George Lucas made the “balance of the Force” central to Star Wars. It’s only implicit in the original trilogy, but it became an essential part of the prequels. Anakin Skywalker, the Chosen One, was destined to bring balance to the Force.
The movies themselves never really explained what true “balance” would look like. The Jedi Council ᴀssumed it referred to the destruction of the Sith, but Master Yoda suggested the prophecy could have been misinterpreted. Many viewers have come to believe in a “yin and yang” of the Force, where both light and dark coexist.
George Lucas had a different view, though. He believed that the light side is selfless, and the dark side if selfish; the light works for the good of all, whereas the dark side is essentially parasitic and self-destructive. As he explained in writers’ meetings for Star Wars: The Clone Wars, balance involves rejection of the dark side.
All of which makes the recent trailer for Star Wars: Visions season 3, the next Star Wars TV show, particularly surprising…
Star Wars: Visions Is Taking A Very Different View Of Balance
Star Wars: Visions is a unique TV show, an anthology series where stories aren’t considered canon; rather, different animation houses are given a chance to play in George Lucas’ sandbox. Season 3 will release on October 29, and the recent trailer showcases some stunning scenes.
One particular line of dialogue, clearly presented as Jedi wisdom, is quite striking. “There is no balance without the light and the dark,” the Jedi Master teaches, presenting the dark side not as a perversion or corruption of the Force, but as a necessary part of life.
This is the dark side as the yang to the light side’s yin. According to this view, balance is not the destruction of the dark, but rather putting it in the right place – so it does not dominate.
Star Wars Has Been Heading In This Direction For Some Time
Star Wars: Visions may not be canon, but this line of dialogue is reflecting a change in Force philosophy that’s been coming for a long time. Even George Lucas’ own Star Wars: The Clone Wars set this up when it introduced the Mortis Gods, cosmic avatars of balance, the light side, and the dark.
This saw Anakin Skywalker brought to a mysterious vergence in the Force, the planet Mortis, where he was tested to replace the Father – the avatar of balance – whose role was to hold light and dark in balance, not allowing either to dominate. Ahsoka season 2 is set to explore the Mortis Gods once again, so the idea may come up once more.
Perhaps influenced by The Clone Wars, the Star Wars sequel trilogy hinted at the “yin and yang” view of balance too. A mural of the first (“Prime”) Jedi seen at the temple on Ahch-To showed him as the light in the darkness and the darkness in the light, suggesting the Jedi had lost their way by swearing to the light.
Most recently, Ahsoka season 1 featured the return of Hayden Christensen’s Anakin Skywalker, appearing as a Force Ghost. Unlike traditional Force Ghosts, the Chosen One could manifest both light and dark, even transitioning to the form of Darth Vader for a time. It was a shocking departure from Lucas’ traditions (albeit incredibly cool).
All this means Star Wars: Visions season 3 is simply giving voice to a shift within the lore that’s been happening for a while. It seems the franchise really is moving on from one core Lucas idea.
