The Most Powerful Jedi Ever

The Most Powerful Jedi Ever
(Not what I'd call "Wormie"!)


Introduction

When the brilliant light that the Jedi cast upon the galaxy slowly sputters and dies, a darkness reigns that is unparalleled by anything else that history is even remotely capable of conjuring. To rebuild the ancient Order dedicated to the service of the Force and of the galaxy, it takes an individual possessing matchless courage, determination, and inner goodness. But before the darkness of the Sith can be conquered, that individual first must vanquish the darkness within himself.

Alone in a galaxy that seems to have turned its back on everyone in it, the task of restoring such a vast and complex Order may seem nothing short of impossible. Few have tried it. Most died trying. But one man, a true hero whose realized dreams surpassed anything that even he could imagine, accomplished something far greater than merely suppressing his inner darkness.

Not only did he pass on what he had learned to a new generation of Jedi Knights, this man brought a Sith Lord, devoured and wasted away through the powers of his own hatred, back from the very brink of darkness. In the company of incomparable heroes with their own inner demons to confront, this young Jedi left such an indentation on galactic history that his name will be whispered in barely concealed awe for centuries to come.

Luke Skywalker.


Powah, Unlimited Powah?

Is Luke the most powerful Jedi ever? Master Mina seems to think so. But I didn’t really think so, at least before I completed this enormous freakin’ Challenge (with a capital "C") that she gave me to do. Now do I think so? No, I still don't think so. However, now I know so.

If we just concentrate on raw Force power, Luke wins. If we go by important things that have been accomplished throughout galactic history, Luke still wins. If we consider the most respected and revered Jedi Knights in all the galaxy, Luke wins. Heck, even if we look at G-enuine G-canon, Luke still wins. He's playing with a loaded Sabaac deck, so what can I say? The man’s a hero, and nothing could even hope to blemish that most apparent truth, let alone to diminish it.

Does Qui-Gon Jinn still have a place in my heart that Luke can’t enter? But of course! Is he a hero? No duh! Did he do important things in his life that set the stage for someone like Luke to come along? He certainly did. But you simply cannot ignore the impact that Luke Skywalker made on the galaxy. He is the most powerful Jedi ever. And not just because he inherited his father’s lightsaber.

Let’s look at Luke’s most basic talent: the Force. Now, being absolutely and resignedly obsessed with Jedi, I’ve spent a lot of time researching all sorts of Force powers: the arcane and the mundane, the really good and the really horrible, the mind-bendingly simple and the spellbindingly complex. The Force isn't just some random hocus-pocus, say a few magic words and the rabic comes out of the woman who was sawed in half. Study of the Force is a serious, complicated endeavor, (if you'll permit me to quote my beloved Qui-Gon) and even if you succeed, it's a hard life.

There have been Sith that harnessed a power so steeped in the deepest shadows of the dark side -- called mechu-daru (I can't tell whether that sounds like Latin or one of Hello Kitty's buddies) -- that enabled them to breathe life into mechanical objects and bend them to the Force-user’s will. There have been Jedi who were so attuned to their position relative to the Force, so fueled by an innate purity of heart that I can’t even begin to fathom, that it enabled them to heal those on the very brink of death. But I have never, ever read of any Force user -- be he Jedi, Sith, or confused -- having a working knowledge of so…much…stuff, so many Force abilities of such variation, except for Master Skywalker.

Mina asked me to come up with fifty Force powers that Luke had mastery over. I thought she was crazy. No, I thought she was even more crazy than I had suspected. I thought she was insane. Nobody knew fifty Force powers, not even Master Yoda. That’s just impossible. There must be something in the Code that says, “No Jedi Master is allowed to know more than twenty Force powers. After that, he runs the risk of being an insufferable know-it-all. Nobody will like him. He’ll start having bad dreams. He’ll bring down the galaxy.”

But if there was ever anything like that in the Code at all, Luke must’ve gone to Tosche Station instead of reading it. Without much effort, I came up with eighty-seven Force powers that Luke knew. Then, just because I was in a Mace Windu-ish mood, I decided to try and reach a hundred. No problemo at all.

Luke Skywalker possessed complete and utter mastery of every…last…kriffing…Force…power on this list. This includes nearly every light side Force power that is known to us, and a few he literally traveled to the ends of the galaxy to learn. Clearly he found some time between single-handedly reestablishing the Jedi Order, saving the galaxy from imperialistic maniacs, and engaging in rather hilarious and tumultuous romances (at least twelve big ones -- and I do mean big ones) to teach himself a thing or two (more like 2 x 50) about the Force.


