What Was the Actual Prophecy About Bringing Balance to the Force?

Question

The prophecy about "the one who will bring balance to the force" is mentioned several times. From the discussion, the implication is that virgin birth is part of it, along with a few other factors that would make Anakin seem like the person it described.

But is the actual prophecy ever stated anywhere? Just how much do we know about what it said? Having just re-watched The Phantom Menace, the only clues we get are that it seems to include virgin birth and the high midichlorian count.

It's also interesting that this is the only prophecy, at least in the movies and TV show, that is ever mentioned.

The footnotes to the prophecy are generally omitted regarding its further clauses describing how a Sith Lord clones himself, living on after he explodes and presiding over an arena full of cultists, while having one of his test subjects grow powerful in the Force and lead remnants of the original’s Empire while mentoring a nebulously-associated dark side practitioner related to the prophesied being. — Silly but True, Nov 17 '21 at 18:15

score 15 · Answer 1 · edited Oct 24 '11 at 01:42

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This is from the novelization. It expands a little bit on it but doesn't fully answer your question. This is the only time prophecy is mentioned in the book.

There was a prophecy, so old its origins had long since been lost, that a chosen one would appear, imbued with an abundance of midichlorians, a being strong with the Force and destined to alter it forever. It was Mace Windu who gave voice to the Council's thoughts. "You refer to the prophecy," he said quietly. "Of the one who will bring balance to the Force. You believe it is this boy."

edited Oct 24 '11 at 01:42

TGnat

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answered Oct 24 '11 at 01:35

Daryl Brown

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I always felt that Vader did bring balance, at the end of the third film they had two Jedi and two Sith. – Ray Britton Oct 24 '11 at 09:15
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@raybritton Canonically speaking, what the Jedi Order call "balance" is not the middle point between dark and light side, its the absence of Dark Side use – DavRob60 Oct 24 '11 at 12:38
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@DavRob60: With a prophesy that old, who is to say what the right meaning of "balance" is? – DampeS8N Oct 24 '11 at 12:44
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@DampeS8N Because George Lucas explicitly said what is the meaning of "balance". And when we speak of Star Wars Canon, George's statement is absolute canon. – DavRob60 Oct 24 '11 at 12:58
The Wookieepedia has an article on the Chosen One which provides all the in-universe background to the prophecy and how Anakin fulfils it. – Owen Blacker Feb 05 '12 at 21:41
@raybritton: Bravo ! The Jedi Force is the same Force of the Sith. The Force is always balanced because there is no difference. Jedis wants to be absolute in universe. Religion... Ptff. – Magno C May 11 '16 at 11:27

Milo P · Accepted Answer · 2021-11-18T20:07:46.563

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The text of the prophecy in Canon is given in Skywalker: A Family at War (2021):

Around this time, Qui-Gon received a coveted offer to join the Jedi Council and thus become one of the 12 Jedi steering the Order and offering guidance to Jedi Masters in the field. To the other members' astonishment, Qui-Gon rejected their proposal, certain that his true path was still unspooling before him. And so it was that, just a few years later, Jedi Master Qui-Gon came to be traveling the galaxy with his Padawan Obi-Wan Kenobi when he happened upon young Anakin, the child whom Qui-Gon came to believe was the individual mentioned in an ancient Jedi prophecy: "A Chosen One shall come, born of no father, and through him will ultimate balance in the Force be restored."

(page 15, emphasis in original)

The book is an in-universe biography of the Skywalker family, but doesn't elaborate on the prophecy's source beyond it being an "ancient Jedi prophecy". According to another Stack Exchange question, this is also the prophecy text given in Master and Apprentice, although I don't have it and can't confirm.

edited Nov 18 '21 at 20:07

answered Nov 16 '21 at 08:03

Milo P

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Can you provide more context to this? Where does it come from, for example? – Tango Nov 17 '21 at 16:18
@Tango There's unfortunately very little other context given—it's in the section about Anakin's early life, and discusses Qui-Gon's belief in prophecy without elaborating on the history of that particular prophecy. I added the full paragraph to my answer for the context that's there. – Milo P Nov 17 '21 at 17:57
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In the first version I read your answer and thought, "Hmmm...Now I want to know more," so adding the context is a big help! May I suggest also adding a line, similar to your comment content, that this is all they say about it - just an offhanded reference? My thought is that would make it complete and not lead people to think, "Is that it? Maybe there's more and I need to look for it." – Tango Nov 18 '21 at 18:45
@Tango Will do—I'm still reading the book, so it's possible there's more given later. I'll update my answer here once finished in case it sheds more light on the prophecy outside of what we know from the films. – Milo P Nov 18 '21 at 20:01
If you find more, feel free to add it later! – Tango Nov 20 '21 at 04:07

What Was the Actual Prophecy About Bringing Balance to the Force?

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