Force Ghost

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In the Star Wars universe, a Force ghost (also known as Force Spirit) is a term for the apparition of a deceased Jedi.

[edit] In the Star Wars movies

Some commentators had long assumed, based upon the Star Wars films released between 1977 and 1983, that all Jedi who died became one with the Force, with their bodies vanishing, and them then aquiring the ability to return, at will, as apparitions in order to help those in need of their guidance.

It was further assumed, based upon Star Wars spin-off material, that this applied to even fallen Jedi and/or Sith who repented at the end of their lives, such as Darth Vader and the Jedi Ulic Qel-Droma (the latter is from the Expanded Universe not the film series), as the rigors of their craft would, in theory, easily rival that of "pure" Jedi.

It is worth noting that in the former case, it is unclear if Vader's body actually vanishes as he dies. It certainly does not disappear or dissolve onscreen (unlike those of Yoda or Obi-Wan Kenobi the other two Jedi to die in the 77 - 83 trilogy) and Luke Skywalker is later seen cremating Vader's armour. There is absolutely no indication onscreen whether this armour still contains the Dark Lord's corpse or not. In the absence of direct textual evidence some fans assumed that this was the case and some assumed that it was not. It might be reasonably speculated that George Lucas deliberately left this ambiguous in order to in order to give himself more options should he ever make his 'prequel trilogy'.

Questions arose after the release of The Phantom Menace, when Qui-Gon Jinn's body did not vanish after his death fighting Darth Maul and, perhaps more importantly, none of the other characters expected it to. Qui-Gon's remains were burned on a Jedi funeral pyre on Naboo. In the film's DVD commentary Lucas indicated that this apparent discontinuity was a plot point that would be returned to.

In Revenge of the Sith it is made known that the ability to return as a Force Spirit is not in fact something which happens to every Jedi, but a recently discovered and complex discipline. The late Qui-Gon Jinn is said to have discovered "..the path to immortality", the secret of how to retain his identity after death and absorption into the Force, a process which requires the attaining of a state of unconditional compassion. It is also stated that his spirit will instruct Yoda and Obi-Wan in this discipline during their exiles. This scene sets up the ability both characters demonstrate in later episodes.

It can be presumed that Darth Vader did not learn of this ability, explaining his puzzlement and resentment when Obi-Wan's body disappeared as he killed him on the Death Star in Episode IV. George Lucas has since indicated (on the Episode III DVD commentary) that the appearance of Vader's former self, Anakin Skywalker, as a Force Spirit at the end of Episode VI is due to combination of Anakin's own latent Force ability, his achievement of a moment of unconditional compassion at his death and redemption and Yoda and Obi-Wan's spirits helping him extend his identity out of The Force.

[edit] Information from the Role Playing Game

A substantial and detailed account of the process for becoming a Force Spirit is presented in the d20 version of the Star Wars RPG in the supplement book Power of the Jedi Sourcebook. In the PotJ it is explained that the process for retaining one's identity within the Force after death is a function of having the personal strength and willpower to overcome the desire of the Force to absorb and disseminate your consciousness. When a being strong enough in the Force dies and disappears into the Force, their consciousness remains distinct from the totality of the Force only as long as the being retains their power over the Force to avoid assimilation. Since the Jedi do not believe in exploiting or overpowering the Force, their spirits eventually dissipate into the totality of the Force after a sufficient time. In the expanded universe books, an aged Luke Skywalker notes that the spirit of Obi-Wan Kenobi appeared to him several times after the events in Return of the Jedi, but eventually departed forever and became a part of the Force. Anakin Solo also demonstrated this by appearing to provide his brother Jacen with moral guidance late in the conflict against the Yuuzhan Vong, but also eventually became one with the Force. Jedi who are strong enough in the Force and feel a strong enough connection to those still alive can transform into Force Spirits, usually to pass along critical information or provide much needed guidance to those still living, but will eventually accept the will of the Force and fade completely from existence.

