Star Wars just introduced an incredible new use of Force lightning, one I’m desperate to see on the screen. According to Palpatine, the dark side of the Force is a pathway to abilities many would consider unnatural. He made that abundantly clear when he confronted Luke Skywalker in Return of the Jedi, using the Force to generate a blitz of lightning.
Weirdly, Palpatine’s Force lightning seems to be his worst enemy. Mace Windu reflected the blasts back at him in Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, and Rey used the Emperor’s own lightning to destroy him in The Rise of Skywalker. This particular Force power may be devastating, but it seems to have its downsides. It is also, surprisingly, a lot more versatile than the movies have hinted…
Azlin Rell Used Force Lightning In A Unique Way
Claudia Gray’s new Star Wars novel, Into the Light, features a former Jedi named Azlin Rell who has fallen to the dark side after an encounter with the Force predators known as the Nameless. The book sees Rell – an unlikely ally for the Jedi who is needed due to his experience of the Nameless – help during a mission to Kashyyyk. At one point, he has to make a hurried descent from the Wookiee village, and he takes an unusual approach:
“Some few Jedi could levitate; Azlin was not among them. However, the dark side had given him gifts of his own, not entirely within his control but exhilarating nonetheless. He flung his arms wide, feeling electric bursts of power crackling around him, each branch and spark tethering him to a new branch or trunk, one after another, all the way down. Azlin couldn’t see what it looked like: a human-sized lightning storm, descending as slowly and gently as a falling leaf.”
I love the image of Azlin Rell essentially becoming a human lightning bolt, using the Force lightning to ground himself. It’s a wonderfully creative use of a well-established dark side power. Most importantly, though, it offers a tantalizing hint about the true nature of Force lightning.
Star Wars Just Hinted Why Palpatine Couldn’t Control His Lightning
Notice the precise wording here; that the Force lightning is “not entirely within [Azlin’s] control but exhilarating nonetheless.“ There have been many previous hints that Force lightning is so exhilarating it is almost addictive; Palpatine actually kept a Sith relic in his office that he used to channel the power whenever he needed releases. You get the same sense with Azlin Rell; that the release is an incredible experience, and that the very sense of losing control contributes to it.
That would explain why Palpatine fell foul of his own lightning – twice. He couldn’t quite control it, and yet he couldn’t resist the feeling that came as he unleashed it. No wonder Palpatine’s greatest, most notable power became his greatest weakness in Star Wars.
Star Wars
- Created by
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George Lucas
- First Film
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Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope
- Cast
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Mark Hamill, James Earl Jones, David Prowse, Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford, Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, Ian McDiarmid, Ewan McGregor, Rosario Dawson, Lars Mikkelsen, Rupert Friend, Moses Ingram, Frank Oz, Pedro Pascal
- TV Show(s)
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The Mandalorian, Andor, Obi-Wan Kenobi, The Book of Boba Fett, Ahsoka, The Acolyte, Star Wars: Skeleton Crew, Lando, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Star Wars Rebels, Star Wars: The Bad Batch, Star Wars: Resistance, Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures, Star Wars: Visions
- Character(s)
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Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Rey Skywalker, Emperor Palpatine / Darth Sidious, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Ahsoka Tano, Grand Admiral Thrawn, Grand Inquisitor, Reva (The Third Sister), The Fifth Brother, The Seventh Sister, The Eighth Brother, Yoda, Din Djarin, Grogu, Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader, Leia Organa, Ben Solo/Kylo Ren
