Star Warshas subtly explained the “sense echoes” seen inJedi: Fallen OrderandJedi: Survivor, finally explaining a potential plot hole that’s been bugging me for the last five years. Respawn’sJedigames are centered around theOrder 66 survivorCal Kestis and his allies, and one reason for their success lies in new lore. Cal can interact with “echoes” as he explored different worlds, a smart way of providing backstory and depth to the galaxy. This appeared to be related to the rareForce powercalled psychometry, but there’s a catch;the idea has become increasingly common since.
George Mann’s newStar Warsaudiobook,Seeds of Starlight, finally gives a canon explanation for why these are becoming more common. It seems thatcertain events can create “echoes” in the Force, which can be detected by certain Force-sensitives. It takes training to learn how to interact with these echoes, and it’s likely that Jedi with psychometry - a Force power attuned to sensing the past whenever they touch an object - have something of a head start when it comes to interpreting them.
The prequel era Jedi feared the power of psychometry, because a Jedi with this ability actuallyexperiencesthe past when they touch an object - including emotions. In the same way, inSeeds of Starlight, a young Jedi who senses an echo of thedark side monster called the Drengirfinds themselves immersed in the dark side. It’s reasonable to assume this is why Force echoes haven’t really been seen in the prequel era; because the Jedi came to discourage interacting with them.
What Force Echoes Mean For Star Wars
Great emotions are likely the key to Force Echoes
Until now, it had seemed as though the ability to sense echoes was much more directly related to psychometry; this had been becoming more than a little frustrating, because an increasing number of characters were demonstrating the power. Ahsoka Tano, for example, sensed what had happened to her Padawan Sabine in theAhsokaDisney+ TV show, and she’d never shown any proficiency with psychometry before. Now, it seems, she simply didn’t need it;she was sensitive enough with the Force to sense the echo.
It’s long been known that certain events can leave a deep imprint in the Force
This idea fits perfectly withStar Warslore. It’s long been known that certain events can leave a deep imprint in the Force, even creating aForce vergenceon occasion; in Legends, the death of an ancient Sith Lord led to the creation of the Dagobah cave seen inThe Empire Strikes Back. An echo is essentially a step along the way to this kind of effect, and it’s pleasing that an echo can be created by the experiences of a non-Force-sensitive too;all beings exist in the Force, after all.
Our Take On Sense Echo
I’m a huge fan of theJedigames, and the “sense echo” ability had never really troubled me there; they allow for smart world-building. The main issue, though, had been that they’d become increasingly commonplace in modernStar Wars, and that hadn’t quite made sense to me, because I’d associated with psychometry. This Force power was supposed to be rare, and yet it had been possessed by everyone from Ahsoka Tano toVernestra RwohinThe Acolyte.
Mann’s tremendous storySeeds of Starlightsubtly fixes this, because it provides an internal view of what it’s like to sense an echo - and then sees a Jedi Master recognize what’s there, pointing to it as a manifestation in the Force. It’s just the detail I wanted to see, and it helps fix the lore of theJedigames into the overarchingStar Warsnarrative. It helps that the audiobook is also thrilling, and so skillfully written; this fix is just the icing on the cake.
Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order
From the creative team behind Titanfall 1, 2, and Apex Legends comes Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, a single-player action-adventure game set in the Star Wars Universe. Five years after the events of Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith, players assume the role of Cal Kestis, a Jedi Padawan that has managed to survive the outcome of the deadly Order 66, unlike many other Jedi. When Cal is found by Inquisitors seeking to hunt down the rest of the Jedi, he escapes and eventually finds a new former Jedi ally and begins to fight back against the empire to survive.