Luke's Force Powers

1. Force choke
2. Force grip
3. flow-walking
4. Force lightning
5. Force sense
6. Force attunement
7. Telekinesis
8. Revitalize
9. Droid disable
10. Force protection
11. Telepathy
12. Force illusion
13. Force ghost
14. Force enlightenment
15. Electric judgment
16. Force defending
17. Force healing
18. Force concealment
19. Inverse Dun Möch
20. Cho Mai
21. Alchaka
22. Tapas
23. Force listening
24. Force meld
25. Force seeing
26. Force vision
27. Precognition
28. Battle precognition
29. Force empathy
30. Farseeing
31. Comprehend speech
32. Force channel
33. Force potency
34. Force affinity
35. Force mastery
36. Art of movement
37. Hibernation trance
38. Hassat-durr
39. Force valor
40. Force mind
41. Force speed
42. Force resistance
43. Force Immunity
44. Breath control
45. Battlemind
46. Force camouflage
47. Alter image
48. Alter environment
49. Animal friendship
50. Ray
51. Battle meditation
52. Revitalize
53. Force jump
54. Mind control
55. Malacia
56. Levitation
57. Force combustion
58. Droid disable
59. Force bellow
60. Force confusion
61. Force defend
62. Force blinding
63. Force cloak
64. Force deflection
65. Force flash
66. Force flight
67. Force illusion
68. Projection
69. Force illusion
70. Force push
71. Force pull
72. Force stun
73. Force stun
74. Force grip
75. Force crush
76. Kinetite
77. Force throw
78. Force repulse
79. Force whisper
80. Force blinding
81. Hibernation trance
82. Force weapon
83. Healing trance
84. Saber throw
85. Alter mechanics
86. Teleportation
87. Force storm (wormhole)
88. Force storm (lightning)
89. Force storm (weather)
90. Doppelganger
91. Force choke immunity
92. Force whirlwind
93. Heat shield
94. Cold shield
95. Cure Disease
96. Cure poison
97. Force fear
98. Affect mind
99. Dominate mind
100. Force slow


All I Want for BFD is...Luke Skywalker

Not only was Luke incredibly powerful, but everyone else in the galaxy was incredibly aware of it. There was an incredibly tense period in GFFA history wherein just about everybody was trying to get their hands on the incredible Luke Skywalker, unaware of the fact that Luke was in it for the galaxy, never for himself...Incredible?

Regardless of how tempting the power he was promised by those who wished to use him for their own ends, Luke refused to surrender to the evil that consumed his father. Is it because he saw himself as a hero? No, not at all. The more experienced, talented, and respected he become, the more humbleness it afforded him. The more he perceived of the galaxy -- the more suffering and pain, happiness and growth -- that he finds, the more he was able to put life into perspective. But that didn’t stop anyone and everyone from bidding for him, the ultimate power in the galaxy. And that's one of many things that made him such a remarkable Jedi.


“The Force is strong with this one.” - Darth Vader: Episode IV: A New Hope

“We have a new enemy. Luke Skywalker, the young Rebel who destroyed the Death Star.” - Emperor Palpatine: Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back

“Impressive. Most impressive. Obi-Wan has taught you well. You have controlled your fear.” - Darth Vader: Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back

“You have learned much, young one.” - Darth Vader: Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back

“Luke, you do not yet realize your importance. You have only begun to discover your power.” - Darth Vader: Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back

“Luke, you can destroy the Emperor. He has foreseen this.” - Darth Vader: Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back

“You're too loyal and responsible for your own good.” - Princess Leia Organa: Splinter of the Mind's Eye

“They say that since you defeated their champion, you are the greatest warrior present.” -Halla: Splinter of the Mind’s Eye

“Kenobi... trained you... well. And you have some... natural ability of your own. You have proven a challenge.” - Darth Vader: Splinter of the Mind’s Eye

“Not... possible! Such power... in a child! Not possible!” Darth Vader: Splinter of the Mind’s Eye

“But Luke is strong, stronger than he knows. And Luke has a single purpose. I suppose you could say that he has a pure heart.” - Callista Ming: Planet of Twilight

“Master Skywalker is not someone to be trifled with.” - Alema Rar: Tempest


Son of the Chosen One

Anakin Skywalker would forever persist as a tyrant of unspeakable proportions, enslaved by his own hand, if not for the heroism of his own son. It was Luke who brought the man who was more machine than human from the brinks of bondage and allowed him to fulfill his destiny as the Chosen One, destined to bring balance from the Force.

Not only did Luke inherit his father's...lightsaber...he acceded to his extraordinary strength in the Force. Actually, Luke and Anakin were parallels of one another in many ways -- the same, but very different. Luke seemed to be lucky (or was it the will of the Force?) in that he gained the best of both of his parents, as well as the legacy of all that he endured.



