Star Wars Theories: The Dark Truth About Baby Yoda and Force Healing
Let’s talk about why Force Healing may not be a good thing – and what that means for Baby Yoda– *Spoilers*
*Spoilers for The Rise of Skywalker and The Mandalorian*
The ability to heal someone with the Force, known as Force Healing, plays a significant role in both the Rise of Skywalker and episode 7 of The Mandalorian. While this power had existed in the old EU, now Legends, and has been seen in semi-canon video games, such as Knights of the Old Republic, its presence in the show and movie are the first time we’ve seen it in live-action Star Wars – and represents its entrance into canon. While in the past, it was considered a Light Side power, i.e., one used by Jedi and other users of the Light Side of the Force, the recent instances of its use seem a bit off. Let’s talk about why Force Healing may not be as good as we think it is.
Four Uses
We see Force Healing used four times on screen. The first time is in Episode 7 of the Mandalorian when the being known as Baby Yoda heals the bounty hunter Greef Karga on Nevarro. Karga, at this point, has been poisoned and is on the brink of death. We next see it used in the Rise of Skywalker when Rey heals a Vexis snake on Pasaana. The Vexis is injured, but it does not appear to be mortal. Rey uses it again in the movie to heal Kylo Ren after he is mortally wounded during their fight on the wreckage of the Death Star II. Finally, we see the power used by Ben Solo to heal Rey on Exogol after their confrontation with the returned Emperor. Rey is at this point either dead or so near death that it’s impossible to tell the difference. Looking at these, we can see some commonalities.
Effects of Force Healing
Force Healing is described as giving a portion of a Force users life force to another being to heal them. This affects the user, ranging from exhaustion to mild hand cramps to death. It can treat both physical wounds, the effects of poison and venom, and in some cases, restore life. (It can also apparently heal a kyber crystal which seems pretty dumb). A curious side effect of Force Healing we see is that the targets of it seem to undergo some kind of change of heart. Before being healed by the Child, Greef Karga was planning on betraying Mando and the Child to the Imperials. After the healing, Karga switches sides, killing his former allies, and is willing to fight to the death to save the child.
In the Rise of Skywalker, when Rey heals the Vexis, the seemingly hostile beast then leaves Rey and her team alone and wanders off. Later, when Rey heals Kylo Ren he almost immediately turns away from the dark path he’s followed for years and joins with her to fight against the side he has lead. It’s an abrupt change. Lastly, when Ben Solo heals Rey she immediately gives him the love and affection he’s been searching for years and kisses him. In each case, the target has a change of heart and does something the user of Force Heal would want.
Not The Light But The Dark
Looking at this, I think we’ve been wrong to assume that Force Healing is a Light Side power, rather I think it’s a Dark Side one. The Jedi are philosophically about accepting fate, and not fighting it. They welcome death as becoming one with the Force. When Anakin goes to them for help with saving Padme, he is given none – he is told to accept the death. Given all this, it seems that Force Healing, exerting one’s own will over death, wouldn’t be a Jedi teaching. That kind of domination and control is more of a Sith power.
It’s this very power that Palpatine offers to Anakin in Revenge of the Sith. Palpatine claims that his master, Darth Plagueis “had such a knowledge of the dark side; he could even keep the ones he cared about from dying.” Isn’t that what Force Healing is? It’s the power to keep people from dying or coming back to life. It’s not a power the Jedi would teach you, but one the Sith would use.
Given that, it makes sense that a component of the power would have some sort of mild mind control of domination. Not only is that a very Sith thing, but it jives with a transfer of life force. Force Healing is literately enforcing your will on someone else’s body, and planting a part of yourself in them; you’re changing the makeup of their energy and taking control of their life, and that’s pretty dark.
The Users and Bad News For Baby Yoda
So if Force Heal is a Dark Side power, then the people who use it must be Dark Siders, right? Well, kind of. We see three people use it. Ben Solo was certainly a Dark Side user, though it seems he wasn’t a Sith, Ben, under the name of Kylo Ren served Dark Side masters and was ultimately trained by a Sith for years. Rey, while not a “Dark Sider,” does show the ability to accidentally manifest powers considered to be of the Dark Side, such as Force Lightning. This seems tied to her family lineage in some way and means she fits the mold. Baby Yoda certainly doesn’t seem like an evil being or a Dark Side user; however, in Episode 7, he also uses Force Choke – another known Dark Side power. Given that if he’s not actively a Sith Lord just pretending to be a baby, possible, then it’s likely he, like Rey, comes from some Dark Side family.
Final Thoughts
I think looking at it makes a lot of sense for Force Heal to be a Dark Side power. It’s a nice inversion of the typical idea that healing=good and makes more sense given the ideologies and philosophies of the Sith and Jedi. It also would explain why we haven’t seen it before; the Jedi wouldn’t use it since it’s a Dark Side power. This removes the “plot hole” of “why didn’t X Jedi use it heal X person.”
Also, while a Sith COULD use it, it’s likely few Sith cared enough about another person to heal them, certainly not at risk to themselves. Once the Rule of Two was in place, the Sith were focused on killing the other Sith, not healing them. It would take someone who wasn’t a Jedi, had a connection to the Dark Side, but wasn’t Sith enough to hate everyone, or just a caring Sith, to find someone to use it, and that’s what we get. Alas, this does mean The Child might be headed down a Dark Path.
Let us know if you think Force Healing is a Light or Dark Side power, down in the comments!
