The ability to heal someone is an important life skill that most, if not all, species have to add to their repertoire of talents.
For us, this comes in the form of medical help, in the real world. But for those in the Star Wars universe, they have the aid of the Force in addition to medicine. The Force grants those fortunate enough to use the knowledge to partake in particular techniques.
Techniques that those without Force sensitivity can’t even begin to use. One such technique comes in the form of Force Heal. which allows extra help for the wounded without waiting for medical assistance.
Naturally, with a skill as complex as this one, questions would begin buzzing around the Star Wars communities about Force Heal. Questions that will be answered throughout this article.
Table of Contents
Is Force Heal a dark side power?
Force Heal is not a dark-side power, but a light-side power. Even so, it was not known to the Jedi until the formation of the New Jedi Order.
Why could the previous Jedi not use Force Heal?
Well, it is speculated that the details of this force power were hidden in the Ancient Jedi Text. Because these texts were in the library of the first Jedi Temple on Ach To, many Jedi did not have access to them. Therefore, only a handful of Jedi has been shown to use Force Heal.
To use Force Heal, there is usually much meditation involved, depending on the rank of the force user, of course. This meditation allowed the Jedi to become the perfect vessel for the Force to fill.
The lower ranks could have healed minor injuries through meditation, whereas the higher ranks could have healed wounds that would have otherwise been fatal. And they could do so with no meditation at all.
So much so, that Jedi Grand Master Yoda could wave his hand and those around him would be healed. But there is one important question that always comes up about Force Heal. Given the fact that it is a light-side power, can the Sith use Force Heal?
Let’s find out.
Can Sith use Force Heal?
Despite being a technique that is founded on the light side, there are some Sith, and dark-side users in general, who can use Force Heal. One such Sith is the Sith Lord, Darth Sidious, otherwise known as Palpatine.
There was also Darth Vader, who used Force Heal to help his lungs. To the point where he no longer needed to depend heavily on his hyperbaric chamber and his life support suit for his lungs to function properly.
But how were they able to do this as dark-side users?
As mentioned before, Force Heal requires the use of meditation to become the ideal vessel for Force Heal. However, this isn’t exactly something that the Sith could have done on a whim.
What they would have to do is follow in Darth Vader’s footsteps. Darth Vader experimented with Force Heal so that the dark side could use it.
By corrupting this technique, Darth Vader was able to partially heal himself as mentioned above. Although he could not fully heal himself, he was still able to successfully use Force Heal.
Who can use Force Heal?
Apart from the formerly mentioned Darth Vader, Darth Sidious, and Yoda, there are only three other Jedi who have been known to use Force Heal. They are Rey Skywalker, Ben Solo, and Baby Yoda.
On this list, Baby Yoda is an anomaly because, nickname aside, he is the group’s child.
Since his debut in Star Wars: The Mandalorian, Baby Yoda has been portrayed as being able to use the Force with little to no actual training. Irrespective of how advanced a particular technique may seem.
As a mere Jedi Initiate, there was no logical sense behind Baby Yoda’s being able to pick up on Force Heal as quickly as he did. Still, it was a good thing that he knew what to do as he was able to save Greef Karaga’s life.
FAQs
Of course, just as with anything else in the Star Wars universe, the fandom has been buzzing with questions about Force Heal.
Even though some of these questions have been resolved in the Star Wars communities, some arise more frequently than others.
The following are two recurring questions that would be answered as best as possible.
Darth Plagueis, did you use Force Heal?
Darth Plagueis was one of the rare Sith Lords who did not thirst for power but knowledge instead.
He lusted after immortality and the pursuit thereof. Thus, he would immerse himself in ancient scrolls and texts and carry out countless experiments to fulfill his ultimate passion.
His painstaking research paid off as Darth Plaugeis was able to learn midi-chlorian manipulation. Through this, he gained enough skill to use Force Healing.
Eventually, he became so good at Force Heal that he healed himself while his apprentice, Palpatine, struck him with Force Lightning.
In the end, Plagueis died at the hands of his student. Still, his capacity to learn Force Heal through experimentation is impressive.
Can Kylo Ren use Force Healing?
It is known that the aforementioned Ben Solo could use Force Heal. But before he was known as Ben Solo, he carried the name, Kylo Ren.
Ben Solo changed his name to Kylo Ren when he fought Darth Sidious alongside Rey Skywalker. At that point, both parties were fighting against Darth Sidious when Rey lost her life.
However, Ben, being a product of both sides of the Force, used Force Heal to bring Rey back to life.
Conclusion
Force Heal is an impressive technique in and of itself. It allows for the healing of the most deadly injuries. Injuries that would have been incurable with traditional medicine.
Force Heal even allowed Rey Skywalker to be resurrected after her unfortunate, premature death. Despite that, there are consequences to using Force Heal in that it could cause the user to overexert themselves.
This is seen in the case of Yoda, who used a skill that was arguably more advanced than his rank, which led to him being drained energy-wise.
Another example is Ben Solo, who did the impossible and brought someone back to life. This action completely drained Ben, leading to him disappearing into the Force.
Still, it is a useful skill to both sides of the Force. And since the force itself isn’t divided, anyone can use Force Heal if they want to.