Editing The Force (section)

== Force Users ==
The most famous users of The Force in the Star Wars franchise is the '''Jedi Order''', a semi-monastic order dedicated to keeping the peace in the galaxy.  An ancient schism led to some Jedi leaving the Order and turning to the Dark Side, and they created the '''Sith Order'''. Jedi who fall to the dark side without becoming part of the Sith, and certain non-Sith trained by Sith in the force become "Dark Jedi", but this term is often applied to independent dark side users who have never had an affiliation with the Jedi order. Former Jedi may be termed "Rogue Jedi." Force users working for the Empire are not considered Sith, but are typically part of the '''Imperial Inquisition''', used to hunt Jedi survivors and kidnap potential Force-sensitive children.

The general term for a force user that isn't part of of the Jedi or Sith is ''Force Adept''. This term was invented whole cloth by Wizards of the Coast and sees little official use outside of RPG products, though the fandom likes it. A more widespread but blander alternative is simply "force user". "Darksider" is often used as a general term for dark side force users. 

There is an argument to be made that while the Jedi and Sith are associated with the Light and Dark sides respectively, they are not synonymous with them. At their best, the Jedi serve the "Will of the Force", an act that inherently requires sacrifice and selflessness and thus steers them towards the Light. But when they became dogmatic, overly focused on serving the Republic and destroying the Sith, they lost sight of their true purpose, and more importantly forgot the Will of the Force, and thus fell. Whereas the Sith, who crave personal power, use the Force to serve themselves, thus creating imbalance in the force; the inherent destructiveness of the Dark side is merely a means to that end. A "good Sith" might be a contradiction in terms, but a healthy respect for the Dark side's place in the natural order as part of the creation-destruction cycle isn't a bad thing; just don't let it get to your head.

===Other Force Users===
The Jedi and Sith are the best known Force religions, but many smaller religions exist in he galaxy, usually practiced by a single race. Some are light-aligned, some are dark-aligned, some are neutral. Some may see The Force as something to be wielded (for good or ill), others may see it as a purely mystical force to be worshipped and passively respected. The Force may go by different names among these races, such as the "Life Wind," "The Sight," "The Beyond," etc. There are also religions that have followers who are not Force Wielders; the Church of the Force shared the same ideals as the Jedi Order, while the Sith maintained cults of acolytes to serve them.

=== Dathomir Magic ===
Somewhat distinct from The Force as Jedi and Sith understand it, Dathomir Magic is a unique manifestation of The Force as practiced by the witches of Dathomir; while influenced by the planet's natural Dark Side energies, they seem to be specific to the planet itself and its inhabitants, and is used in a much more ritualistic form than the Jedi or Sith. Dathomir witches mainly focus on illusion and manipulation, infusing people with "spirit ichor" to empower them, and can even use their magick to resurrect dead Nightsisters to fight on their behalf. The Nightsisters claim that, although they use the Dark Side, unlike the Sith they exercise more control over it and don't let it corrupt them (make of that what you will).

===The Ones===
The closest thing to Force Gods the setting has, these beings simply known as the Ones are nigh-immortal, nigh-powerful beings of uncertain origins. They are known as the Daughter, who is strong in the Light Side, the Son, who is strong in the Dark Side, and the Father, who represents the Will of the Force, and keeps the balance between the two. The Ones primarily appear to be responsible for protecting the galaxy from galactic-scale threats; they created the barrier that separates the galaxy from the outer universe to protect it from dangers like the Yuuzhan Vong, and likely created the same barrier in the Unknown Regions that guards against superpredators native to that region of space. They also created the Maw as a gigantic prison; more on that below. That being said, one of the greatest threats to the galaxy was themselves, and they were forced to withdraw in isolation.

During the Clone Wars, they lived on the Force Nexus known as Mortis, and the Father attempted to recruit Anakin as the Chosen One to replace him and maintain the balance between his two children. Ultimately he failed, and all three were killed during the family infighting. The Ones are obviously meant to personify the different aspects of the Force, but fans tend to disagree on the exact nature of their relationship. The Daughter, though at times overzealous in fighting her brother, is ultimately loyal to the Father and completely selfless. The Son, despite being tied to the Dark Side, isn't initially evil, merely a part of the destructive side of nature and the more selfish inclinations of people. It is only after Anakin's arrival that he lets his ambition and desire for power to fully corrupt him, thus causing the imbalance on Mortis and the Ones' ultimate destruction. And the Father, though mistaken in his understanding of Anakin's place as the Chosen One, understands the need to end the conflict between his children and restore the balance, or else risk the complete destruction of the galaxy. 

Whether the Ones were actually destroyed on Mortis or not is unclear.  Morai, a form or familiar of the Daughter, continued to manifest occasionally to Ahsoka Tano well after the events on Mortis, suggesting the entire incident  may have simply been a vision or manifestation.  

The Ones do have a Mother in the Legends continuity, though she was originally a mortal, and was afraid that her death would end the balance between the children. In the process of becoming immortal, she transformed into the eldritch abomination known as Abeloth and became imprisoned deep within a super-dense cluster of black holes, known as the Maw, escaping every few thousand years to wreak havoc on the galaxy. 
[[Category: Star Wars]]