Though George Lucas worked on the landmark Star Wars animated series Star Wars: The Clone Wars, its famous Mortis arc may have gone against his original vision for the light and dark sides of the Force. The Clone Wars was overseen by the creator of Star Wars, George Lucas, and thus explores lots of themes Lucas was keen on. One such idea is the Force and its aspects, especially during a time of war like the Clone Wars timeline itself. The series’ significant Mortis arc explores this more than any other.
The Mortis arc follows Anakin, Obi-Wan, and Ahsoka as they’re mysteriously transported to the planet Mortis, homeworld of the Father, Daughter, and Son – the Mortis gods. These beings are in a conflict, with the Daughter representing light, the Son dark, and the Father being balance. The Father is old and dying, needing an heir (in Anakin) to keep his children in balance, but Anakin refuses. Symbolically, through the arc’s direct narrative, it presents a view of the Force where balance is achieved in a very different way than George Lucas originally intended.
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George Lucas Viewed The Dark Side As A Parasite
Personal Balance Is Not Equal Light & Equal Darkness
George Lucas’s original view of the Force is actually very different from what is implied by the word ‘balance’. Balance, according to Lucas originally, is not the middle between the light side and the dark side. George always insisted that balance is actually when the Force is completely in the light – with the dark side being a corruption of that purity. In fact, the “light side” is never mentioned in any of Lucas’s Star Wars films, lending credence to this belief. The dark side is imbalance, the light is balance itself.
One big ramification of this view is how the Chosen One prophecy is interpreted. If balance is the light, then the Chosen One is destined to rid the galaxy of the dark side. This means that the prophecy leans toward the destruction of the Sith, which actually makes more sense with what’s said in the prequel trilogy than if balance was actually equal light and darkness. If that was the case, the prophecy would mean using the dark side as well, in order to make things literally balance between the two – and Star Wars has started to move in that direction.
The Clone Wars’ Mortis Arc Shows A Different Philosophy
Balance In The Force Is More Literal Than Lucas’s Definition
While the previous understanding was that the dark side was always destructive, the Mortis arc changed that. The Father represents balance, and he keeps both light and darkness at bay in order to maintain balance. A common interpretation of this arc implies that balance in Star Wars is equal parts light and darkness, which is contrary to Lucas’s older definition. However, this exists as a way to bolster the Chosen One prophecy, confusingly, as the Father believes Anakin to be the Chosen One to take his place.
After a major appearance in Ahsoka‘s finale, with dark Jedi Baylan Skoll standing on huge statues of the Mortis gods, Mortis has seemingly become even more significant. They also appear pictured in Star Wars Rebels‘ entrance to the World Between Worlds, another mystical Force dimension. Ahsoka even enters the World Between Worlds, tying both significant appearances of the Mortis gods into that series, making them seem foundational for whatever it is Ahsoka is building to. But with their frequency and growing importance in the Force’s overall lore, the Mortis gods’ presented philosophy also grows more prominent.
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Has Star Wars Committed To The Mortis View Of The Dark Side?
This Controversial View Of The Force Could Mean Big Changes For The Lore
After Star Wars‘s purchase by Disney and the creation of a new canon timeline, The Clone Wars grew immensely in prominence in the new canon. Because every book, comic, and video game published before 2014 was deemed non-canon and sorted into the Star Wars Legends timeline, canon did not contain much at its inception. The only pieces of media that remained canon were the six Star Wars movies and The Clone Wars. Thus, the animated series achieved new heights in significance, especially when compared to its contradictory status in the old timeline.
Because of this prominence, however, the Mortis view of the Force has been much more common in canon Star Wars media. Many viewers have taken to this idea with the concept of ‘gray Jedi’ appearing in many discussions, something that works within the Mortis interpretation. Through his lens, the Force now seems to operate in a way that allows for balance through the usage of both the light and dark side. One piece of canon, however, has worked to bridge the gap between these two interpretations, adding to its own slew of controversy.
Mortis’s Force Philosophy And Luke In The Last Jedi
The Sequel Trilogy Comments On The Mortis View In A Unique Way
Star Wars: The Last Jedi‘s explanation of this actually manages to bridge the gap between the Mortis explanation and Lucas’s understanding of the Force well. It explains that the Force naturally exists in light and darkness, like Lucas believed, and those two together are balance in nature. But within oneself, importantly, choosing the light side is still essential to maintain balance internally. The dark side is still corrupting, it is still death, while the light side is light and balance.
This may be the hidden message of the Mortis arc after all, with the father’s death symbolizing the wrongness of his definition of balance, but this is not clear in the episodes themselves. No matter what The Last Jedi says, the Mortis arc’s impact on how many pieces of Star Wars view the Force cannot be overstated. The episodes recontextualize a lot of what George Lucas initially stated about the Force, and brings into question what it actually means to achieve ‘balance’ as a Force user. The Clone Wars, then, has impacted the outlook on the Force in Star Wars forever.
