When Yoda gave what has come to be known as his ‘luminous beings’ speech in Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, he managed to explain the Force better than anyone else. The Force is an omnipresent power woven through the Star Wars universe. In the expanded universe, the Force has been categorized in several ways, but the two most notable aspects explored in live-action are its light and dark sides. The Sith exploit the dark side to chase power, while the Jedi utilize the light side to protect others. While many have tried to pin down succinctly what the Force is, none have done it better than Master Yoda.
During Luke Skywalker’s training on Dagobah, Luke was given his second lesson in the Force – the first was from Obi-Wan Kenobi. When explaining that “size matters not,” Yoda says: “... my ally is the Force, and a powerful ally it is. Life creates it, makes it grow. Its energy surrounds us and binds us. Luminous beings are we, not this crude matter. You must feel the Force around you; here, between you, me, the tree, the rock, everywhere...” While a short speech, it captures the essence of the Force and exactly what director George Lucas wanted it to be.
Why Yoda's "Luminous Beings" Speech Is So Good
The Force has clear parallels to several real-world religions and understandings of our universe. It could be argued that it resonates with audiences so well because it bears the hallmarks of most of the mainstream religions, most notably Buddhism, and is accessible to all. George Lucas drew inspiration from the ying and yang in Eastern philosophy (light and dark), the Hinduism concept of Brahman energy, that unifies all; and the idea that people are more than just “crude matter” clearly comes from Buddhism. Much like religion, the Force saw s of it fracture into different factions, including Star Wars' own Force cult.
Yoda’s speech is so good because it captures all that the Force is, clearly and concisely, without ruining its mystique. He leaves the true meaning and purpose of the Force open to interpretation. He explains its omnipresence, its power and where it comes from, explaining the power of the Force and its connection to not just him, but all living things. He gives the Force weight without needing to define its boundaries too clearly. His speech is so good because it is simple and defined, but accessible to all who reach out for it, much like the Force itself.
Yoda's Speech Is Still Star Wars' Best Explanation Of The Force
There have been several other attempts by notable Star Wars characters to try and define or explain the Force. The first example of this was also Luke’s first lesson in the Force, and it came courtesy of Obi-Wan Kenobi. In ‘Ben’ Kenobi was a true hermit and thoroughly out of touch with the rest of humanity. His experiences of the Force seemed to be distant memories and his explanation of it was almost too simple, and entirely too vague. Obi-Wan said of the Force: “It’s an energy field created by all living things and binds the galaxy together.” Clipped and shallow, it offered no insight into how philosophically important the Force is to the universe or the audience.
While Obi-Wan's description was vague, Qui-Gon Jinn’s was franchise-ruiningly clinical. Audiences were decidedly split over the existence of midi-chlorians being crowbarred into the Star Wars universe in Star Wars' Force by explaining it through the existence of midi-chlorians, “microscopic life-forms that reside within all living cells”. While midi-chlorians are not the genesis of the Force – they are simply a conduit – their existence was entirely unnecessary and audiences didn’t require a scientific explanation for how the Force is accessed.
How Rey & Luke's Scene Compares To Yoda In Empire
In Star Wars' obsession with the Force completely.
Unfortunately, Luke muddies the water with his reference to balance. A balance suggests a movement of energy, and it’s not clear whether he is referring to an internal balance, or an external one. His comment that the Force does not “belong to the Jedi” suggests an external one, but this allows Rey to dip into the pre-existent dark side almost immediately. Yoda’s message in Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back is more a message of comfort and trumps Luke’s description both in delivery and content. As such, it remains the best explanation of the Force put to film in the franchise so far.
