I've Been Wondering, What Are Midi-chlorians?

What are Midi-Chlorians?

Qui-Gon- "Without the midi-chlorians, life could not exist, and we would have no knowledge of the Force. They continually speak to you, telling you the will of the Force. When you learn to quiet your mind, you will hear them speaking to you."

This is a terrible way to explain a simple concept. In Jedi vs. SIth, midi-chlorians are explained pretty simply: "microscopic life-forms that reside within all living cells and communicate with the Force to reveal its will." The higher a Jedi's midi-chlorian count, the stronger they were. These life-forms reside in the blood, and can be lost if there is significant blood loss. Yoda himself admits in The Clone Wars: Wild Space (Miller, 2008) that Anakin losing an arm in the first battle of Geonosis could affect his abilities. "A Jedi's connection with the Force flowed through the midi-chlorians in his blood. The loss of a limb had been known to affect a Jedi's powers. True, Anakin Skywalker possessed more midi-chlorians than any known Jedi in history, but even so..." (p. 19).

There are also portions of the original extended universe that imply this same principle. After Anakin almost died from Obi-Wan's duel, he had lost all 4 limbs. The emperor had assumed his abilities were minimal at that point and planned to allow him to die in his service hunting the remaining Jedi. He was going to keep him long enough for him to do some good. But he just wouldn't die. After several years, the emperor was prepared to give Vader a new suit that would permit him more flexibility. Vader refused the new suit stating he had bonded with his current one through the Force and removing it would kill him.

Bottom line, Midi-chlorians are what carry Force sensitivity. They are in all living things in the known galaxy, which is why they can be manipulated by Jedi. Midi-chlorians are in everything. The more an individual has in them, the more they can sense the midi-chlorians in objects, or other people. This ability is what allows manipulation. This is also why Jedi could not affect the Yuuzhan Vong. They were a species from outside the known galaxy who came during the time of the (scraped by Disney) New Republic. They were aware of midi-chlorians and their affects. They basically bred them out of themselves. It made them extremely difficult to fight as they could not be mentally manipulated by Jedi.

Midi-chlorians are integral to a Jedi's abilities. Without blood tests to check for midi-chlorian levels, finding future Jedi would be much more difficult.