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As far as I understand, the galaxy of the Star Wars supposedly exists in our universe ("a galaxy far, far away"). So I have to wonder: is the Force (as a metaphysical and ubiquitous power or fundamental interaction) unique to the Star Wars galaxy, or is it spread all over the universe?

Obi-Wan Kenobi stated that the Force acts only on the galactic level, saying:

"Well, 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."

But in other sources I've read it described as "the all-pervading vital energy of the universe."

So is the Force some kind of fundamental interaction like gravity that acts on the universal level (in an alternate universe), or it is some other physical phenomena which occurred only in the Star Wars galaxy? If the former, does that mean that Star Wars happened in a galaxy not from our universe, but some other universe, following a Multiverse theory? And if it's the latter, why didn't it spread to other galaxies?

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    In the now non-canon books the Yuzon Vong didn't have access to or knowledge of the force and couldn't be sensed
    – user46509
    Commented Oct 24, 2015 at 15:04
  • @AncalagonTheBlack - your example proves things backwards. They DID have the Force, but it was stripped from them.
    – DVK-on-Ahch-To
    Commented Oct 26, 2015 at 17:03
  • @DVK I only read the first book 😂
    – user46509
    Commented Oct 26, 2015 at 17:04

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The Force does exist in other galaxies, as can be extrapolated by the Yuuzhan Vong.

By the time we meet them, they have no Force presence whatsoever, but the novel The New Jedi Order: The Unifying Force explains that this wasn't always the case, and they were cut off from the Force by their sentient homeworld which would later become Zonama Sekot.

As the Yuuzhan Vong are from another galaxy, and they were cut off from the Force, they were clearly connected to the Force at some point, which is only possible if the Force existed in their galaxy.

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  • . Is this canon?
    – ThePopMachine
    Commented Oct 25, 2015 at 6:19
  • @ThePopMachine no
    – user46509
    Commented Oct 25, 2015 at 6:54
  • @ThePopMachine It was, at some point. It's part of the Extended Universe, which has been made non-Canon when Disney bought it out. However, I'd still say it is of a higher level of canon than an in-movie joke about two distinct movies being based in the same universe. With the entire extended universe being declared non-canon, it's exceedingly difficult to really find answers in "true canon".
    – Theik
    Commented Oct 25, 2015 at 15:19
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No, the Force is not confined to the Star Wars Galaxy.

There is another answer which doesn't rely on the Extended Universe.

As you can see from this highly upvoted (+166) answer to this question

Are E.T. and Star Wars in the same universe?

there is ample evidence that these aliens in the Galactic Senate enter image description here

are the same race as E.T. (Honestly, just read the linked answer.)

The implication is that E.T.'s ability to fly himself and Elliot is a Force power. This occurs on Earth in the Milky Way galaxy (to state the obvious).

enter image description here

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  • Not all psychic powers are force-based in EU/Legends (and I don't know of any way to answer this question one way or another in the current canon)--the telepathy article mentions "Some species, such as the Iktotchi, the Anzati, the Hortek, the Quermians, Zeltrons, Umbarans, and the Draethos, had evolved a natural telepathic ability, common even to those of their number who could not touch the Force." No such non-force users are mentioned in the telekinesis article but I don't think it can be ruled out.
    – Hypnosifl
    Commented Oct 24, 2015 at 21:27
  • @Hypnosifl, will I did say "implication"
    – ThePopMachine
    Commented Oct 24, 2015 at 21:30
  • Ah, fair enough--"implication" can be used to mean something that follows logically from some statement even if it's not directly stated, or it can mean something that we can conclude is most likely from the statement even if it's not certain, I guess you meant it in the second sense.
    – Hypnosifl
    Commented Oct 24, 2015 at 21:33
  • @Hypnosifl, yes. Clearly it doesn't follow logically and absolutely from only the information given.
    – ThePopMachine
    Commented Oct 24, 2015 at 21:36
  • What on a planet far, far away is that giant "No" referring to? OP asked a number questions.
    – user31178
    Commented Oct 25, 2015 at 4:27
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The new canon describes the Force as consisting of two parts: The Living Force and the Cosmic Force. The Cosmic Force is the energy medium that permeates all of existence and binds it all together. It is through the Cosmic Force that you can manipulate entities light years away, for example. Meanwhile, the Living Force is the energy medium emitted by all life, and it feeds and sustains the continued existence of the Cosmic Force.

Does the Force exist beyond the Star Wars galaxy? From current canon material alone, it seems to be "we do not know" or "we don't talk about it". So far, no Star Wars character (Disney canon) have discussed anything outside their own galaxy in the literal sense. This suggests that the current scope of routine galactic life is still constrained to the bounds of that one galaxy. There appear to be no known visit by a Force-sensitive to another galaxy to date who can report on the status and nature of the Force elsewhere.

Can powerful Jedi sense extragalactic existence of the Force from the comforts of home or even at the physical limits of their own galaxy? Maybe, maybe not. But other galaxies are so far away they would most likely be murkier to Yoda's senses than Palpatine's future.

So with that in mind, I would draw on our own real life perspective of other galaxies (since Lucas chose to situate the Force in the same universe as us) to give the most likely in-universe answer from Yoda (in proper English): we do not know if the Force exists in other galaxies, but we believe it to be so, as long as the rest of the universe exists in the same way as we know it in the galaxy we observe around ourselves.

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