Was I alone in thinking that the Force could prolong life?

Galvatron · Post by **Galvatron** » 2005-05-25 10:09pm

Ever since I was a kid and learned that Yoda was over 800 years old, then later when I read Dark Empire (before my disillusionment with the EU) and learned that the dark side had the opposite effect, I was half expecting to learn in the prequels that Jedi would normally be hundreds of years old. Not because that's the normal lifespan of their particular species, but as a side-effect of being strong in the Force.

I would have thought it cool if Obi-Wan had turned out to be much older than he looked in ANH.

So am I the only one?

SCVN 2812 · Post by **SCVN 2812** » 2005-05-25 10:17pm

I don't recall ever thinking that you could live to be 900 by being a force user but I've always been able to see where say half again to twice your normal life is possible if you're a lightsider, the Emperor and Vader as a kid I thought looked the way they did because the Dark Side decayed them while the Light Side extended your life. I'm still not sure that even with his extensive burns, Vader couldn't have looked a bit better if he wasn't a dark Jedi.

Spanky The Dolphin · Post by **Spanky The Dolphin** » 2005-05-25 10:25pm

I always assumed that Yoda's species was naturally long-lived.

But the Force does seem capable of extending life. Vima-Da-Boda was a fallen human Jedi and she was at least 200 years old.

Macross · Post by **Macross** » 2005-05-26 01:14am

Yeah, I do think the force can prolong life. I too associated Yodas long life with the Force. I guess it was his comment in RotJ when he was sick and dying. Luke said that he cant die, to which Yoda replied: "Strong am I in the Force, but not that strong". I believe that he had reached a point in life where age finally caught up to him and he wasnt strong enough in the Force to keep himself alive any longer.

And wasnt Qui-Gon over a hundred years old in TPM?

Spanky The Dolphin · Post by **Spanky The Dolphin** » 2005-05-26 01:16am

No, he was 60 in TPM. Qui-Gon was born 92 BBY.

The Duchess of Zeon · Post by **The Duchess of Zeon** » 2005-05-26 01:20am

Spanky The Dolphin wrote:
But the Force does seem capable of extending life. Vima-Da-Boda was a fallen human Jedi and she was at least 200 years old.

We actually have official evidence for normal people--albeit very wealthy individuals--who are able to live into their third century with the aide of only the existing medical treatments available in the Republic/Empire.

Spanky The Dolphin · Post by **Spanky The Dolphin** » 2005-05-26 01:22am

True, but Vima spent decades in the slums of Nar Shaddaa, which is practically like taking Coruscant and making the Undercity the entire planet.

The Duchess of Zeon · Post by **The Duchess of Zeon** » 2005-05-26 01:30am

Spanky The Dolphin wrote:True, but Vima spent decades in the slums of Nar Shaddaa, which is practically like taking Coruscant and making the Undercity the entire planet.

It's entirely possible that she was born into wealthy circumstances, however, where gene-therapy was administered at a very young age, or earlier, which allowed her to reach that highly advanced age without further treatment.

Spanky The Dolphin · Post by **Spanky The Dolphin** » 2005-05-26 01:39am

No heritage seems to hinted at in the texts I've been looking through, other that she is a descendant of Nomi Sunrider from the Great Sith War era 4000 years ago.

Although I must correct myself, she wasn't on Nar Shaddaa for decades.

She was at least 100 years old when she killed her deceased daughter's husband, to which she was stipped of her ability to sense and use the Force, escaping the Purge. Later she was sent to the Kessel spice mines, and then transported to Nar Shaddaa.