# mini-chloridians **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 1, 2003, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mini-chloridians/146071 "2003-01-01T19:10:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![beajerry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@beajerry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beajerry)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2003, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mini-chloridians/146071/1 "2003-01-01T19:10:26Z")
Do you think Lucas will mention mini-chloridians in the 3rd prequel? Or was that a major New-age mistake that he probably regrets slipping in there? ---
**Author:** ![Scarlett67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scarlett67/32/7387_2.png) [@Scarlett67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scarlett67)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2003, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mini-chloridians/146071/2 "2003-01-01T19:19:43Z")
That’s _midichlorians,_ for the record. Carry on! ---
**Author:** ![beajerry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@beajerry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beajerry)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2003, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mini-chloridians/146071/3 "2003-01-01T19:32:12Z")
I suppose they have something to do with chlorophyll. ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2003, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mini-chloridians/146071/4 "2003-01-01T19:38:02Z")
Whether he regrets it or not, there may not be any need to mention them again anyway. Where they mentioned in Ep 2? ---
**Author:** ![raisinbread](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8491ac/32.png) [@raisinbread](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/raisinbread)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2003, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mini-chloridians/146071/5 "2003-01-01T19:44:34Z")
[color=“purple”]Midichlorians are the worst thing ever to happen to Star Wars, next to George Lucas and Jar-Jar. First it diminished a great mystical power to some infestation that may or may not have anything to do with genetics. “Luminous beings are we, not this crude matter” can not be quoted enough to diminish the mediocrity of Lucas’s invention. Also it implies that if one only has a certain level of midichlorians then that individual could never aspire to greater heights and if someone lacked midichlorians then they would never be able to aspire to being a jedi knight. Of course Lucas is out of touch and unsuited to being a director. [http://events.calendarlive.com/top/1,1419,L-LATimes-Movies-X!ArticleDetail-59894,00.html](http://events.calendarlive.com/top/1,1419,L-LATimes-Movies-X!ArticleDetail-59894,00.html) ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2003, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mini-chloridians/146071/6 "2003-01-01T19:59:19Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Scarlett67 \* > \*\*That’s _midichlorians,_ for the record. > > Carry on! \*\* If you want to get really technical, it’s midi-chlorians, with a dash. I found that out when my non-dashed search failed on [starwars.com](http://starwars.com). ---
**Author:** ![tracer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tracer/32/20578_2.png) [@tracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracer)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2003, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mini-chloridians/146071/7 "2003-01-01T20:34:31Z")
The compleat midi-chlorian: [http://www.theforce.net/midichlorians/](http://www.theforce.net/midichlorians/) ---
**Author:** ![Zap\_Rowsdower](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/3da27b/32.png) [@Zap\_Rowsdower](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zap_Rowsdower)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2003, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mini-chloridians/146071/8 "2003-01-01T20:37:40Z")
I remember when the US Godzilla came out, its tagline was “Size Does Matter”. After it turned out to be crap, the Star Wars site put up the tagline “Story Does Matter” or something like that. If only he had meant it ---
**Author:** ![Scarlett67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scarlett67/32/7387_2.png) [@Scarlett67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scarlett67)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2003, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mini-chloridians/146071/9 "2003-01-01T20:44:16Z")
Thanks, **Revtim!** Another piece of useless trivia to add to my embarrassingly vast collection. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![markdiscordia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c6cbf5/32.png) [@markdiscordia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markdiscordia)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2003, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mini-chloridians/146071/10 "2003-01-01T21:06:58Z")
> [@](#): > > Also it implies that if one only has a certain level of midichlorians then that individual could never aspire to greater heights and if someone lacked midichlorians then they would never be able to aspire to being a jedi knight. Midchlorians or not, the idea that only certain people were “strong in the Force” has been around from day one. Why else would Obi-Wan and Owen, for different reasons, care so much about Luke? If any shmoe could become a Jedi, then he wouldn’t be “our last hope”–Obi-Wan could just find another willing learner, preferrably someone without the family history of succumbing to temptation. Vader wouldn’t say “the Force is strong with this one” in the Death Star trench. Leia wouldn’t presume, pre-familial-connection, that she “could never have” Luke’s power. There’s hundreds more examples if you allow the books and comics in, of course, most notably a mechanical device in _Jedi Search_ which can test a person’s Force potential. I don’t think the story loses anything to the midi-chlorians, because it was never about “ordinary people” turning into Jedi. It was about a very elite group of people resisting the inherent temptation in such a rare power, or failing to do so. ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2003, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mini-chloridians/146071/11 "2003-01-01T23:30:58Z")
