Stormtroopers were the highest ranked shock troops of the Empire. These soldiers were feared across the galaxy and supported both military arms of the empire: the ground and the aerial imperial forces.

Under the Clone Commandos, there were many squads, including Aiwha, Delta, Lambda, Omega, Prudii, Teroch, Theta, Ion, White and Blue. All clones were created on planet Kamino from the blood sample of the bounty hunter Jango Fett, whose son, Boba Fett, was a pure clone of himself.

The number of Stormtroopers reached up to around two billion. Their fundamental mission was to quash resistance groups that represented any opposition to the will of Palpatine.

Each Trooper was forced to live in a military atmosphere and was obliged to give total obedience to the Imperial will. That is why it is impossible to bribe, seduce or persuade them to the contrary. Nevertheless, Troopers' minds are weak, especially when faced with a powerful Jedi.