Hero's Cycle

Before we knew of the tragedy of Anakin Skywalker, we lived through the adventures of Luke Skywalker. Forging a path so similar to his father’s, yet so different, (minus the murderous, kid-slaughtering rages, for example) Luke’s journey, as depicted by George Lucas, echoed that of many mythical heroes before him. When I read a book with Greek or Roman mythological elements in it, I can't help but think of Luke and his epic journey toward heroism.

Luke Skywalker has become our modern equivalent of Aeneis or Perseus. Kids in ancient Greece would want to grow up to be like Odysseus, and kids in our time dream of living the life of a Jedi and Rebel hero, saving princesses and braving creatures on distant words. Kids in ancient Greece would run around the polis (Greek city-state) and knock over clay pots with their wooden swords, and kids in our time run through the house (place of contemporary residence) and drive their plastic lightsabers through the TV screen. Some things never change.

As stated by the Maker:

“Anakin wasn't what he was supposed to become. But the son could become that.”

“Luke Skywalker’s really the hero of the whole thing, because he’s the only one who believes in his father, in Darth Vader. He knows there’s still some good in him.”

“The early films are about Luke redeeming his father, so Luke's the focus.”

“With the Prequels, I wanted to go from the adventures of Luke Skywalker to the tragedy of Darth Vader.”

“The focus would be shifted so that instead of the audience seeing Vader as this character of total evil, they'd see him and think ‘There's poor Anakin, still stuck in that suit.’”

“Throughout the entire trilogy, Luke was the only who was able to see the good that was still in his father. That's ultimately what saved them all.”


Conclusion

They say that when the Jedi were brutally cut down during Order 66, it was then that the Age of Heroes was brought to its climactic and proverbial knees. But it was through his determination, strength, courage, and an inner goodness that’s almost incomprehensible, that Luke Skywalker ushered in a new Age of Heroes to rival the last.

Not what I'd call Wormie!

When Luke saw the setting twin suns
Sink down toward the Tatooine sand
He never imagined a life so great
Or a journey so epically grand.

As stars began to embrace the sky
And night pursued the day
A saga without parallel
Began, so far away...

Works Cited

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Denning, Troy. Dark Nest: The Joiner King. Del Ray, 2005. Print. The Dark Nest Trilogy.

Denning, Troy. Dark Nest: The Swarm War. Del Ray, 2005. Print. The Dark Nest Trilogy.

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Foster, Alan Dean. Splinter of the mind's eye from the adventures of Luke Skywalker. New York: Ballantine Books, 1978. Print.

"George Lucas Interview -- Academy of Achievement." Academy of Achievement Main Menu. Web. 9 Aug. 2009. http://www.achievement.org/autodoc/page/luc0int-1.

"Luke Skywalker -." Wookieepedia, the Star Wars Wiki. Web. 9 Aug. 2009. http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Luke_Skywalker.

Ramzipoor, Roxanna. "Save Our Skywalker: Luke Skywalker." Weblog post. Virtual Unrealities. 31 May 2009. Web. 9 Aug. 2009. http://blogs.starwars.com/VirtualUnrealities/19.

Star Wars: Episode IV: A New Hope. Dir. George Lucas. Perf. Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher. 2004. DVD.

Star Wars: Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back. Dir. George Lucas. Perf. Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher. 2004. DVD.

Star Wars: Episode VI: Return of the Jedi. Dir. George Lucas. Perf. Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher. 2004. DVD.

Wallace Daniel, Star wars the new essential chronology. New York: Del Rey, 2005. Print.

Windham, Ryder. Star Wars(r): Jedi vs. Sith The Essential Guide to the Force (Star Wars (Random House Paperback)). Null: Del Rey, 2007. Print.

Special Thanks

Gidrea Lightsky - For being a demoralizing opponent and irrepleceable friend. (No, not a demoralizing friend...most of the time.) And for chatting it up about this challenge all across the kriffin' Internet...blog cites, emails, Galaxies...You name it, we've taken it by storm! If I know anything, it's that I've got the greatest Master in this whole galaxy.

Master Mina - For dreaming up this "little" challenge to begin with...and making it extra fun to play with. Happy birthday, dearest Grand Master.

My sister - For having to hear about this blog over, and over, and over, and over, and over while I worked on it. And for ironing out my snippyness.

And everyone who wasn't thanked...It's just about midnight over here, and I've got to get up early tomorrow. No, not so I can play online...I've just been informed by a very reliable source that I've got a dentist appointment. Fun, huh? It's my Grand Master's birthday and I have to go get some metal stuck in my mouth. Well, that's life on Ahazi...