Throughout the Star Wars universe, the Jedi are seen as heroes. So much so that sometimes it is forgotten that they are often humanoid creatures.
The key feature of this word, “humanoid,” is human. Meaning that the Jedi do share some features with us humans. Mainly, they share in our lack of immortality.
Everyone hates getting sick. You have a runny nose, headache, sore throat, maybe you can’t even get out of bed, and everything sucks.
Sadly, but maybe comforting in some ways, the illustrious Jedi know exactly how you feel.
But what exactly do they get sick from? Keep reading as we answer this question and much more in the following article.
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Can Jedi Get Sick?
As amazing as the Jedi are, they are still susceptible to the varied amount of illnesses that exist in the Star Wars world.
They still have the ability to get ill, go through the recovery process, or perhaps even temporarily succumb to their ailments.
With the large arsenal of diseases around that are ready to claim their victims, the dark side is not the only thing the Jedi have to fight off.
Fortunately for Jedi, they have access to Force healing and other advanced technologies that would allow them to heal far quicker than others in the galaxy.
Even so, there are some diseases that are just outright deadly to those residing in the Star Wars world. Keep reading as we delve deeper into five of these diseases.
Five Deadly Star Wars Diseases
Over the years of Star Wars, the quality of the overall storyline has greatly improved each year. One majorly impressive advancement is the introduction of some rather interesting diseases.
Some of these diseases are naturally occurring, whereas others have been specifically created to be used as a weapon.
These diseases were even the cause of many heartbreaking moments in the Star Wars universe.
With all this said, let’s take a look at five of the deadliest diseases in the Star Wars universe.
1. Sand Rot
Sand Rot is a disease that occurs when an individual was too exposed to the desert. Because the presence of a desert was crucial in the development of this disease, Sand Rot was most common on the planet like Tatooine.
In fact, after having spent an extended period in the deserts of Tatooine, Rowan Delk developed the disease.
Somewhat similar to many diseases in the real world, the symptoms of Sand Rot included: coughing, weakness, and the loss of feeling in the victim’s fingers and hands.
Luckily, this is a curable disease that had limited fatalities. The most preferential treatment involved removing the victims from the world where they had been infected and treating them accordingly.
2. Godoan’s Disease
The Godoan’s Disease gets its name from the planet where it was birthed, Godo. When the planet was no longer able to support life, a machine was built to facilitate this.
This machine, called the House of the Goddess, eventually failed, leading to this disease that plagued the Godoans.
Godoan’s disease took the form of giant red clouds. There is a way to protect oneself from this disease.
Outsiders could take a radioactive bath to counteract the effects of Godoan’s Disease. If the disease had already been contracted then the victim could still take the bath, however, this would simply prolong the inevitable: death by asphyxiation.
3. Rooze Disease
Rooze Disease was first developed as a biological weapon by the Galactic Empire and was used to eliminate the Imperial Troops and the Rebels. From then on, it was never used again.
Rooze Disease was one of the deadliest throughout the galaxy. It mainly affected humans, of course, and stemmed from the dangerous rooze germ.
This virus had a clock put on it. If the infected person did not receive help within the first three days, the person’s body would quickly disintegrate.
As the victim’s health deteriorates over the course of these days, they experience the following symptoms: dizziness and the sensation that their hands faded away.
Essentially, they felt themselves disappearing.
4. Plague Bomb
This is yet another biological weapon that was developed for the purpose of genocide. The Plague Bomb was even used to destroy Ship’s homeworld.
Once the biological weapon was unleashed, an immensely powerful disease was spread. In fact, based on a story from Star Wars: Riders in the Void, when the Plague Bomb was released, that particular planet was obliterated. Those in the population who did not die from the blast died from the disease released.
5. Dark Plague
Uniquely, this one was a force-based disease, developed by Sith Lord Terrak Morrhage. Expectedly, this plague was used to corrupt the otherwise pure mind of Jedi masters. He then used them to contest the Jedi Order.
Morrhage was eventually defeated, however, his spirit found a new response to place in Padawan Parkanas Tark. He took up the reigns and kept on using the plague.
Can Jedi Be Poisoned?
As we have established, the Jedi are not immortal nor are they immune to disease and injury. Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon were seen fleeing poisoned gas in Episode One.
Whilst, it is rather the act of delivering poison seems inherently simple, the Jedi are intelligent beings. Thus, the delivery method of the poison must be thoroughly thought out.
They would definitely detect poison in their food or drink, so those methods should not be depended on.
Delivery in a gaseous form can be potentially effective, however, it must be taken into account that Jedi can hold their breaths for far longer than others in their species.
Then there is injecting the poison. Although this may seem like a good idea at face value, it’s hard as you need to get close to the Jedi. This makes it just as dangerous as a conventional attack on the Jedi.
Can Jedi Heal Themselves?
Miraculously, Jedi have the to be healed at a much quicker rate than others in the galaxy. This is done through Force healing.
Mind you, a Jedi cannot force heal themselves, however, they can be healed by another Jedi who possesses the ability to Force heal.
This is seen throughout the Star Wars franchise as Grogu (a.k.a., Baby Yoda) healed Greef Carga, Rey healed Snake and Ben Solo, and Ben Solo healed Rey.
As amazing as Force healing is, it has some limitations to it.
About Force Healing
Force healing largely required a connection between the healer and the patient. Although the Jedi are notorious for shunning all strong emotions, there must be an emotional connection between the Jedi in order for Force healing to work.
Jedi healers utilize Force healing to not only treat their comrades’ ailments, but they use it to diagnose the problem as well.
Force healing is even useful in curing otherwise incurable diseases. As a matter of fact, this is evident when Cilghal used force healing to cure Mon Mothma of a poison that was deemed incurable.
Conclusion
Just like any species in the Star Wars galaxies, or even species in our world, the Jedi are susceptible to illnesses and poisons.
Some offer mild symptoms, just like the common cold, whereas others cause life-threatening symptoms that would make anyone affected terrified about their future.
Although they have the ability to be healed, Jedi can still be in a situation where they may succumb to their illnesses, which can ultimately lead to their deaths.
Needless to say, there is an almost comforting factor involved with knowing that just like us, Jedi can be ill or get injured too.