Star Wars is setting up a mᴀssive update to the Force just in time for James Mangold’s upcoming movie, rumored to be тιтled Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi. There are several upcoming Star Wars movies, but until recently, it wasn’t entirely clear which projects were still in the works. However, Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy’s Star Wars movie reveals confirmed that Dawn of the Jedi, along with several other projects, are still in progress.
As the тιтle suggests, Dawn of the Jedi is about the earliest days of the Jedi—specifically, the Prime Jedi. This will be the farthest back Star Wars movies and TV shows have gone by a very far margin, so there are sure to be a number of shocking updates to our understanding of the Jedi and the Force. In advance of that movie, though, Star Wars has already begun to introduce a major update to the origins of the Force itself.
Palpatine Sensed The Origin Of The Force… & It Was Dark
We’ve Always ᴀssumed The Light Side Was First, But That May Not Be The Case
It has always seemed as though the light side came before the dark side. Although it’s never been explicitly stated in Star Wars, it has felt most logical that the darkness rose up to push back against the light (something that has since been established to take place cyclically in the Force), but that the light side predated the dark. Yet, Star Wars has now introduced multiple stories that suggest otherwise.
It has always seemed as though the light side came before the dark side.
One such story is the canon Star Wars novel Aftermath: Empire’s End, written by Chuck Wendig. In the book, Palpatine senses the following:
“The Emperor was convinced that something waited for him out there — some origin of the Force, some dark presence formed of malevolent substance. He said he could feel the waves of it radiating out now that the way was clear. The Emperor called it a signal — conveniently one that only he could hear. Even his greatest enforcer, Vader, seemed oblivious to it, and Vader also claimed mastery over the dark Force, did he not? Rax believed Palpatine had gone mad.”
This text heavily hints that the very origins of the Force may have been dark in nature—so dark, in fact, that only Palpatine could sense it. Even Darth Vader, one of Star Wars’ most powerful Sith, could not.
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This would truly flip the Force and the Jedi on their heads, as it suggests that the Force may have been wielded by dark side Force users long before the Jedi came along. What exactly that timeline would look like remains to be seen, although Dawn of the Jedi would be the perfect time to explore just how the light side of the Force rose up. Some Star Wars stories, such as the Ahsoka show, have already laid the groundwork for what that could entail.
Ahsoka Hinted The Dark Side May Have Come Before The Light
The Nightsisters Of Peridea Predate The Jedi
Ahsoka introduced the Nightsisters of Peridea, thereby revealing that the Nightsisters of Dathomir had originated from this new and mysterious Star Wars planet. In addition to providing that background information on some of Star Wars’ most interesting Force users, Ahsoka confirmed that the Nightsisters of Peridea predate the Jedi in Star Wars. This is particularly relevant given the Nightsisters are known to wield the dark side of the Force.
Yet again, this seems to suggest that the dark side of the Force came before the light. One counterpoint to this possibility is the fact that the Force exists beyond the Jedi, so it may very well be that there were light side Force users who existed when the Nightsisters of Peridea did, but they may not have been Jedi. If there were organized clans of dark side Force users such as the Nightsisters, though, presumably light side Force users would want to similarly come together.
This seems to suggest that the dark side of the Force came before the light.
Star Wars Doubles Down On A Dark Origin For The Force
Star Wars Has Introduced Yet Another Story Reinforcing This Origin
The canon Star Wars graphic novel Star Wars: Hyperspace Stories – Qui-Gon, written by George Mann, has reinforced a dark side origin of the Force as well. The book introduces a thousand-year-old cult, the Brotherhood of the Ninth Door, which was founded by Sarasti Thel, a man who sought to discover the origins of the Force itself. On that quest for information, Thel uncovered “ancient” and “dangerous truths.”
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Thel ultimately had these mysterious truths buried with him to ensure they did not end up in the wrong hands, although members of the Brotherhood of the Ninth Door took that one step further by outright destroying what Thel had uncovered. Although the exact knowledge Thel discovered remains unknown, the novel did provide some fascinating insight pertaining to the origins of the Force. Specifically, Hyperspace Stories – Qui-Gon reveals that the Brotherhood had very different—and telling—notions of the Force.
According to the book, the Brotherhood of the Ninth Door did not share the Jedi’s binary view of the Force. Instead, the text explained:
“Unlike the Jedi, the Brotherhood does not see a distinction between the light and dark sides of the Force. To us, it is all just the Force, and as such, all of it might be harnessed for good or for ill.”
This once again suggests that, for many outside the Jedi, the ‘dark side’ is inherent in the Force and has always been present. Of course, this also complicates the notion of the Force on another—but equally fascinating—level.
What Does All This Mean For James Mangold’s Movie?
Dawn Of The Jedi Could Completely Change Our Understanding Of The Force
All these stories set up thrilling possibilities for Dawn of the Jedi. Clearly, the origins of the Force are still very mysterious, and while Dawn of the Jedi will be focused on the origins of the Prime Jedi, that will inherently mean an exploration of the Force as well. The question that emerges for me is: Will Dawn of the Jedi reveal that the Jedi rose up in response to the dark?
Will Dawn of the Jedi reveal that the Jedi rose up in response to the dark?
That’s entirely speculative at this stage, but it does seem possible given all that has been suggested about the Force in these stories. While it may have long seemed as though the light side came first, there’s plenty of evidence that may not be the case—whether it was the dark side of the Force existing first or, in keeping with the mentality of the Brotherhood of the Ninth Door, the Force not being as binary as it may now seem.
Whether that’s the case or not, Dawn of the Jedi is primed to be groundbreaking. As mentioned, this movie will be considerably further back in the Star Wars timeline than any other Star Wars movie or show thus far. This will no doubt mean a number of significant reveals, not only regarding the origins of the Jedi but also about the larger Star Wars galaxy during that era.
Presumably, this will include the Force itself as well as some dark side Force users—perhaps entirely new groups of Force users. I, for one, can’t wait to see all that this entails. It would completely flip the Force on its head should Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi reveal that the dark side came before the light, but several Star Wars stories are heavily hinting that could be the case.
