The Science of Star Wars: The Scientific Facts Behind the Force, Space Travel, and More!

by Mark Brake

According to Qui-Gon Jinn, “Midi-chlorians are a microscopic life-form that reside within all living cells and communicate with the Force…. We are symbionts with them…. Without the midi-chlorians, life could not exist, and we would have no knowledge of the Force.” Although these midi-chlorians are present within all life-forms according to Qui-Gon Jinn, they sadly aren’t present in us. However, when George Lucas devised midi-chlorians, he was inspired by tiny organelles that really do exist in nearly all the cells of our bodies. They’re called mitochondria. Mitochondria act as the power plants for the cells in our bodies. The more mitochondria a person has, the better their endurance performance will be. They are the basis for oxygen-breathing life-forms, generating energy from food. Without them, the majority of life as we know it would not exist. We inherit our mitochondria from our mothers. If midi-chlorians are inherited like mitochondria, then Anakin would have inherited his midi-chlorians from his mother. However, she never exhibited signs of Force sensitivity. The converse argument—that midi-chlorians are passed down by the fathers—falls apart, too, when we consider Kylo Ren’s abilities. It’s possible that midi-chlorians represent a dominant genetic trait, and whoever is stronger with the Force passes on midi-chlorians to their offspring. In Anakin’s case, rumor has it that he was conceived from the Force itself. This supports the realization that Anakin’s midi-chlo...