Deep in the GalaxyThings you (probably) didn't know about the people, places, creatures, droids, organizations, and other things in the Star Wars universe.
There are so many Force-sensitive characters in the annals of Star Wars, it can be quite hard to keep track. You've got Luke Skywalker, Yoda, and the rest of the light-side Jedi. You've got Sidious, Plagueis, and the rest of the dark-side Sith. And you've got the people who vacillate between the light and dark like Anakin Skywalker and Ben Solo.
But what about those delightful few Star Wars characters who are Force-sensitive but don't align with either the Jedi or the Sith? You know, groups like the Dagoyan Order and the Nightsisters. Beloved characters like Chirrut Îmwe and Maz Kanata. And oft-forgotten characters like Chava the Wise and Temiri Blagg. Get ready to travel to a galaxy far, far away and ignore all talk about midi-chlorians… let's run through the Star Wars characters who are sensitive to the Force without being a Jedi or Sith.
If the Force is the religion of the Star Wars galaxy, think of the Dagoyan Order as its monks. Yeah, people like to think of the Jedi as a group of “warrior monks,” but hear us out. Instead of focusing on either the light or dark aspects of the Force, the Dagoyans merely seek a personal connection to it centered around meditation and complete nonviolence. This Order desires not to bring the Force into the physical world but to tap into the more spiritual side of it. See? Monks!
Julia, queen of the planet known as Bardotta, is a member of the Dagoyan Order. Julia and the rest of the Order have a starring role in the sixth season of Star Wars: The Clone Wars during the two-part episode, “The Disappeared.” Jar Jar Binks, of all people, is called upon by the queen to help in a time of need. Why didn't she call upon the Jedi, you ask? Well, the Bardottans didn't really get along with the Jedi at that time after they became known for bringing Force-sensitive Bardottans into the Jedi Order. Politics, man.
Trigger warning: It's time to talk about the Disney Star Wars trilogy now. Some of you out there really don't like these movies, and that's okay! Like what you like. Let's just keep things civil, yeah? The great John Boyega, star of Attack the Block and Detroit, portrays Finn (or FN-2187, if you're nasty) in the controversial sequel trilogy. Taken from his family at a young age, Finn was trained around the clock to become a stormtrooper in the First Order's burgeoning army. Not exactly the kind of picturesque childhood parents dream about for their kids.
Of course, if Finn had stayed a stormtrooper, he'd likely be dead, and we wouldn't be talking about him right now. Instead, Finn rebelled against the First Order in The Force Awakens and found himself becoming fast friends with Rey through some fancy screenwriting happenstance. Though obviously never trained by any Jedi or Sith, Finn is also Force-sensitive. This was highlighted not only by him being able to sense Kylo Ren's presence at one point, but also when he felt Rey's demise through the Force, as well.
Where are all the Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order fans at? The 2019 Respawn Entertainment video game has a ton of admirers, and for good reason. It's a very solid game. Jetsetting around the galaxy with Cal Kestis, Cere Junda, Greez Dritus, and the adorable BD-1 is a pure delight. Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order also introduced us to Merrin, a Dathomirian Nightsister who ends up befriending Kestis on his journey.
Although not a traditional Sith or Jedi, Merrin's power set as a Nightsister is quite vast. Not only can she teleport and throw energy blasts, but she can also resurrect dead Nightsisters. That is some serious power right there. Throughout Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, she also showcases her abilities of ground manipulation and sensor-cloaking, too. Basically, whatever Respawn Entertainment needs her to do, she can do. And it kind of rules.
Maz Kanata has to be one of the most interesting characters introduced in the Disney era of Star Wars media. Not only is she portrayed by the eternally underrated Lupita Nyong'o, but the 4-foot-tall alien is also over a thousand years old by the time The Force Awakens comes around in the Star Wars timeline. That means she has been around for everything! She was around for the High Republic. She was around for the Galactic Civil War. She was around for the Galactic Empire. She was around for the New Republic. Always in the background doing her thing, Kanata is one of a kind.
She's also Force-sensitive! You don't survive centuries of galactic upheaval by pure accident, after all. Able to use the Force to sense changes before they came about, Kanata used her gift to become a so-called “pirate queen.” If you weren't on board for a straight-up Maz Kanata-centric Disney+ series set before all the films, you should be now. Give us a pirate queen television series! She can also sense people in her general vicinity, like when she knew Han Solo arrived at her cantina on Takodana in The Force Awakens.
Question: Who is the best character from Rogue One: A Star Wars Story? Answer: Donnie Yen's Chirrut Îmwe, and it's not even close. Diego Luna's Cassian Andor may be getting a Disney+ series, Alan Tudyk's K-2SO may be the fan favorite, and Riz Ahmed's Bodhi Rook may be the dark-horse candidate, but it has to be Îmwe. How many blind Star Wars characters have you seen whip the crap out of multiple stormtroopers at once? Yeah, stormtroopers are basically useless fodder to be eliminated by heroes, but still!
Played by the Ip Man himself, Chirrut Îmwe claims on numerous occasions, “I'm one with the Force, and the Force is with me.” Who are we to argue? Îmwe was also a member of the Guardians of the Whills, a group of warrior monks whose only goal was to protect the Temple of the Kyber on Jedha. Who needs Jedi training when you can use simple meditation and a wooden staff to defeat your enemies?
Seen in a few episodes of Star Wars Rebels, Chava the Wise was a Lasat who revered the Force above all else. But calling it “the Force” is too boring for someone like Chava. No, like other Lasat mystics, she referred to the Force as “Ashla," which is both a better name in that it sounds cooler and a worse name in that it is far less descriptive.
Chava was always seen carrying her Ashla Staff, which could interact with certain aspects of the Force. Perhaps unsurprisingly seeing as she was a diminutive, elderly woman, Chava was a complete pacifist. You don't need to use violence yourself when the main character of Star Wars Rebels will do all your fighting for you! What a narrative loophole you've discovered there, Chava.
