Summary
George Lucas got a lot of backlash for theStar Warsprequel trilogy, but one of his most controversial ideas has been transformed into the franchise’s most important piece of lore. The prequel trilogy ofStar Warsmovieswas absolutely hated when it first released. Many viewers thought it ruined the original trilogy, and they considered many of the things Lucas introduced toStar Warscanon to be among the worst ideas of his life. Luckily, thehate for the prequel trilogy has since disappeared, which has allowed one of its most controversial elements to make a surprisingly effective comeback.
Now, almost 20 years after the prequel trilogy ended and over a decade sinceDisney boughtStar Warsin 2012, one of Lucas' ideas has earned redemption. Disney and Lucasfilm have actually used Lucas' original idea so effectively that it has become the basis of the entire franchise. His idea has come a long way since it was first introduced inStar Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace, especially considering just how much it divided the fanbase when it first appeared.
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George Lucas' Midi-Chlorians Left The Fanbase Divided
Midi-chloriansimmediately caused a major controversy as soon as Qui-Gon Jinn tested Anakin Skywalker for them. He explained that Midi-chlorians were microscopic organisms that made both life and the use of the Force possible.Midi-chlorians were essentially a way to explain why some people, like the Jedi, could use the Force while others couldn’t by using in-universe science. Some fans actually liked Midi-chlorians for explaining that, and they also worked into Lucas' vision for the prequel trilogy by helping to explain whyAnakin Skywalker was the Chosen One: he was so strong in the Force because of the high number of Midi-chlorians in his blood.
Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace
Cast
Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace is set in a galaxy facing political turmoil, as Jedi Knights Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi seek peace while encountering Anakin Skywalker, a slave with great potential in the Force. Meanwhile, the Sith begin their resurgence, threatening the stability of the Republic.
The problem other viewers had whenThe Phantom Menacewas released, however, was that Midi-chlorians changed the Force. The original trilogy heavily implied that the Force was more of a religion or belief system, and that strength in the Force was based on faith.Fans believed that Midi-chlorians rewrote the Force from being a type of mysticism to being determined by essentially bacteria, which caused a serious controversy. They received so much backlash that George Lucas actually tried to dial back how important they were in the rest of the prequel trilogy, and Midi-chlorians were considered one of the franchise’s biggest mistakes for a long time.
Midi-Chlorians Are The Key To The Entire Mandalorian Era
For decades, noStar Warsstory would even mention Midi-chlorians out of fear of restartingThe Phantom Menace’s controversy. That is, untilThe Mandalorian.The franchise’s first foray into live-action television reclaimed the idea of Midi-chlorians and made them an absolutely essential part of the entire New Republic era of theStar Warstimeline.The Mandaloriancentered around Grogu, who was being hunted by Imperial remnants so that they could obtain a sample of his Midi-chlorian rich blood. Midi-chlorians were an essential part ofThe Mandalorianfrom the beginning simply because of Grogu, butStar Warsonly doubled down on them afterThe Mandalorianseason 1.
The Mandalorian
Released on Jul 27, 2025 The Mandalorian follows a lone gunfighter navigating the galaxy’s outer reaches after the Galactic Empire’s fall. As a skilled bounty hunter, he operates in a lawless universe, undertaking various missions on the fringes of the New Republic’s territories.
Ahsoka
Ahsoka follows the journey of former Jedi Knight Ahsoka Tano as she investigates an emerging threat to a vulnerable galaxy. Released in 2023, this series takes place within the Star Wars universe and features Ahsoka navigating through a complex political and cosmic landscape.
Once fans seemed open to the idea of Midi-chlorians again,Star Warsbegan to put them in everything.The Mandalorianfocused on them again by revealing that the Imperial remnants wanted Grogu’s blood so they could use it inProject Necromancer, the plot to clone and resurrect Emperor Palpatine.The overarching plot ofThe Mandaloriantherefore revolved around Midi-chlorians, and so did the entireMandalorianera. One ofAhsoka’s main subplots focused on Sabine Wren’s training as a Jedi despite her low number of Midi-chlorians, or M-count. TheMandalorianera made Midi-chlorians essential, and they’ve spread to other parts of the timeline.
