“May the Force be with you” is the best-known phrase from the Star Wars movies. It’s such a large part of the saga that we may automatically assume a character like Obi-Wan Kenobi first said it. Yet, that would be incorrect. The first character to say this phrase is someone less prominent on screen and not as memorable as Master Kenobi.
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Who Was the First Character in Star Wars to Say, “May the Force Be with You”, on Screen?
The starring phrase in Star Wars, “May the Force be with you,” is meant to wish someone “good luck or good will.” It is usually said as a conversation concludes or a character is going off to face a challenge.
If we go by the chronology of the films, instead of the release dates, Qui-Gon Jinn first said it to Anakin in The Phantom Menace. Qui-Gon said it to wish Anakin luck at the Boonta Eve Podrace. These were fitting words for the challenge Anakin confronted against Sebulba in the race.
In A New Hope, though, Jan Dodonna is the first character to say this well-known phrase on screen. As a military officer for the Rebellion, Dodonna commanded their fortress on Yavin 4 and steered the first battle against the Empire. Articles like this one have recognized how he first uttered those famous words after he briefed the Rebel squadrons about the Death Star plans.
We can relive the moment down below, including how Dodonna explains the firepower and defenses of the Death Star. The “small one-man fighter,” as he reveals, will be crucial to targeting the “weakness of this battle station” and destroying it. After he tells the group to “man your ships,” the General concludes by saying “And may the Force be with you.”
He says this farewell as if it is a commonly known expression. This is a point that fans recognize to indicate that even though Luke may not know about the Force, it must be shared knowledge to many. At the minimum, the phrase seems to be an accepted custom that fits the occasion of attacking the Death Star.
Other Facts About May the Force Be With You
Among the interesting facts about this phrase is that Han Solo was the second character to say it on screen. Luke only said it once to Lando offscreen, and Leia said it once in The Force Awakens. This video appears to include all the times the phrase was used in the movies, including by Yoda, younger Obi-Wan, and Mace Windu.
Characters have also altered the phrase some, as with Admiral Ackbar stating “May the Force be with us.” In Rogue One, Jyn Erso also said it that way, and Chirrut Imwe revamps the expression into a mantra, “The Force is with me, and I am one with the Force.”
The phrase also had some alternatives that may have been used but probably wouldn’t have worked so well. The second draft of the script would have given us “May the Ashla be with you”, with Ashla as a reference to one half of the Force. Another early possibility was “May the Force of others be with you” since Lucas was drawing on religious inspirations for the Force.
May the Force Be with You
While Obi-Wan did not say it first on screen, “May the Force be with you” has many worthy contributors that made this expression what it is today. Jan Dodonna gets the credit but the phrase spread to others and across our world.