Star Warscanon has set up the return of one of the most terrifying SithForce powersof all. The dark side of the Force isa pathway to many abilities some consider to be unnatural, as Palpatine told Anakin Skywalker inStar Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith. He was specifically thinking about his own quest for immortality, while simultaneously encouraging Anakin to pursue the dark side. But the various abilities Palpatine sought were only some of the more disturbing Force powers available to the Sith.
We saw a taste of them inStar Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, when Palpatine used Force Drain to draw the power of the entireForce Dyadinto himself. As impressive as such powers may be, though, there are others even more terrifying - for in Legends, the Sith used the dark side to trigger actual supernovas. Looking back,Star Warsn canon has set up the return of a power on just such a spectacular scale.
Mechu-Deru Is One Of The Most Terrifying Legends Force Powers
A chilling Force power that can be used to create vast armies
Both Legends and canon have strongly implied that the Sith sought secrets of genetic engineering and cloning, using stolen alchemical processes to transform living beings into hideous monsters such as the Terentatek. In Legends, some Sith went one step further; they figured out how to use the Force to influence wires and circuitry too. “The Sith somehow stumbled upon the ability to manipulate mechanicals of complex nature through the Force,” one Jedi explained.
This arcane art is known as mechu-deru, which begins with an intuitive understanding of any and all mechanical systems. Advanced practitioners of mechu-deru can use the Force to bind mechanical objects (or droids) to the dark side, infusing them with the Force and turning them into powerful, corrupt talismans.Some Sith went one step further, blending dark-side-imbued technology with mutated beings to create monsters called Technobeasts.
Many practitioners of mechu-deru sought to bridge the gap between the Force and technology by implanting cybernetic circuits in their brains.
The Force binds all living things together, but it is generally absent from technology - a key point inStar Warslore, where George Lucas deliberately set up the dynamics of a technologically-advanced Empire attempting to destroy lavish, natural worlds. In Legends, many practitioners of mechu-deru sought to bridge the gap between the Force and technology by implanting cybernetic circuits in their brains. But canon has made it even easier.
Star Wars Canon Has Brought Back The Ability To Manipulate Technology With The Force
It’s how Anakin Skywalker created C-3PO
Star Warscanon has implicitly brought back the first stage of mechu-deru, the level at which a Force-sensitive can intuitively understand machinery and technology. This Force power is rare, but it is clearly possessed by Ram Jomaram, a Jedi Padawan of theHigh Republic Era, who perceives the Force in technology. What’s more, it’s reasonable to assume thisForce power explains Anakin Skywalker’s building C-3PO- a powerful child somehow managing to build a protocol child when he’s only nine years old.
There have been other hints inStar Warscanon, too,most notably in the Jedi and Sith Wayfinders. Introduced inStar Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, Wayfinders combine technology with the Force to create sophisticated technology that helps starships navigate to specific Force vergences. Thematically, Wayfinders feel as though they could only be built with something akin to mechu-deru.
Darth Vader Came Close To Mechu-Deru When He Took Control Of The Scourge
A truly terrifying Force power
RecentStar Warscomics have come terrifyingly close to unleashing mechu-deru. The “Dark Droids” event saw a powerful artificial intelligence called the Scourge attempt to take over the galaxy; created by blending several ancient AIs, this entity could possess droids and force them to serve its will. It sought to bridge the gulf between technology and the organic, hoping to find this through cybernetic beings.Naturally, the Scourge’s attention was drawn to Darth Vader.
This was, of course, a mistake. Darth Vader is one of the mostpowerful Sith Lordsof all time, and he reversed the process; he found a way to use the dark side of the Force to take control of droids and cyborgs, bending them to his will, effectively enslaving them to the dark side. He’d found a unique way to practice the Sith art of mechu-deru, and the idea was absolutely terrifying; had Vader truly mastered it, he could have controlled all droids in the entireStar Warsgalaxy. Thankfully, the Scourge was defeated, and Vader never learned how to do this without its presence.
Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader
Conceived by the will of the Force itself, Anakin Skywalker was the prophesied Chosen One, destined to bring the Force into balance. Anakin struggled to balance competing attachments to the Jedi Order and his wife Padmé Amidala, and ultimately fell to the dark side, becoming Darth Vader. For years he served as Palpatine’s right hand man, but he was ultimately redeemed by the faith of his son, Luke Skywalker. Now a Force Ghost, Anakin continues to act as an agent of balance.
