Movies News Talk
Set 100 years before The Phantom Menace, the Star Wars prequel series The Acolyte has generated some debate by revisiting a controversial idea: Midi-chlorians. You might know them from The Phantom Menace, where they were first presented as a means of Force strength assessment. But why are these tiny creatures once again under focus?
An explanation for Anakin Skywalker's Force potential seemed clear-cut when Qui-Gon Jinn obtained his blood sample and found his high midi-chlorian count. But this concept stirred some feathers since supporters claimed it gave something always more magical a scientific component. Originally dubious about the concept as well, George Lucas thought it might "ruin" Star Wars.
Eventually, the franchise changed its position on midi-chlorians, moving their meaning from direct Force strength to potential. They even disappeared momentarily from the discussion. Then The Acolyte arrived and resolved to focus especially on the fact that Midi-chlorians are indeed a direct gauge of force sensitivity.
The seventh Acolyte episode greatly heightened the debate. It presented a fresh idea known as a "Force vergence," a nexus of strong Force energy, and even demonstrated Jedi using technology to find it. Thus, not only are midi-chlorians back, but also today they seem to be a fundamental component of a scientific method of Force explanation. Some Star Wars fans who lean more toward the more magical side of the franchise will find this modification disruptive.
The last episode of The Acolyte is almost here, thus it's not clear whether we will get more knowledge on midi-chlorian future. The next Star Wars project might either build on or back away from this new conception. Furthermore worth considering is the failure of the Jedi in The Acolyte in their attempt to locate a Force vergence using technology. Perhaps this hints to the Jedi finally turning away from the scientific method for the Force?
Whatever the case, it is evident that the midi-chlorian changes of The Acolyte have sparked an old controversy once more. For a while, Star Wars aficionados will definitely be talking about this.