Summary
- Midi-chlorians have become a defining aspect of modern Star Wars projects decades after their controversial introduction in The Phantom Menace.
- The divisive concept of Midi-chlorians is vital to Palpatine's resurrection in the prequel trilogy, and the set-up of such an event in Star Wars' various TV shows.
- Midi-chlorians are now a key plot point in Disney's Star Wars content, including The Mandalorian, Star Wars: The Bad Batch, and the wider New Republic era, redeeming their controversial nature in the prequels.
first chronological Star Wars movie introduced the most galaxy-altering aspects when it was released in 1999.
This was divisive as many wrongly assumed Midi-chlorians explained specifically what the Force was.
That said, an Episode I aspect that many doubted would persist in Star Wars was the incredibly divisive concept of Midi-chlorians. Lucas introduced these microscopic organisms that commune with the Force as a way to gauge a being's connection with the mystical energy field; the more Midi-chlorians someone possesses, the stronger they could become in the Force. This was divisive as many wrongly assumed Midi-chlorians explained specifically what the Force was. Regardless of what Midi-chlorians are, their controversial nature is obvious, making it all the more surprising that they are the foundation of modern Star Wars.
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Undoubtedly the most prevalent way Midi-chlorians are shaping modern Star Wars is through Project Necromancer. Project Necromancer has been used in recent stories like The Mandalorian and Star Wars: The Bad Batch as a catch-all term for Palpatine's resurrection, first shown in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. Palpatine being revived in the final film of the Skywalker Saga makes it one of the most integral story points in the entire franchise, with subsequent reveals about how the Sith Lord managed a resurrection being tied directly to Midi-chlorians.
It has been revealed that Palpatine managed to return in Episode IX thanks to cloning technology. However, the Emperor made it clear that his return was only worth orchestrating if his cloned body could possess the Force. This led to Doctor Hemlock's science division shown in Star Wars: The Bad Batch conducting experiments in an attempt to create a clone that could sustain a high M-count - or Midi-chlorian count. Through these canon reveals, it has become clear that the defining villain of the entire Skywalker Saga only returned in the sequels due to Lucas' controversial concept of Midi-chlorians.
Midi-Chlorians Are Essential To The Mandalorian Era
Without the concept of M-count, Star Wars' recent Disney+ success would not have been possible.
As alluded to, Midi-chlorians are also an essential part of The Mandalorian. Since The Mandalorian season 1, the secondary character of the show has been Grogu, the young member of Yoda's species being hunted by Imperial remnants. Due to Grogu's importance to the show and Din Djarin, a central element of the story involves keeping him away from the clutches of the Empire. Eventually, it was revealed that Grogu was being sought after due to his high M-count, both for the further development of Project Necromancer and Moff Gideon's own goal of creating Force-sensitive clones.
Grand iral Thrawn - the main villain of the New Republic era - is expected to be similarly vital to Project Necromancer.
As such, the core story of all three seasons of The Mandalorian thus far has centered around Midi-chlorians. Since 2019, Star Wars' major success has been on Disney+, spearheaded by The Mandalorian. The Mandalorian's success has led to other shows like Ahsoka, The Book of Boba Fett, and Skeleton Crew, as well as theatrical projects like a Mandalorian & Grogu Star Wars movie and Dave Filoni's New Republic film. Without the concept of Midi-chlorians, The Mandalorian era would not have boomed into popularity, further proving the controversial microscopic organisms to be a somewhat hidden pillar of modern Star Wars’ foundations.
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Even Disney's Animated Shows Are Now All About Midi-Chlorians
M-count storylines are now invading the animated world of Star Wars.
If the live-action projects being dominated by Midi-chlorians was not enough proof that they are the foundation of modern Star Wars, the inclusion of the concept in Lucasfilm's animated shows should be. Concerning canon projects, the current animated shows in production are Star Wars: The Bad Batch, Tales of the Jedi, and Young Jedi Adventures. The latter two, as evident by their titles, completely surround Jedi characters, meaning Midi-chlorians are inherently part of both shows.
Even non-canon Star Wars shows like Star Wars Visions feature several Jedi or Force-sensitive characters.
However, Star Wars: The Bad Batch began as a spin-off of Star Wars: The Clone Wars. This meant that the series began as a more grounded, boots-on-the-ground story about soldiers trying to find their place in a galaxy without the war they were created for. That said, the show has slowly but surely begun to tie itself to much larger elements of the Star Wars saga, including Project Necromancer. By the time of Star Wars: The Bad Batch season 3, the story centered around Omega, a female clone, becoming integral to Palpatine's plans for Project Necromancer.
From the appearance of Palpatine himself in the show to Omega and the other clones learning about M-count, Midi-chlorians have infiltrated a show that began as a story devoid of Jedi and the Force. This even led to the appearance of a fan-favorite Star Wars Jedi, Asajj Ventress. In this episode - Star Wars: The Bad Batch season 3, episode 9 - Ventress used the word Midi-chlorian for the first time in Disney Star Wars, which may seem surprising given how integral they are to almost every story since 2012.
Bad Batch Season 3 Episode No. |
Episode Title |
Air Date |
|---|---|---|
10 |
"Identity Crisis" |
04/03/2024 |
11 |
"Point Of No Return" |
04/03/2024 |
12 |
"Juggernaut" |
04/10/2024 |
13 |
"Into The Breach" |
04/17/2024 |
14 |
"Flash Strike" |
04/24/2024 |
15 |
"The Cavalry Has Arrived" |
05/01/2024 |
Has Disney Redeemed George Lucas' Most Controversial Prequel Idea?
Disney has developed the concept of Midi-chlorians more since their controversial debut in Star Wars.
The importance of Midi-chlorians in Disney Star Wars begs the question: has the studio redeemed the most controversial concept of the Star Wars prequels? Firstly, it is a valid argument that Midi-chlorians never needed to be redeemed. A large section of the M-count controversy surrounded a fundamental misunderstanding of the organisms. Many assumed that Midi-chlorians explained what the Force was when, instead, they simply provided a way for the Jedi to commune with the Force. Given this misunderstanding, it can be strongly argued that the concept of Midi-chlorians did not need redemption.
Disney's projects brought the concept back only under the slightly different moniker of M-count and deepened the scientific exploration of Midi-chlorians.
Even with that in mind, Disney has delved deeper into the Midi-chlorians than Lucas ever did. After the outrage surrounding Midi-chlorians, Lucas' further two prequels - Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones and Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith - moved away from the idea of microscopic life-forms. Disney's projects brought the concept back only under the slightly different moniker of M-count and deepened the scientific exploration of Midi-chlorians. In this way, it can certainly be argued that the controversial element of Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace has been redeemed, and immortalized, in Disney Star Wars.
Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace
- Release Date
- May 19, 1999
- Runtime
- 136 minutes
- Director
- George Lucas
Cast
Obi-Wan Kenobi
Qui-Gon Jinn
WHERE TO WATCH
Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace is set in a galaxy facing political turmoil, as Jedi Knights Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi seek peace while encountering Anakin Skywalker, a slave with great potential in the Force. Meanwhile, the Sith begin their resurgence, threatening the stability of the Republic.
- Writers
- George Lucas
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