Star Wars: 10 Greatest Disturbances In The Force
There's conflict across the cosmos. Have you felt it?
Great epics have compelling internal and external conflicts, and in Star Wars the Force is an expository tool for both. Externally, the Force indiscriminately supports each side in the titular wars and is used to outsmart enemies and predict outcomes in battles, combat, and coercion. However, the most fundamental use of the Force involves an inner ability to sense disturbances which span the galaxy and affect every living thing.
As an internal process, the ability to sense disturbances illustrates Yoda's teachings about energy over matter and how luminous beings exist within the Force and are aligned with it. Throughout the stories in Star Wars, disturbances are important for informing characters and affecting outcomes. Even though disturbances may not be as visually exciting as the practical powers applied in action sequences, they define and illustrate the Force's connective properties.
There are two types of disturbances, those caused by catastrophes and those caused by the presence of a Force sensitive character, usually a powerful Jedi or Sith. The following examination ranks the ten most important disturbances in Star Wars.
10. The Death Star Destroys Alderaan
The first time we are introduced to disturbances in the Force occurs when Obi-Wan senses the destruction of Alderaan. His worrisome words depict how the Force allows him to not only recognize significant events happening from far away, he can actually feel the inhabitants' horror just before they die as well.
Consider how revealing Kenobi's reaction is about the incredible power of the Force; a person can actually sense something from across the galaxy. The destruction of Alderaan is one of the most iconic scenes in Star Wars and the disturbance it creates in the Force is one of those movie moments that define the saga's originality.
It is with this disturbance we realize that the Force is not restricted to close proximities, but is rather an expansive and unlimited power. Alec Guinness' poignant performance helps define how the Force affects and informs, so when we go back and see events such as Obi-Wan turning up just in time to rescue Luke from a Tusken raider, we know it was not coincidence but divine intervention.