In Star Wars, there is a concept known as “the force.” The force is described as an energy field which permeates the Star Wars universe, connecting all living and nonliving things.
Although “the force” exists inside all beings, the Jedi, who are like “warrior monks who keep peace in the universe,” are specially trained to connect to it (Duncan, 2020). This grants them incredible, seemingly supernatural abilities known as “force powers.”
“The Force is what gives a Jedi his power." - Obi-Wan Kenobi (Star Wars IV)
There’s two basic types these: “force sense” and “force alter.” Together, they allow Jedi to perceive and affect objects, events, and beings—at a distance! Sound familar? Take a look at each:
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Force Sense — The ability to sense the force, the omni-present energy field that permeates the Star Wars universe, connecting all living and nonliving things. This allows Jedi and Sith to perceive distant events in past, present, and future (clairvoyance, precognition, retrocognition), have vague gut feelings about impeding danger (intuition), perceive the thoughts and feelings of other living beings (telepathic communication), and even perceive the dead—which live through the force (mediumship).
“Through the force, things you will see. Other places. The future, the past. Old friends, long gone.” - Yoda (Star Wars V)
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Force Alter — The ability to alter the force, the omni-present energy field that permeates the Star Wars universe, connecting all living and nonliving things. This enables Jedi and Sith to levitate objects (telekinesis), and control the minds of other living beings (telepathic control).
“The student's ability to modify the Force and redistribute its energies.” — Jedi Master Bodo Baas (Windham, 2007)
There’s many examples of all of them throughout the Star Wars Movies.
Think of Darth Vader choking people to death at a distance (telekinesis). Think of everytime someone said, “I have a bad feeling about this” (intuition). Think of whenever a Jedi saw the ghostly form of their deceased master (mediumship). Think of whenever so-called “Jedi mind trick,” where a Jedi moved their hand across someone’s face and says some command (e.g., "these are not the droids you're looking for”), telepathically influenced the thoughts and perceptions of that individual (telepathic control). Or, everytime someone felt “a disturbance in the force,” like when nearly all of the Jedi throughout the galaxy were killed in Order 66, and Yoda felt physical pain, literally clutching his chest, knowing some shit went down—despite the fact that he was thousands of light-years away.
Think of these abilties as sensing and creating “ripples” in the omnipresent energy field that is the force. Every event makes ripples, some can be sensed by trained Jedi and Sith. They too can make big enough ripples to affect objects and beings, essentially bending the force to their will.
“I felt a great disturbance in the force, as if millions of voices cried out in terror and were suddenly silenced.” - Obi Wan Kenobi after a planet was destroyed, killing millions (Star Wars IV)
Okay enough Star Wars. Back to real life. “The force” concept is actually similar to our notion of quantum fields in quantum physics. These are hypothetical fields at the subatomic level of reality, which extend to all points in space and time. Every particle in the universe (eg., electrons, protons) is thought to be a vibrational ripple of an underlying quantum field (e.g., electron field, proton field). And, since we’re all made of particles, these fields may also connect all and nonliving things!
What’s more, quantum particles/fields can affect each other across vast distances, and even time! (ie., “spooky action at a distance”). So, hypothetically speaking, we can think of psychic abilities as something akin to sensing and creating ripples in our universal force—quantum fields. Specifically, using quantum fields, along with some biological mechanism that connects them to our brain and nervous system, to remotely sense things distant in space and time (“ESP”), or remotely manipulate them (“PK”). This is all hypothetical of course, but it’s an interesting connection that might one day be tied to a real physical mechanism that explains these abilities. Only time will tell….
"Crazy thing is... It's true. The Force, the Jedi... all of it. It's all true.” - Han Solo (Star Wars: The Force Awakens)
