Here’s Why Jedi Can’t Fly (& Can’t Use the Force to Do It)

We all know that the Star Wars storyline has expanded the capabilities of the Force to an extent that was never revealed or seen during the original trilogy. The prequels and sequels allowed us to see new Force abilities we never thought possible. But out of all of the different Force powers we’ve seen in Star Wars, flight has been the one that’s never been seen before. So, why can’t the Jedi use the Force to fly?

Is Force flight possible in Star Wars?

If there’s one thing that we know about the Force in Star Wars, it’s that we don’t know the full extent of the powers of this mysterious cosmic energy. We only know that the Jedi and the other wielders of the Force can perform incredible feats using the Force. The most incredible feat we saw during the events of the original trilogy was the ability to levitate an X-Wing.

Of course, the Force has gone a long way since the original trilogy, as Star Wars has steadily introduced new abilities that the Jedi can use when wielding the Force. They can read minds and even heal wounds using their power. But the power we are yet to see in Star Wars is the ability to fly. 

No, we’re not just talking about levitating a few feet off the ground or jumping really high. Instead, we are talking about actual flight, just like how the likes of Superman in the comics can propel themselves through the air. But is Force flight actually possible in Star Wars?

While we did see the Jedi doing a lot of different stuff that was amazing in ‘Star Wars: The Clone Wars,’ which was supposed to be the best series to introduce different Force powers because it is animated, the one thing that we never saw was a Jedi being able to fly. Of course, we’ve seen something similar to flight in relation to the different Jedi in Star Wars.

In ‘Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi,’ we saw Leia propelling herself through space by using the Force to pull herself back into the ship after the ship’s bridge got blown. But that wasn’t exactly flying because she was just using the Force to pull herself. And because there is no gravity in space, that feat was easier to accomplish.

Meanwhile, in ‘Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker,’ Rey could be seen meditating while basically levitating a few inches off the ground. This means that levitation is indeed possible for the Jedi, albeit quite limited. But what about flying?

Well, in the 2021 canon novel ‘Star Wars: The High Republic: Into the Dark,’ there was a scene wherein a pilot named Affie Hollow transported Jedi Knight Dez Rydan. She asked him if the Jedi can fly, to which he replied that the Jedi can’t fly but can levitate under stressful situations. This means that Dez confirmed that levitation is possible for some Jedi while also saying they can’t fly.

Take note that the Jedi were known to be at their strongest during the time of the High Republic, and that means that they had access to powers and skills that the Jedi during the time of the Clone Wars didn’t have. As such, if the Jedi during the High Republic couldn’t fly, it may be impossible for the Jedi to actually fly.

Then again, levitation is possible. Of course, levitating and flying are two things that are incredibly different from one another, given the fact that levitation only allows a Jedi to float above the ground for a few inches or maybe even a few feet. In contrast, flight would have allowed a Jedi to actually propel themselves through the air and move freely.

So, if flight is possible for the Jedi, it is likely that no one has discovered how to use the Force to fly. There’s a chance that this is impossible because we saw the Son and the Daughter being able to fly only when they transformed into winged creatures. So, if the Son and the Daughter can’t fly using their humanoid forms, we can’t say that the Jedi can fly without transforming into other creatures.

That said, as it stands, flight is not possible for the Jedi right now, even if they were incredibly powerful in the Force. But we’re not dismissing the possibility that someone can discover how to use the Force for flight. 

The Jedi don’t need to fly

Of course, the Jedi don’t need to fly because that would be just bad storytelling on the part of Lucasfilm. The Jedi, as they are, are already quite overpowered as not many other people in the galaxy can match the prowess of the Jedi. Giving them the ability to fly using the Force would simply make them almost unbeatable.

We already saw how Lucasfilm basically ditched some Force abilities that we only saw a few times. For example, in’ Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace,’ we saw Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi using Force speed to escape the Destroyer droids. But we never saw this ability again due to how goofy and downright overpowered this ability is.

So, if Star Wars were to introduce flight to a Jedi, that would just make things worse because it would be incredibly hard to develop a compelling enough storyline. In that regard, it would be unlikely that the Jedi would ever learn how to fly. That is, of course, if flight is possible for the Jedi.

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