Followers of the Sith tradition, on the other hand, believe strongly in exerting control and power over the Force, and have a strong feeling of personal worth and power. As such, some Sith spirits can linger for decades or centuries, sustained by their hatred, malice and desire to exert control over the Force and corrupt later generations. These spirits can become such powerful incarnations of the dark side that they can taint entire areas of physical space during their centuries of undeath. Freedon Nadd maintained his connection to the physical realm through the preservation of his physical remains on the fledgling empire world of Onderon, and later its jungle moon Dxun. Freedon Nadd remained a potent force for many centuries, influencing the rulers of Onderon, driving them to evil and depravity, even teaching some of them in the ways of the Sith. Once his remains were moved to Dxun, his spirit twisted and corrupted the life there, making the creatures vicious and violent. Exar Kun took a similar path, though he instead chose to preserve his consciousness by trapping it in a temple on the jungle moon of Yavin 4. When Luke Skywalker established the beginnings of his Jedi Praxeum on Yavin 4 (Jedi Academy trilogy, Kevin J. Anderson), Exar Kun released creatures altered by dark side alchemy and eventually influenced the fledgling trainees (most notably Gantoris) before being vanquished. Emperor Palpatine (Darth Sidious) preserved his consciousness from the time of his death until the point of his resurrection on Byss and his final true defeat while trying to infest and dominate the toddler Anakin Solo.

Becoming a Force Spirit is a function of both an individual's facility with the Force and their will to remain a functional consciousness after death. Not all Jedi or Sith who perish possess the knowledge and mastery of the Force to become one with the Force (and dissappear when they die). Keiran Halcyon, the ancestor of Corran Horn, was such a Jedi; he possessed the connection with the Force to cause his body to dissappear into the Force, but had no desire to exert his will over the Force and maintain his consciousness. When he died (immediately following a pitched battle with dark jedi and his own jedi companions), his body faded into the Force, but he never manifested as a Force spirit. Nor does the physical body of the Jedi or Sith necessarily have to vanish in order for the individual to become a spirit. Obviously Qui-Gon Jinn demonstrates this, but another prominent example is the dark jedi Set Harth, who has remained an incorporeal essence for over 1000 years, continually cloning and recloning his original body. Set Harth inhabits a cloned body, stays in it for a time (usually 20 or 30 years or so) then abandons it and enters a new cloned body; the body does not die in order to allow Harth to leave, he simply leaves and goes into the new one.

Any living creature that dies becomes a part of the Force, whether metaphysically or not, it is simply the case that those Force-Sensitives who are sufficiently infused with the power of the Force, who have learned to understand and control it (for good or ill), are close enough to the Force that their physical forms dissolve to become part of the energy field itself. Maintaining an individual consciousness requires fantastic willpower and focus, and is only sustainable for long periods of time through the use of the dark side's malevolent energies and practices.

Force Spirits and Dark Side Spirits are also not chained to the areas where they died and are free to manifest anywhere in the galaxy where the Force is strong enough (near other Force users is most common), though the deaths of powerful and prominent beings typically leave feelings and traces behind that other Force-Sensitives can detect. When the emperor died (the first time) aboard the second Death Star, the area of space that the station occupied became so infused with the dark side that it actually caused Leia Organa Solo to fall unconscious when the Millenium Falcon drifted through that area of space during her personal meditation time. When Mara Jade and Luke Skywalker confronted the insane clone Joruus C'boath, the death of the dark side clone caused an immense explosion of dark side energy and force lightning which injured the two jedi and burned away most of the room where the fight had taken place. Light side Force users, not being consumed with anger and malice, do not leave scars on physical space like dark siders do, but the passing of exceptionally powerful users of the light side can lend a calming effect to the surrounding area, such as near Yoda's hut on Dagobah, where Tahiri Viela exiled herself for a time to experience its peaceful aura.

Destroying malignant dark side spirits is a difficult and time consuming process, and the spirit usually exacts its revenge on its erstwhile attackers during the process. Particularly powerful light siders can sometimes manifest the power of the light side of the Force as actual bursts of light, used to literally burn dark side spirits from existence, though this is exceedingly rare and the only references to this process are contextual. The overwhelming prescence of light siders can overwhelm dark side spirits, and such is the case with the Valley of the Jedi on the world of Ruusan.

[edit] Abilities

In Lego Star Wars 2 Force Ghosts can physically interact with the world around them. They are invincible and can still attack with lightsabers. The Lego Star Wars games are not considered canon.