RoccondilRinon said:

As just as staunch an atheist, I think you're rather missing the point. It's fiction, more to the point it's fantasy, and the Force is one of the most archetypal fantasy elements in there. It loses a LOT of its character if you reduce it to some technobabble that doesn't actually explain anything. Either explain how these midichlorians enable telekinesis, telepathy, precognition and what-have-you, which would take a whole movie in itself, or don't try to handwave it away and instead embrace its fantastic nature.

Replace the word 'midichlorians' in the PT with 'fairiy-elf powder' and it readily becomes apparent that it's not biology or science or any attempt at a real kind of explanation. The existence of midichlorians really only serves a plot point so they could do a "force-test" on Anakin's blood.

It's not technobabble becase knowledge or non-knowledge of the midichlorians has no bearing on the plot or character actions. Anakin never breaks into a lab and takes a syringe full of midichlorians to become more badass, and R2 never reverse the polarity of the midichlorians in order to save the day.