A Jedi can jump far and sometimes an incredible distance. Starting with Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back, we see Luke Skywalker jump clear out of the carbon freeze chamber. Then, with the prequel movies, Star Wars fans were greeted with numerous far jumps.
The Jedi are known for defying the laws of physics. After all, they are not bound by gravity. So, how far can a Jedi jump? Usually, a Jedi can jump around 5 meters, or 16 feet. Yet, some Jedi are known for jumping much farther.
Table of Contents
How Can a Jedi Jump So Far?
The Jedi use the force to make long jumps. Force jumps, or Force Leaps, refer to the Jedi ability to harness the Force to jump over long distances. They use the Force to push themselves off the ground. It’s like a coil being released underneath their legs.
Yoda is the master of jumping. In Star Wars Episode 2: Attack of the Clones, Yoda leaps and bounds off walls and ceilings while battling Count Dooku. Though these jumps are mostly impressive in terms of their frequency and agility.
Yoda does accomplish impressively far jumps too. In Episode 3: Revenge of the Sith, he jumps across the Galactic Senate Chamber when lightsaber fighting with Chancellor Palpatine, the Sith Lord.
In The Clone Wars television series, Anakin Skywalker is among the Jedi who make very far Force Jumps. What he does amounts to incredible acrobatics.
So, this Force Jump ability explains how these Jedi can jump so far. They also use the Force to help slow down their jumps and land safely.
Sith Lords can also make far jumps. They draw on the dark side of the Force to make Force Jumps. Darth Maul is a good example of a Sith who makes frequent jumps, turns, and backflips while fighting.
The Distance of Force Jumps
According to “A Physics Analysis of Every Jedi Jump in All of Star Wars,” there were over 15 Jedi jumps in Episode I, 20 in Episode 2, and 24 in Episode 3. The Jedi are frequently jumping in these movies.
This article also states that the average height of Jedi jumps in these movies was 4.6 meters or over 15 feet. That’s quite impressive and a good estimate of a more-or-less average Force Jump.
So, rounding up, a Jedi usually jumps around 5 meters, or 16 feet, high. Obi-Wan Kenobi makes such a jump in Episode II: Attack of the Clones. In this movie, Kenobi travels to the planet Kamino to find out who was trying to assassinate Senator Padmé Amidala.
Obi-Wan locates the bounty hunter Jango Fett while the latter was trying to board his ship, the Slave I. A battle ensues on the landing platform with Obi-Wan using his lightsaber against Jango’s two WESTAR-34 blaster pistols.
At one point, Obi-Wan Force Jumps to kick Jango. This jump may have been about 3 meters. Somewhat impressive, but a second and longer jump occurs after the two continue in hand-to-hand combat.
Jango ends up shooting his whipcord launcher at Kenobi and wraps it around the latter’s hand. When Kenobi kicks Jango off the platform, he too is carried off the side.
Obi-Wan ultimately makes a Force Jump back onto the ramp. This second jump is probably about 5 or 6 meters long. This is in line with the average jump of a Jedi.
Mace Windu makes another big jump in the same movie. This takes place during the battle on Geonosis. As Super Battle Droids approach him, Windu backs up. Then, Jango Fett approaches and fires his flamethrower at Windu.
Master Windu then makes a spectacular backward jump as high as 10 to 12 meters, or 30 to 40 feet. He then floats to the arena below to continue the battle.
These two examples demonstrate that the Jedi can certainly Force Jump. The jumps can have quite a range, some far to very far.
How Far Can a Jedi Jump?
One Star Wars video game source provides a helpful range for Jedi jumping. A 3 to 4- meter jump is rated as moderate in difficulty. A 5 to 8-meter jump is placed as difficult, 9 to 15 as very difficult, while 16 to 20 meters is “Heroic”.
These estimates measure up to the movies well. By drawing out a few more examples, we can see that a 5-meter jump seems to indicate a moderate to difficult range.
In Episode I: The Phantom Menace, Obi-Wan Kenobi Force Jumps out of a generator shaft. He uses the force to jump about 5 meters and slash down Darth Maul upon landing.
Before this scene, Obi-Wan and Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn make a terrific somersault jump across a platform to jointly battle Darth Maul. The chasm they jump over is at least 6 meters.
This dual jump thus gets into the difficult range. And then, Obi-Wan follows it up with an even longer one.
After getting knocked down to a lower level, Obi-Wan leaps back up to the main platform where Maul and Qui-Gon Jinn are battling. This jump appears to be in the range of 12 meters or 40 feet.
Hence, this last example gets us into the very difficult range of jumps. Some of the leaps by Yoda described above most likely fall into the heroic level.
The Jedi are Proven Force Jumpers
So, a Jedi can usually jump around 5 to 6 meters. And, sometimes they make more incredible jumps, as Jedi Masters Mace Windu, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Yoda are prone to do. The Jedi frequently employ this Force Jump ability to combat the Sith and the dark side of the Force.
Todd Wahlstrom is a creative and analytical freelance writer and life-long Star Wars fan. He has covered such topics as Darth Vader, the Jedi, Boba Fett, and AT-AT Walkers. Todd has published a non-fiction book, holds a Ph.D. in history, and enjoys hiking, running, and reading about science.