- “The Force is what gives a Jedi his power. It's an energy field created by all living things. It surrounds us and penetrates us; it binds the galaxy together.”
- ―Obi-Wan Kenobi[src]
The Force is the universal principle in the Star Wars universe. It is the efficient formal material and final cause of all life. As an energy field emanating from the Wellspring of Life, the Force takes abode in material vessels. This Force within living beings is the "spirit" and "essence" of the living. The Force is from which all emerges and dissolves into: when a living thing dies, life passes from the Living Force to the Cosmic Force; the Cosmic Force renews the Living Force, and in turn, the Living aspect empowers the Cosmic aspect. The Force binds material and immaterial reality into unity, since it pervades and penetrates all.
Individuals born with the inherent ability to sense the Living Force around them, possessing the power or potential to use the Force are known as Force-sensitives, Force-wielders, or Force-users. There are two sides to the Force: the light side (or Ashla) and the dark side (or Bogan); those that harness its power, as the Jedi and the Sith, gain access to several psychic powers and enhanced physical and mental capabilities. Users of the Force have the potential to have any power it bestowed, though they needed to be skilled or powerful enough to use such powers to better extent.