The Force is a metaphysical energy field that envelops (and therefore originates in) the Star Wars continuum. It is the source of all power for the Jedi and the Sith, and is intimately connected to all life in that universe. Anakin Skywalker is said to have been conceived by midi-chlorians, the biological manifestation of the Force.
It can be said that the Force is the Star Wars version of "magic," because aside from a few pseudoscientific blips, it functions in mysterious and unknown ways, not unlike magic. It is interesting to note that the description of "midi-chlorians" was not implemented until the prequel trilogy. There was a massive outcry from fans at the introduction of this near-science concept and there still is a deep, lingering resentment in some fans at George Lucas for making the Force less mysterious, and for creating some kind of biological marker for it—sometimes compared to the mark of a "master race" or "masterkind" in the continuum. As of the classic trilogy, use of the Force was more like a lost martial art or discipline rather than an innate superpower like the magic of Harry Potter. Some Force powers were also established as only affecting the weak-minded in the original trilogy, something which seems to have fallen by the wayside.
However it works, doing stupid things with the Force in the Star Wars canon is very widespread, yet still very stupid, and destroying, modifying, or changing the Force—practically uprooting the entire Star Wars setting—is an enormous charge.
The Force and the PPC[]
As such an integral concept to a major continuum, the Force is something the PPC has to deal with regularly. Agents working Star Wars missions often have to deal with Force-using Sues and Stus, and should be familiar with methods of combating the Force, such as using Ysalamiri; disguising oneself as a Jedi or Sith also imparts temporary ability to use the Force, for those not already Force-sensitive[source, please!], and disguising as (or being) an Yuuzhan Vong grants immunity to most Force powers. Several creatures, such as the Voxyn and Terentatek, hunt Force-users and are highly resistant or even immune to the Force, which can be used to an agent's advantage. There are also some artifacts in canon that grant Force-sensitivity, such as the mask of Darth Nihilus or the Scepter of Ragnos, and the canon has a few ways to artificially infuse people with the Force, such as when the Dark Jedi Desann created his army of Reborn with the power of the Valley of the Jedi. It should be noted that these things only exist in the Legends continuity (formerly known as the EU) unless shown otherwise in future installments of the main canon; this should not be too problematic for a while, because most fics have elements of the Legends continuity in them and PPC technology can probably access both versions of the continuum.
Force-sensitive Agents[]
Several agents and staff from Star Wars are capable of using the Force; most famously, the Mysterious Somebody took over the PPC after being rescued from a badfic by using his Force abilities to drive much of HQ's population insane, including some Flowers. Despite this, Flowers are notably resistant to the Force under most circumstances; while they can be directly harmed with Force abilities, and can be persuaded to action or emotionally influenced by a sufficiently powerful user, by the Mysterious Somebody's own admission a Flower's psychic abilities and the alien makeup of their minds renders them largely immune to direct mental control.
Other Force-users in the PPC include:
- Bryndan Kern
- Cavan Shenn
- Darion Shadowflame
- Darius Deo
- Kath
- Rilwen Shadowflame
- Tanar Lok
- Tira Avrona
- Vander Lorren