The Force was an omnipresent element throughout the galaxy. It came from within every living being and served as their connection to one another.
Some individuals had a stronger inclination towards the Force than others. They were known as Force-Sensitives.
Even though the Force technically intertwined all living things together, there was still a clear divide between the light and dark sides of the Force.
On the light side, there is the belief in clarity and peace. The Jedi almost exclusively followed the light side and thought that once they were devoid of all emotions, they would be empty vessels for the light side of the Force to fill.
Conversely, there is the dark side of the Force, which houses the Sith and other non-light-side Force-sensitives. On the dark side, they believed in using all negative emotions to propel themselves further towards ultimate power.
While connectivity to the light or dark sides of the Force is relatively common, there are more special cases where one Force user could be connected to another.
Those individuals are known as Dyads and are exactly what we will be covering in this article today.
Table of Contents
About Dyads in the Force
A Dyad in the Force is a special type of Force Bond between light and dark side Force users that make the pair one with the Force.
Dyads in the Force were two individuals who were separated physically but were joined by their connection to the Force.
This was somewhat of a mental connection in which the two could communicate with each other regardless of how far apart they were.
The occurrence of being a Force Dyad is not easy to spot. In fact, it wasn’t until Darth Sidious (Emperor Palpatine) drained Ben Solo and Rey’s bonded life force that he learned the two were Dyads in the Force.
When Ben Solo embraced his dark side alter ego, his master, Supreme Leader Snoke, suspected that he had a light side equal.
However, he wrongly assumed it was Solo’s uncle Luke Skywalker, as opposed to a young girl from Jakku (Rey).
Darth Sidious believed that the power of the Force Dyad was far superior to regular Force powers. People in this type of relationship can use Force Powers that are inaccessible to non-Dyadic Force-sensitives.
As such, the Emperor thought that if two Siths could achieve a Dyadic bond with one another, they would transcend to heights never before seen in the Force.
The power of these two supposed super beings would be boundless and exactly the thing needed for the Empire to gain ultimate power over the galaxy.
Furthermore, Dyads in the Force had a unique form of Force Healing that could fix just about any wound. Although Force Heal was quite common, Dyads were the only ones who could fully revive someone, effectively bringing them back from the dead.
Granted, this has only been shown to work on their Dyadic counterparts, but it’s still worth mentioning. The major pitfall to this power is that it would weaken the individual doing the healing.
In worst-case scenarios, the one doing the healing uses so much of their energy that they simply dissolve into the Force, ceasing to exist.
Who Was the First Dyad?
By all appearances, Ben Solo and Rey were the first Force Dyads in the galaxy. However, this wasn’t the original plan.
The concept of Force Dyads was introduced to the Star Wars fandom in The Rise of Skywalker.
While the film received mixed reviews, Rae Carson’s novelized version of the film, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker: Expanded Edition, offered more detailed insight into the plot.
The novel reveals that Ben and Rey were not meant to be the original Dyads. Long before them, Palpatine attempted to make himself and Anakin Skywalker Dyads in the Force.
Of course, this didn’t work out very well, so when the Emperor discovered that Rey and Ben were Dyads, he was quite pleased. Not only because he discovered the Dyads, but also because he was able to drain their life force to heal himself.
The novel then went on to reveal that Palpatine’s master, Darth Plagueis, had previously attempted to make himself and Palpatine Dyads.
Since both these attempts had failed, the Emperor was excited to know his granddaughter was a Dyad.
What he didn’t account for was Rey’s other half in the Dyad being Ben Solo. This showed Palpatine that Dyadic capabilities were not exclusive to one side of the Force or the other.
Rather, it transcends the boundaries of the Force, bonding Force-Sensitives from either side.
Who Else Was a Force Dyad?
Apart from Ben Solo and Rey, many have wondered if there were other Force Dyads.
There has been no official confirmation of other Force Dyads. Still, there has been much speculation about Anakin’s connection to Padmé and Luke’s connection to Leia, but more on that later.
What we do know is that there have likely been other attempts to create a Dyadic relationship. This can be seen through the Sith’s Rule of Two and a Jedi’s Master-Padawan relationship.
The rule stipulates that the Sith are to only operate in pairs. One master who knows the way of the dark side must impart their knowledge to an apprentice who is hungry for the dark side’s knowledge.
Similarly, the Jedi were supposed to be paired off with one Padawan per master. In theory, this would have forced a Dyadic bond. However, that’s not how Dyads are created.
For a pair to be considered Dyads in the Force, it appears that they must be on opposite sides of the Force. Therefore, a Jedi-to-Jedi Dyadic bond would not be possible, and the same is true for a Sith-to-Sith Dyadic bond.
FAQs
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker had a mixed reception by fans, especially when it came to the arc about Dyads. Naturally, this conflict in the community led to many questions.
So without further ado, keep reading as we dive into some of the more prevalent questions.
Were Anakin and Padme Force Dyads?
As we briefly touched on before, there is a fan theory that Anakin Skywalker and Padmé Amidala were a Dyad.
Although this has never officially been confirmed by Lucasarts or Disney, this speculation makes a lot of sense. Here’s why.
There is a fan theory that Padmé’s death was an act of Emperor Palpatine. What he did was use Padmé’s life force to save the life of the severely injured Darth Vader.
This is quite similar to what happens when one Dyad uses their Force Heal. Given the amount of energy required to perform this act, the Dyad is usually left weakened, or they simply disappear into the Force (just as when Ben saved Rey).
What’s more, the Dyad must exist on opposing sides of the Force. Padmé was on the light side, and Anakin had been indoctrinated into the dark side. Thus, it would make perfect sense for the two to be Dyads.
Were Luke and Leia Force Dyads?
Based on the rules of Dyads, it would not be possible for Luke and Leia Skywalker to be Dyads.
As we know, to be a Dyad, one person must be from the light side of the Force and the other must be from the dark side.
It is then that they are connected through the Force and can communicate with one another despite being physically apart.
It’s more likely that Luke and Leia simply shared a sibling bond through the Force. While it may have mimicked some of the signs of being a Dyad, Luke and Leia could not have been Dyads in the Force.
Conclusion
Dyads are a phenomenon that involves the connection of one dark side and one light side Force-sensitive. The pair would then share a bond that is far stronger than most Force-sensitives could be on their own.
Dyads have access to Force Powers that most others don’t. For instance, Dyads can heal almost any wound with Force Healing. Their version of Force Heal was so powerful that Dyads were the only ones who could essentially bring someone back from the dead.
However, this was not without fault as it severely weakened the performing party and could even cause them to vanish from existence.
Still, the power of Dyads was seemingly limitless, which would explain why both sides may have wanted to harness this power. Especially the dark side.
Needless to say, when Emperor Palpatine found out that his granddaughter Rey was a Dyad, he thought he had finally figured out how to exploit this ability for the dark side.
What he didn’t realize was that Rey was already bonded to Ben Solo. In addition to that, this pair was the first official Dyad in galactic history.