What about the MIDI-chlorians? ---
**Author:** ![tracer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tracer/32/20578_2.png) [@tracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracer)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2003, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mini-chloridians/146071/12 "2003-01-02T02:56:00Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by markdiscordia \* > **Mid[i-]chlorians or not, the idea that only certain people were “strong in the Force” has been around from day one. Why else would Obi-Wan and Owen, for different reasons, care so much about Luke? If any shmoe could become a Jedi, then he wouldn’t be “our last hope”–Obi-Wan could just find another willing learner, preferrably someone without the family history of succumbing to temptation. Vader wouldn’t say “the Force is strong with this one” in the Death Star trench. Leia wouldn’t presume, pre-familial-connection, that she “could never have” Luke’s power.** Assuming only the information presented in _Star Wars_, before Lucas had even come up with the idea that Vader was Luke’s father: 1. Owen cared about Luke because Luke’s father was a risk-taking adventurer who got himself killed by Darth Vader, and Owen was afraid Luke might follow in his father’s footsteps. 2. During the Death Star attack, Vader sensed that the force was strong in Luke because Luke was being accompanied by the disembodied presence of the late Obi-Wan. Even assuming the extra baggage added to the _Star Wars_ franchise in _The Empire Strikes Back_: 3. Obi-Wan’s disembodied spirit saw Luke as the last hope. Perhaps because Luke was the only living person, outside of Yoda, that Obi-Wan knew about who was interested in becoming a Jedi. 4. Yoda said, “No, there is another.” This was likely a result of Yoda looking into the future, which he’d done earlier in the movie. (“Always in motion the future is.”) It is not until _Return of the Jedi_ that we are given any direct indication that Force-ability is something that runs in families. ---
**Author:** ![Tars\_Tarkas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Tars\_Tarkas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tars_Tarkas)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2003, 6:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mini-chloridians/146071/13 "2003-01-02T06:15:08Z")
> [@](#): > > It is not until Return of the Jedi that we are given any direct indication that Force-ability is something that runs in families. And a good thing the jedi wipe it our by forbidding love, therefore no kids. no wonder the dark side is stronger, they are relying on random chance! ---
**Author:** ![Linus\_Van\_Pelt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ebca7d/32.png) [@Linus\_Van\_Pelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Linus_Van_Pelt)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2003, 6:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mini-chloridians/146071/14 "2003-01-02T06:34:20Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Tars Tarkas \* > \*\*And a good thing the jedi wipe it our by forbidding love, therefore no kids. no wonder the dark side is stronger, they are relying on random chance! \*\* > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Dark Helmet \* > **Now you see that evil will always triumph because good is dumb.** ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2003, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mini-chloridians/146071/15 "2003-01-02T14:33:35Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by asterion \* > \*\*What about the MIDI-chlorians? \*\* The MP3-chlorians sound better. ---
**Author:** ![beajerry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@beajerry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beajerry)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2003, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mini-chloridians/146071/16 "2003-01-02T22:07:53Z")
If they are a “microscopic life form” wouldn’t there be a virus? ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2003, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mini-chloridians/146071/17 "2003-01-02T22:52:52Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Bryan Ekers \* > \*\*The MP3-chlorians sound better. \*\* But the MP3-chlorians are lossy. How about the FLAC-chlorians? Okay, I’ll stop now. ---
**Author:** ![Kilt-wearin\_man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/82dd89/32.png) [@Kilt-wearin\_man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kilt-wearin_man)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2003, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mini-chloridians/146071/18 "2003-01-02T23:34:38Z")
Nothin much to add, I just had to have my 1138th post happen in a Star Wars-related thread. Oh, and I think Uncle George is (wisely) pretending the midi-chlorian foolishness never happened… ---
**Author:** ![raisinbread](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8491ac/32.png) [@raisinbread](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/raisinbread)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2003, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mini-chloridians/146071/19 "2003-01-02T23:49:21Z")
Now if only George Lucas could pretend that he still had talent and the last two prequels never happened in the first place ---
**Author:** ![SC\_Wolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eb9ed0/32.png) [@SC\_Wolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SC_Wolf)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2003, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mini-chloridians/146071/20 "2003-01-03T01:55:26Z")
Oh for a time machine, a map to the minefield surrounding Skywalker Ranch, and a bullhorn: **"Mr. Lucas! Put the Playstation controller down, switch off your game of Parasite Eve, and come out of the house. We understand you think you’ve just come up with a good plot twist, and we’d like to talk with you about the merits and more importantly, the flaws of it."** [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mini-chloridians/146071.md?page=2)