Even The Acolyte Is All About Midi-Chlorians
The most recentStar Warsshow,The Acolyte, continuedThe Mandalorian’s focus on Midi-chlorians. There are several mysteries at the heart ofThe Acolyte, but one of the most confusing has surroundedMae and Osha’s origins.The Acolyteepisode 3 seemed to assert that they were created through the Force and without a father, much like Anakin Skywalker was inThe Phantom Menace.The Acolyteepisode 7, however, revealed that there were some key differences between them, and that Midi-chlorians were at the heart of it.
The Acolyte
The Acolyte is a television series set in the Star Wars universe at the end of the High Republic Era, where both the Jedi and the Galactic Empire were at the height of their influence. This sci-fi thriller sees a former Padawan reunite with her former Jedi Master as they investigate several crimes - all leading to darkness erupting from beneath the surface and preparing to bring about the end of the High Republic.
InThe Acolyteepisode 7, Torbin discovered that Osha and Mae had high M-counts and identical symbionts, which the Jedi took to be proof of the Force vergence on Brendok. That revelation spurred the Jedi to try to take Osha and Mae fromthe Witches of Brendok, which ultimately led to all the conflict inThe Acolyte.Mae and Osha’s high levels of Midi-chlorians, which grant them a strong connection to the Force, are also precisely why they’re so sought after by both the Jedi and the Stranger. In essence, Midi-chlorians have already proven to be a massively important part ofThe Acolyte.
Without Midi-Chlorians, There’s No Palpatine Resurrection
The whole reasonStar Warsbegan to use Midi-chlorians again was because of a major blunder: Palpatine’s resurrection inStar Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. The infamous line, “Somehow, Palpatine returned,” was a major cause of criticism for the sequel trilogy, mainly because it felt like a cheap way to bring back a classic villain without explaining how it was possible.The franchise, however, was able to use one of its oldest mistakes to begin correcting its most recent. Many of Disney’s recentStar Warsshows, particularlyThe MandalorianandStar Wars: The Bad Batch, have put in a tremendous amount of work to explain Palpatine’s resurrection.
The future of Star Wars seems to lie in an unlikely place: Midi-chlorians.
The Bad BatchandThe Mandalorianhave been very successful in retroactively laying the groundwork for Palpatine’s resurrection, and they’ve been able to do so because of Midi-chlorians.The Bad Batchestablished that Palpatine created Project Necromancer very soon after establishing the Empire, and that he always planned to resurrect himself.The Mandalorianexplained that there were still Imperial agents working towards the ultimate goal of Project Necromancer even after the fall of the Empire. Those were both key pieces of explaining Palpatine’s resurrection, but they wouldn’t have fully explained it without Midi-chlorians.
Star Wars: The Bad Batch
Star Wars: The Bad Batch is an action-adventure animated series set after the events of The Clone Wars, following Clone Force 99 (a.k.a. the Bad Batch.) Finding themselves immune to the brainwashing effects of Order 66, the Bad Batch become mercenaries for hire while outrunning the empire, now seeing them as fugitives of the law.
A major problem with bringing Palpatine back inThe Rise of Skywalkerwas the lack of an explanation for why he didn’t simply resurrect himself sooner, but bothThe MandalorianandThe Bad Batchprovided it. As those shows revealed, Midi-chlorians were the key issue that kept Project Necromancer from being immediately successful, since it was incredibly difficult to give a clone a high M-count. Palpatine’s clone needed to have a high M-count so that he could transfer his essence into the body without it deteriorating from his immense power.Midi-chlorians madeThe Rise of Skywalkerpossible, but they’ve also been the key to everything since then.
Miraculously,Star Warshas taken a once-despised concept and built the future of the entire franchise around it. Midi-chlorians have become essential to everything fromThe MandaloriantoThe Acolyte, and they’ll likely continue to play a major role in the future ofStar Wars. SeveralupcomingStar Warsmovieswill likely have something to do with Midi-chlorians.The Mandalorian & Groguwill continue to focus on the Force-sensitive Grogu, andNew Jedi Orderwill probably show Rey using Midi-chlorians to find new students. The future ofStar Warsseems to lie in an unlikely place: Midi-chlorians.
Star Wars
Star Wars is a multimedia franchise that started in 1977 by creator George Lucas. After the release of Star Wars: Episode IV- A New Hope (originally just titled Star Wars), the franchise quickly exploded, spawning multiple sequels, prequels, TV shows, video games, comics, and much more. After Disney acquired the rights to the franchise, they quickly expanded the universe on Disney+, starting with The Mandalorian.
