I still don’t like the idea of midichlorians. From the OT we knew there was a likelihood of Force wielding abilities being inherited, but it was never so explicitly made scientific. There was a mysteriousness about it all.
The closest I can think of right now is Thor’s hammer, Mjolnir. If you’re worthy, you can lift it. It implies that even if you’re not worthy now, you can work to improve yourself and eventually become worthy. If they made some sort of biological explanation to it, well it says you’re just plain not worthy and never will be, no matter how much you try.
Not saying everyone should be able to use the Force, but at least don’t make it come down to a blood test. Either leave it mysterious or let it be something very difficult to attain. Worthy traits are often inherited, but are not the be all end all.
Like several of the posts in this thread - well said, mate. As said by someone else on the site elsewhere, yet can’t quite remember by who…
‘Capability in the force had nothing to do with midichlorians before they were introduced in TPM.’
As previously mentioned, you have to wonder why introducing midichlorians to the Star Wars universe in 1999 was done in such an underwhelming / ham-fisted way. That’s without even getting on to the Whills - as later explained by George offscreen.
It is a shame George had three whole films to introduce his new idea of midichlorians (circa mid-1990’s) at the time, yet neglected to even include the Whills, or introduce his notion of there now being a ‘cosmic force’ and a ‘personal force’ etc - and instead… we got MidichlorianXP blood tests. It would have been somewhat intriguing to see George attempt to put that in place in these films aimed at 10 year olds - and also somehow pull it off.
Actually we do.
The Cosmic Force was first mentioned in A New Hope, albeit taken out:
No, we don’t. As you say… it was taken out:-
So George then had three Prequel films to get his ideas and notions on the force across - including his new mid-1990’s invention of ‘midichlorians’, as per…
It is a shame George had three whole films to introduce his new idea of midichlorians (circa mid-1990’s) at the time, yet neglected to even include the Whills, or introduce his notion of there now being a ‘cosmic force’ and a ‘personal force’ etc - and instead… we got MidichlorianXP blood tests. It would have been somewhat intriguing to see George attempt to put that in place in these films aimed at 10 year olds - and also somehow pull it off.
And instead he only did MidichlorianXP blood tests.
The Whills were also mentioned in the very first Star Wars novelisation. They’re some of the oldest and least known or talked about lore.
Qui-Gon also explains things to Yoda in The Clone Wars:
Yes, I know. I’ve read it (the novelisation) a few times over the years 😃 . Though again, as originally stated, not in the films.
He pulled back from going further into these things in the subsequent two Prequels because of the hostility he got from some fans. He was going to gradually reveal more with each subsequent film in the trilogy.
The Whills are actually mentioned in some context in the Revenge of the Sith script and junior novel:
As above, he had three films to explain his ideas and notions - as I originally said… they didn’t appear in his films.
I’ve seen George since claim he ‘pulled back’ from going further into these things because of hostility from some fans. Yet it doesn’t really jive with George’s words and actions around the time of planning and making the Prequels…
Quotes such as…
George Lucas: “But I want it to be the way I want it to be. I’m the one who has to take responsibility for it. I’m the one who has to have everybody throw rocks at me all the time, so at least if they’re going to throw rocks at me, they’re going to throw rocks at me for something I love rather than something I think is not very good”…
or
Interviewer: “Do you pay much attention to fan reactions to your choices?”
Lucas: “Not really. The movies are what the movies are. … The thing about science-fiction fans and “Star Wars” fans is they’re very independent-thinking people. They all think outside the box, but they all have very strong ideas about what should happen, and they think it should be their way. Which is fine, except I’m making the movies, so I should have it my way.”
and…
Ultimatums to VFX and CGI crew to do scenes ‘exactly’ as George wanted… or leave (specifically as to scenes with Yoda spinning around with a lightsabre in AOTC), yet there are more instances and reports of similar ‘George’s way or the highway’ scenarios.
So, to say George suddenly started listening to fans during this, for something seemingly quite important to George, that this was the reason he then didn’t include it… doesn’t quite ring true. Others around George, producers included, could not reign him in, including some aspects where even George later admits in some places he may have ‘went too far’…
If George had wanted these notions and ideas in his films - he’d have put them in.
(and if George listened to his fans, then fans all over the world who want to see a quality, modern, official unaltered theatrical version of the Original Trilogy… would be able to do so right now, yes?) 😉
Anyway, I think we may be getting a little off-topic from the OP’s original point - that ‘midichlorians are not the force’, that ‘they are separate entities’. Both true.
Though from memory, many people’s issues with the midichlorians first appearance in the films, in TPM, was not because of that… or some perceived misunderstanding that they were somehow the same thing. Or ‘everybody just turned their brain off as soon as Qui-Gon started talking’ if they thought midichlorians may have taken something away from the ‘mysticism of the force.’
Though I’ll leave that for others to discuss. 👍