A question for force experts

[Daniel Imura]

I just got to thinking about the Eragon series recently. First of all, if you haven't read it, drop everything and do so. It's fantastic. Anyway, I was thinking about how in the book, Eragon learns to store excess energy from his own reserves into gems for later use, and it got me scratching my chin a little. Is this possible in Star Wars, to store force energy into items for later use? I know about imbuing objects to make them stronger, but what if you could call upon a pool of force energy already stored in an object, and add it to your own strength? I imagine one could do pretty crazy things with this. Granted, it would definitely have to be watched if it was used on the board, so as to avoid someone going all god-mode.

 

[Kurayami Bloodborn]

It does seem like something that would be a possibility. However I would think that to do so would require intimate knowledge of the material you were storing the energy in, especially if it were in something like a crystal. Of course this leads to a possible weakness for any item that was subbed using such a technique, with that being that the item would lose a bit of durability the more energy was stored within(this might be one that came into play as the energy within was drawn back out of the object). In addition if one tried to charge the item too quickly it could cause the item to shatter, possibly injuring or even killing the user. This would also be something that would hamper someone trying to keep their Force presence on the down low given that you are using an object as a capacitor of sorts for Force energy. That being said, I don't think the idea is a bad one, but a bit of refining and clearly defined limitations/weaknesses would be helpful in fleshing it out more.

 

[Teynara Jeralyr]

[member="Daniel Imura"]

I can certainly see it being possible: artifacts 'enchanted' using Sith Alchemy invariably contain Force energy, so it wouldn't be hard to imagine someone creating a fragile crystal that could be crushed in one hand that might then release the energies contained within. I could see it happening.

That said, you have a slightly different problem with such a thing: the upper limit of Force energy usage isn't concentrated around the levels of energy within a given area (which would suggest that the Force could be 'depleted' in a given location if drawn upon excessively), but rather upon the body's ability to channel it. This is part of the reason you see a marked difference in strength between Acolytes, Knights and Masters: the latter have more experience with channeling Force energy, and their bodies are more accustomed to it, so they are able to channel more energy (and for longer) than their less experienced counterparts before suffering negative/deleterious effects. That starts out with fatigue, and then slowly ends with organ failure, metabolic shutdown and death, in extreme cases. An apprentice trying to cast Force Storm would probably be killed by it, for example: too much energy for their body to safely channel.

Now, if you've got an item that supplies you with additional energy (thus, augmenting the amount your body possesses at any one time) still presents the problem of channeling it: you use a little energy, then suddenly gain a massive boost through the item you mentioned. That energy must be used, and therefore channeled into something. Perhaps you use a telekinetic blast, perhaps you augment your physical attributes, perhaps you unleash a burst of Force Lightning sufficient to fry every bone in your opponent's body. But what will the effect of that energy be on you? A Master might cope with a sudden 'power surge' and only suffer fatigue or by becoming a little unwell, but an apprentice might potentially end up severely drained or even fatally injured.

Ultimately, most Force Users are capable of drawing on a good deal of energy, but their bodies will only be able to channel so much: it would be rare indeed if they needed more energy than they could draw upon and safely use that additional energy. Strikes me as potentially dubious.

 

[Valiens Nantaris]

[member="Daniel Imura"]
My Jedi Master uses Alkahest (Light Alchemy) to store energy in crystals.

It dissipates over time however, and is more for use in Alkahest items.

Canon wise? Not so much.

 

[Samara Galloway]

I've personally never heard of an application like that. However, it does sound like it could be a combination of several force powers. So I can't see a reason why your character can't develop the technique. The trick is to have limits on it, whether it be a limit of the character or what the power can do. To borrow a line from a TV show that strangely applies here "Magic always has a price".