Force detector

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"Originally designed though never implemented by Jenna Zan Arbor, and put to heinous use by the Inquisitors and others during the Jedi Purge, the Force Detector was often thought of as the epitome of the evil that could come from merging technology with the Force."
―Tam Azur-Jamin, Droids, Technology and the Force: A Clash of Phenomena[2]

A Force detector or Jedi reader was a scanning device used by Emperor Palpatine's Jedi hunters to identify Force-sensitive individuals. It consisted of two sheet crystal paddles connected to a control pack powered by rare thaissen crystals found only on Mimban. When an individual was placed between the paddles, the device would produce a hologram of the person in question. If the individual was Force sensitive, a blue corona would surround the hologram. If the individual was tainted by the dark side then the hologram would have red marks in the blue corona.

Description

"A three-component system, the Force detector consisted of a control pack and two sheet-crystal readers—transparent paddles slightly larger than an average humanoid hand. To operate the device, these paddles had to be inserted into the control pack, then aimed and bracketed around the subject. The device then scanned the subject in question, constructing a wire-frame hologram of him or her that hovered above the control pack. This wire frame had color-coded lines corresponding to an adjacent numbers column that scrolled out data such as height, weight, approximate age, and midi-chlorian count."
―Tam Azur-Jamin, Droids, Technology and the Force: A Clash of Phenomena[2]

A Force detector was comprised of three parts—a control pack and sheet-crystal readers, two transparent paddles inserted into the pack and aimed and bracketed around its subject. Scanning the subject and constructing a wire frame hologram displayed above the control pack, the detector produced information including height, weight, approximate age, and midi-chlorian count, indicated by color-coded lines and a numbers column adjacent to the projection. Although not a part of Zan Arbor's original design, the Emperor had all 10,000 Force detectors modified by Lord Cronal, who, incorporating lightsaber construction techniques in combination with thaissen crystals mined from Circarpous V, allowed the devices to identify the magnitude of someone's Force potential. Cronal's dark alchemy also caused an aura, either blue or red in color, to manifest around the hologram that indicated the subject's light or dark side inclinations.[2]

History

Imperial development

"Of the 10,000 Force Detectors that were made, the Emperor requested that every one be passed into the hands of his Dark Side Mage Lord Cronal, so that he could apply his "Science of Darkness." Using thaissen crystals acquired from the mines of Circarpous V, Lord Cronal adapted traditional lightsaber construction techniques to give the devices ability to identify the magnitude of Force potential in a given test subject and, amazingly, any dark side inclinations as well."
―Tam Azur-Jamin, Droids, Technology and the Force: A Clash of Phenomena[2]

Before the Clone Wars, the Jedi used Force detectors that tested blood samples and determined midi-chlorian counts.[1]

Originally designed though never implemented by the scientist Jenna Zan Arbor, the first iterations of the Force detector was employed by the Inquisitorius during the Jedi Purge. The Emperor requested that all 10,000 detectors made be passed into the hands of his Emperor's Hand Lord Cronal so that he could modify them with Sith alchemy. Using the thaissen crystals acquired from mines on Mimban, Cronal adapted traditional Jedi lightsaber construction techniques to give the detectors the ability to detect the magnitude of Force potential and a subject's alignment.[2]

Under a New Republic

"Most of these units have been destroyed or have disappeared since the great purge, but in a poetic twist of fate, Master Skywalker recovered a few and used them to identify candidates for resurrecting the Jedi Order. However, in an echo of the Dark Times, the dark Jedi Brakiss stole several of these when he flew from the Jedi Praxeum, and used them in turn to identify candidates for his Shadow Academy. Master Skywalker has since disdained their use, but it is well known that Master Kyp Durron used one to detect the Force-sensitivity in his Padawan Miko Reglia, and that Durron advocates the construction of more of these devices."
―Tam Azur-Jamin, Droids, Technology and the Force: A Clash of Phenomena[2]

Some of the devices were recovered on Coruscant by Wedge Antilles,[source?] and Luke Skywalker later used the devices in his efforts to find candidates for his Jedi Praxeum at Yavin 4. Dark Jedi Brakiss stole a few of the devices and used them to discover potential students for his Shadow Academy. Luke later disdained their use, although Kyp Durron used one to test his Padawan Miko Reglia. Durron advocated for the construction of more detectors.[2]

Sometime after, the Jedi Tam Azur-Jamin wrote Droids, Technology and the Force: A Clash of Phenomena, a work that examined several fusions of technology and the Force, including Force detectors.[2]

Behind the scenes

The Force detector first appeared in Jedi Search, written by Kevin J. Anderson and published February 7, 1994.

The article Droids, Technology and the Force: A Clash of Phenomena claims 10,000 Force detectors were made, while Power of the Jedi Sourcebook states that "over ten thousand" Force detectors were created. Although the figure of 10,000 Force detectors remained consistent, this contradicts The Jedi Academy Sourcebook and Gundark's Fantastic Technology: Personal Gear, which previously established that less than 10,000 such devices were ever produced.

Appearances

Non-canon appearances

Sources

Notes and references

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Jedi Academy Training Manual
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 HyperspaceIcon Droids, Technology and the Force: A Clash of Phenomena on Hyperspace (article) (content obsolete and backup link not available)