Summary
Balance in the Force has been an essential plot point ofStar Warssince its inception, with a prequel trilogy actor revealing what George Lucas himself meant by the phrase. The manyStar Warsmovies and showshave never provided a distinct, concrete explanation of what balance in the Force means.UpcomingStar Warsmovieswill likely continue to follow this trend, given that the Force is such a mysterious entity within the galaxy.Star Wars' upcoming TV showswill be similar, to avoid answering a question even Lucas' franchise projects did not.
However, comments from Ahmed Best - who plays Jar Jar Binks and Kelleran Beq in theStar Warsfranchise - toRebel Scumhave shed light on what Lucas means by balance in the Force. Best recalled his time working with Lucas on the prequel trilogy, describing theStar Warscreator as a film-school-like figure who often delved much deeper than surface level when explaining anything. One such concept turns out to be balance in the Force, with Best recalling what Lucas believes this term means:
“Everybody gets this Force thing wrong. This is from him, not from me. Everybody thinks that the balance is the light side and the dark side, that’s not the case. The light side is balanced, the dark side is out of balance. The dark side is easy, it’s accessible, it’s corruption. It’s the easy way out… So when you’re talking about the Force, when you’re talking about being in balance with the Force, it’s not the dark side versus the light side. It’s the light side as balance, and the dark side as being the place you don’t want to go…”
Yin & Yang Is The Wrong Way To Understand The Force
The Force Is Not About A Blend Of Light & Dark
These comments from Lucas via Best prove that viewing the Force in a similar way to the Yin and Yang philosophy may not be accurate. Yin and Yang indicate that light and dark are needed in equal measure for balance, and without one, balance cannot exist. Based on Best’s comments, it seems that the Force is different. Lucas viewed balance in the Force as being purely light, as the dark side is evil, corruptive, and unnatural.Light is what the Jedi strive for and, if they embody such light, they thus embody balancein the Force.
The darkness is there, but choosing to strive for the light is what makes the Jedi of Star Wars heroes, and what allows them to pursue balance in the Force itself…
The Ying and Yang comparison is still interesting, however, as it proves that the Force will always be light and dark. The Force has a dark side, as both thebest and worstStar Warsmovieshave endlessly shown. The dark side will never cease to exist, nor will the light. That said, what matters in regard to restoring balance to the Force is choosing to fight for the light. The darkness is there, but choosing to strive for the light is what makes the Jedi ofStar Warsheroes, and what allows them to pursue balance in the Force itself.
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.
