The Force was created by all living beings in the Star Wars universe.
By extension, the Force is the essence of life throughout the galaxy. Whether you’re a part of the Galactic Republic or the Galactic Empire, the Force serves as a bonding agent amongst the galaxy’s inhabitants.
It’s the thing that connects people to other people, animals, plants, anything that is living.
As ever-present as the Force is, it can still be measured. Most commonly done through blood tests, a person’s aptitude for the Force is determined by their midi-chlorian levels.
The standard level for a regular human is 2500 midi-chlorians. Still, some people far surpass that figure.
These individuals are known throughout the Star Wars universe as being Force-sensitive.
Usually, these Force-sensitive persons are recruited from a very young age by the Jedi.
They take these children to the Jedi Temple where they would be taught all the things that Jedi stand for.
They also learn how to become more in tune with the light side of the Force and not fall prey to the dark side of the Force. Furthermore, they are affectionately referred to as Padawans.
This causes the question to arise, do all Force-sensitives become Jedi? Are all Force users Jedi?
No worries, just keep reading as all these questions would be addressed during this article.
Table of Contents
Are all Force users Jedi?
Right off the bat, the answer to this question is no. All Force users are not Jedi.
The Jedi are the peacekeeping, no wrongdoing, guardians of the light side of the Force. They are the poster children for all things right and peaceful within the Star Wars universe.
In addition to that, they would do almost anything to avoid falling down the path to the dark side of the Force.
Does that mean that the dark side of the Force does not have any Force users?
No! It most certainly does not.
Most Force users don’t want to walk the path of righteousness and decide to take a stroll on the dark side to become Sith.
The Sith were essentially the dark side equivalent of the Jedi.
So much so that they were the official soldiers of the Galactic Empires. They were bred to be the natural-born enemies of the Jedi, and the Galactic Republic by extension.
Given that there is a representation of the Force on both sides, it seems as though Force-sensitives could only fall into one of the two factions.
This begs the question, are there non-Jedi, or non-Sith, Force users?
So without further ado, let’s dive into the answer.
Can a non-Jedi use the Force?
A non-Jedi can use the Force. Even so, it may be a bit more difficult than it would be for a Jedi or a Sith.
A handful of Force users who aren’t a part of the Jedi Order or the Sith Order.
One such person is Ahsoka Tano.
In the case of Ahsoka, she initially began her journey in learning the Force as a Padawan, under the guidance of Anakin Skywalker.
As she moved up the ranks, she was denied entry into the Jedi Order. This was through no fault of her own. Ahsoka was wrongfully accused of sedition against her fellow Jedi.
After she was cleared of her charges, the Jedi High Council offered to reinstate her as a part of the Jedi Order.
Ahsoka understandably declined and went on to be a solo Force user, proving to the Jedi that she doesn’t have to be a part of their Order to fight against the Sith.
Another example of a Force user who has no ties to any organization is Ben Solo.
Ben Solo, known by his other name, Kylo Ren, was the nephew of Jedi Grand Master Luke Skywalker. Because of that, he was taught the ways of the Jedi and the light side of the Force.
Ben, however, had another idea of what he wanted to do with his Force sensitivity.
As the nephew of Luke, that means that Ben was the grandson of the original rebel himself, Anakin Skywalker.
He was so impressed by his grandfather that he ultimately gave in to the darkness inside of him. Even so, don’t let Ben’s idolization of Anakin fool you, he was no Sith.
Ben used ancient writings from the Knights of Ren and found mentorship through Supreme Leader Snoke to strengthen his darkness. Eventually, he became a free agent working for the dark side of the Force.
Similar to Ahsoka, the only difference is their stance within the Force.
Moreover, many Force-sensitive individuals, those who aren’t recruited by the Jedi of course, often aren’t aware that they are Force-sensitive.
The ability to utilize the full power of the Force requires training. Training that is largely only possible under the Sith and Jedi tutelage.
Be that as it may, these individuals may be able to train themselves to use the Force properly.
Can a Force-sensitive self-train?
If Ben Solo is any indicator, it’s possible to train yourself to use the Force correctly.
When the term self-train is used in this sense, it does not mean that the individual did everything themselves with no help.
Instead, it means that those Force-sensitives are not affiliated with any organizations. I.e. the Sith or the Jedi.
One person that usually pops up when thinking of self-taught Force users is Rey Skywalker.
Although she eventually found Luke Skywalker and followed his instructions, Rey seems to pick up on the trades of a Force user very quickly.
There’s a reason for this. Kylo Ren used Force Bond on her. From there, he entered her mind and she was able to learn everything she needed to become a competent Force user.
Conclusion
Since the beginning, it seemed that the Jedi and the Sith were the only Force users in Star Wars. However, as time progressed, that seemed to have changed.
It was theorized that these two were all the Franchise needed as their opposing view seemed to perfectly encapsulate both the light and dark sides of the Force.
Thus, the two parties would completely represent the Force as a whole. Yet, that changed over time.
There were discoveries of other Force-sensitives who opted out of being a part of either organization.
They choose to learn the ways of the Force from other sources, such as other self-trained Force users.