JasonN said:

In either case, midiclorians serve absolutely no purpose to the plot and can easily be removed from all three films without it affecting the story at all.

Yeah, but at first midichliorians had a purpose. Palpatine creating Anakin through midichlorians (and in a way it is what he says to Anaking in the opera scene if we read between the line).

But this explanation was abandoned god knows why. Maybe because it would be hard for the audience to believe that Palpatine also oversaw Qui Gonn would finding Anakin on Tatooin etc...