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It is now time for me to lay down one of my pet theories. The genesis of this theory was gradual, and began with the introduction of Valin Horn in Vision of the Future as a boy talented in music. This musical love was reiterated in Union. At the time, I thought it was cool, but didn't think much more on it. Then I reread Requiem for a Rogue and I, Jedi, and I got to thinking.
Rereading I, Jedi reintroduced me to Tionne, a character originally created by Kevin J. Anderson for his Jedi Academy trilogy. Both in that trilogy and in I, Jedi, she was portrayed as being low-level when it came to Force abilities, but she was extremely gifted in the musical field. Her ballads were able to move practically everybody to tears and could keep them spellbound for hours. I don't see Corran as being a big music critic or being the type who even listens to a lot of music, but just the fact that she was able to captivate him says quite a bit for her skill. The only person I can think of who was not captivated by her songs is Kyp Durron, who was under the influence of Exar Kun at the time.
Then I got to thinking about two other events that had to do with music, and my little brain really got to thinking. One of those is pretty much the entire plotline of Requiem for a Rogue. All of those who are able to utilize the Sith "magic" related to it in a musical way. Dllr, the musical critic of the group, heard it first and described it as being the most beautiful music he had ever heard. Cartariun also talked about it as music, telling Dllr to let the music fill him. Later on, Herian is also able to hear the music, but is able to keep her perspective and tell Dllr to "Look beyond the surface! Hear the discordance beneath the harmony! Listen to the undertones! See the music for what it is!" In other words, even though she was not Force-sensitive that we know of, she was able to see the darkness of the music.
There is one other instance where the Force, at least the Dark Side of it, is referred to as music. In I, Jedi, Corran, Kam, and Brakiss go out exploring in the forest. They end up at Exar Kun's temple. They found a stone in the middle of it that they ended up staring into for about fifteen minutes. Corran and Kam didn't like it at all, but Brakiss began to act weird after doing so. At one point, Corran says that Brakiss "spun as if dancing to some music neither Kam nor I could hear." Again, music and the Dark Side are linked together.
So what have we seen through these examples? We have seen multiple non-Force sensitives being tempted, and some succumbing, to the Dark Side after relating to it as music that sounds beautiful on the surface but is discordant at its heart. We have seen a Jedi apprentice acting like he, too, hears the same sort of music at the same time he is trying to justify use of the Dark Side. We have seen another Jedi apprentice, unquestionably on the light side, who can captivate pretty much anybody not directly under the influence of a Sith Lord with the beauty and power of her music alone, although her Force capabilities have been described as low. We have also been introduced to a little boy with Force capabilities who loves music, wants to learn to play it, and may even have composed his own pieces already.
Now that I have this established, it's time to get to the crux of my pet theory. I postulate that there is another Force ability, one that which has only been hinted at throughout the novels and comics but which has never been identified or expounded upon. I believe that certain individuals can relate to the Force in a musical way, and it is through music that they can best draw upon the Force. I believe that Tionne's abilities have always been underestimated because no one has figured this out yet, and that Valin also has a strong musical affinity with the Force.
We have seen other instances of identified Force abilities. We also know that Jedi seem to have given strengths and weaknesses in these areas. For example, we know that Corran's telekinetic ability is virtually nil, but yet he is strong in being able to absorb energy. Those are just two known areas of Jedi skill. Maybe a musical gift is just an unidentified Force talent, perhaps even a rare one, and Tionne and Valin are the only two known exhibitors of this talent of the New Jedi.
Or perhaps it's not exactly an ability, like telekinesis is, but more just a different way of relating to the Force. If so, this could perhaps come up during the New Jedi Order. Jacen Solo, in particular, I think would be interested in discovering alternate ways of relating to the Force. Most Jedi perceive the Force as an energy field that binds all living things together. Maybe Jedi like Tionne and Valin perceive it in a musical way. Perhaps, to them, every living creature sounds a note or plays a part in a cosmic symphony that has its light and dark parts. The symphony is still in the process of being written, and the actions or disappearance of any one individual can change the whole feel and sound of the entire symphony.
Okay, my philosophical mode is going off, especially since this last bit, the bit about music being an alternate way of perceiving and relating to the Force, was something that just came to me as I was writing this piece, and therefore is not thought out as much as the first part of this editorial. But now it makes me wonder. If there are at least two different ways of relating to the Force, how many other ways are there? Have the Yuuzhan Vong discovered another way of doing so, a way not yet perceived by the Jedi? If the YV are completely outside the Force, as has been depicted to date in the NJO books, will one of the Jedi be able to find an alternate way of relating to the Force that will be able to stop the YV? Or are the YV leaders just big music critics that want to wipe out all the players of the current symphony so they can write one of their own?
Copyright August 25, 2000 by Kelly M. Grosskreutz.
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