In Rogue One, Chirrut Imwe is a force to be reckoned with. He is blind but manages to take on rounds of opponents by tapping into the Force.
As we saw in this scene from the movie, Imwe is composed and “one with the Force” while confronting and effectively taking out about a dozen stormtroopers with his staff.
Since he appears to be attuned to the Force, he may well have used it to take on these troopers, but he didn’t or couldn’t.
Why couldn’t Chirrut Imwe use Force Powers? The answer has to do with his relationship with the Force.
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Chirrut Imwe and the Force
In Rogue One, Chirrut Imwe belongs to the Guardians of the Whills or Guardians of the Kyber Temple, a religious group of warrior monks who protect the temple and those who come to it.
As Chirrut often says, this group is “one with the Force” with a special connection to the energy force that binds and penetrates everyone, to paraphrase Obi-Wan Kenobi.
Although blind, Imwe fights effectively with an uneti-wood staff and handmade lightbow.
He is usually beside his friend Baze Malbus on the planet Jedha.
Both traveled to Eadu with Cassian Andor to steal the Death Star plans.
Towards the end of the film, Malbus and he are the lone survivors on the ground who can help transmit the plans.
As he repeats his mantra, he becomes one with the Force and moves through the scores of Death troopers. Yet, he died along with Malbus during the Battle of Scarif.
In that climactic scene, it would have been wonderful to see Chirrut Imwe use the Force on the forces surrounding him, but he didn’t.
After his courageous efforts, fans speculated whether Chirrut was actually a Jedi who went into hiding after Order 66.
Yet, as this video relays, the novel Guardians of the Whills confirms he was not a Jedi or Force user, but someone who spent “years upon years” trying to “feel the Force around him.”
Chirrut’s religious relationship with the Force provides a basis for understanding why he could or would not use it.
Why Couldn’t Chirrut Imwe Use the Force?
As one article explains, the practices of the Guardians allow them to become at peace with “themselves and their environment” through the Force, similar to how Luke relied on the Force to blow up the Death Star.
Yet, Imwe and other Guardians appear to be coexisting with the Force instead of active users of it.
For Chirrut Imwe that means he is tuned into the Force and could fight while being blind similar to how Anakin could pod race at a young age.
Or, going along with the final scene, Inwe could walk straight through blaster fire and not be harmed. So, that is using the Force, right?
If we press further with the explanation, it seems that he is not using the Force in the way that Star Wars fans are accustomed to, as in moving objects through telekinesis.
As this video explains, we may think of Inwe as being “harmonized” with the Force in a comparable way to followers of Daoism.
Hence, he becomes “part of the flow” of the Force, surrendering himself to whatever will happen.
While Daoism has many strands and meanings, this religious-philosophical outlook has at its base “a way or path” as “the origin of all creation and the force” that lies behind “the natural world.”
This definition could help us conclude that Inwe is immersing himself in the Force of Star Wars in a similar manner. So, he does not use the Force but is wrapped within it.
The Force as a Religion
If we pursue this conclusion, we also delve into the related question of whether the Force is a religion or connected to religion.
On the one hand, we know the Force as an energy field that “binds the galaxy together.”
On the other hand, given the multiplicity of names and meanings, the Force is a religion for different groups.
In addition, Lucas intended to inject a sense of spirituality into Star Wars without attaching it to any particular religion.
This Star Wars writer sums it up well by stating that “there are religions of the Force,” including the Jedi and the Sith, and specifies how “devotion to the Force” is “not exclusive to Force users.”
The Guardians of the Whills and Chirrut believed in the Force and “attempted to sense its will” but did not use it like a Jedi.
Without delving too far into this related topic, we can say that the Force does connect to religion, especially for certain groups and individuals.
Chirrut Inwe is one of the individuals who found a spiritual essence in the Force and immersed himself in it.
He did not want or could not use the Force because of his religious connections to it.
Chirrut Inwe Did Not Use the Force
Chirrut Inwe did not use the Force because he was part of the religious group the Guardians of the Whills.
This group and he sought to exist alongside, harmonize with, and immerse themselves in the Force but not direct this energy field/spiritual power to an end.
Unlike the Jedi, Sith, and Force-sensitive beings, Chirrut was acted on by the Force not trying to control it.
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.