Vergence

Help me, Obi-Wan Kenobi. You're my only hope.

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Sacred spire — The Force nexus in the central mountain of the Jedi Temple

"There are places in the galaxy, strong in the Force - light, dark. They are born in places teeming with life... and in places that are filled with death. Worlds whose surfaces are graveyards, whose screams echo through the Force. It is possible for war, for men to give birth to such places, to leave wounds on the galaxy itself."

―Kreia, to the Jedi Exile^[1]

A vergence, also known as a Force nexus, was a phenomenon of the Force that was centered on a place or object, or in rare instances on an individual. A vergence was a place in the galaxy where the Force flowed the most freely, in a concentrated wellspring of energy that could be more easily harnessed by those sensitive to its power.

Overview[]

"I have encountered a vergence in the Force."
"Located around a person?"
"A boy. His cells have the highest concentration of midi-chlorians I have ever seen in a lifeform… It is possible he was conceived by midi-chlorians."

―Qui-Gon Jinn and Mace Windu on Jinn's discovery of Anakin Skywalker on Tatooine^[2]

Vergences are locations within the galaxy where the Force is heavily concentrated (around places, objects, or individuals) and easily manipulated by Forceful beings. The Jedi Order speculated on how and why vergences were created, but all hypotheses put forward showed great flaws. Vergences could appear anywhere in the galaxy and varied in size, from entire planets to a single room. Many vergences in the Force appeared at locations with a strong history of its presence—where Force users gathered, or great tragedies occurred. The bounds of time and space did not confine a vergence, as they could exist outside it. Vergences could exist for a single moment in history, or be maintained for millennia. They could grow and expand, or diminish completely. Not all vergences were the same; some encouraged certain abilities, such as giving visitors visions, or strengthening psychokinetic ability.

Both the Jedi Order and the Sith sought out these vergences and used them for their individual purposes. These groups often built temples around or over top of a nexus, or used the vergence as a talisman if it was centered on an object. Legends and prophecies spoke of vergences forming around individuals, a rare occurrence that had not been studied well by either order.

Force nexuses[]

"I trained in one such place. A nexus of Force energy on a small swamp world."

―Luke Skywalker, describing the Dark Side Cave on Dagobah^[3]

Over the course of the galaxy's history, the Jedi Order had identified many Force nexuses. The Coruscant Jedi Temple had been constructed on and within the mountain known as the Sacred spire, a nexus of great energy. Serving as the headquarters of the Order, it had been tainted long after the Temple was abandoned by Lord Nyax during the Yuuzhan Vong War.^[4] Other Jedi Temples, such as the Ilum Temple and the Temple of Eedit on Devaron, were built over top of powerful nexuses. Monuments such as the Valley of the Jedi, where the spirits of several thousand Jedi, both light and dark, were trapped after the Seventh Battle of Ruusan, were also revered by the Order.

Some nexuses seemed to be caused by any number of different events. Korriban in general and the Valley of the Dark Lords specifically were nexuses of the dark side of the Force due to the long-term presence of the Sith Lords; Nam Chorios was a nexus of the Force due to the omnipresence of the Tsils, a form of life; Vjun was a nexus of the dark side due to the horrible events of its past; the Dark Side Cave on Dagobah and a spot in orbit over Endor were both tainted by the death of dark-side users; Byss was a nexus of the dark side of the Force because it housed Palpatine's clones and his various Sith alchemy experiments, also with Force energies sucking the life force from species and individuals on the planet. In 14 ABY, the Disciples of Ragnos drained several Force nexuses of their power with the Scepter of Ragnos.

Talismans[]

Objects left in the presence of a Force nexus for an extended time eventually became saturated with the Force, which imbued the object with special abilities, like a blade-edge that would never dull, the ability to absorb certain Force powers like Force lightning and electric judgment, or even the ability to enhance the wielder's perception of time, allowing him to think and react faster than otherwise possible. This effect allowed even a being who wasn't Force-sensitive to use the talisman to a great degree. Moreover, objects imbued with a particular aspect of the Force—be it light or dark—could become saturated enough to make their very presence intolerable to those of opposite alignment. Objects such as the Tear of the Elders, the Grimoire of Syclos the Lame, and the Bardottan Sphere were considered very powerful vergences.

Vergences around a person[]

Meetra Surik was the center of a vergence. Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn believed that a vergence in the Force was located in Anakin Skywalker. Another vergence in the Force was located in the Caves of Light and Shadow on the planet Spintir: the cave was formed in the distant past by a struggle between the light and dark sides of the Force, and by 0 ABY had corrupted a pack of icewolves which lived in the caves. After it was investigated by a team of Force-sensitives, the cave sealed itself.

Behind the scenes[]

The first Force nexus to appear in Star Wars continuity was the cave on Dagobah, seen during the 1980 film Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back. The concept of a location imbued with Force energy was then expanded on in the 1997 video game Star Wars: Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II.

In the 2001 video game Star Wars: Obi-Wan, a Force nexus is a power-up which grants the user unlimited Force powers for a limited time.