The Jedi Knights are far from the only beings who can use the Force in the Star Wars franchise, yet there are certain powers that only Jedi can use. In the original and prequel Star Wars trilogies, the Jedi Knights and the Sith Lords are the only Force-using organizations shown, but as the franchise has grown through live-action and non-movie material in the canon and Legends continuities, the galaxy’s Force-using groups and their various powers have been delved into further. The Nightsisters of Dathomir made their retroactive live-action debut in the Legends-era Ewoks: The Battle for Endor, the marauding Knights of Ren appear in the Star Wars sequel trilogy, and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story introduces the Force-using Guardians of the Whills. While each group uses the Force (or its dark side) uniquely, there are certain powers that only the Jedi can use.

The Force is ubiquitous in the Star Wars galaxy, with the natural balance of life creating and nourishing it. The Force’s dark side corrupts this balance, promising greater power to its victims and putrefying them into shadows of themselves. In both cases, the Force and its dark side can be tapped into by trained Force-users, with abilities manifesting as “powers.” The Force is often depicted as a spiritual companion, but it is also used in combat or to protect its users. There are many Force powers that, while made famous by the Jedi, are usable by all other Force-using organizations, but in some cases, the way they are used is different. A Jedi might use the Force to push an assailant away, only using as much power as necessary to incapacitate their foe, while a Sith Lord’s use of the same power would potentially kill their foe.

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Although Jedi Knights and Sith Lords are far from the only Force-users in the Star Wars franchise, they are without doubt the most powerful and influential groups in the galaxy. Jedi Knights served the Galactic Republic for over a thousand generations and it was the return of the Jedi that helped topple the Galactic Empire. The Sith Lords began as a Jedi splinter group but soon formed fundamentally different traditions and philosophies in addition to using the forbidden dark side of the Force, and their constant quest for power and desire to destroy the Jedi have plunged the galaxy into full-scale war and autocratic rule. The Jedi, ultimately, is a unique Force-using organization whose strength, traditions, and philosophies afford them Force abilities that no other group can use. Here are the Force powers that are unique to the Jedi Knights.

Healing

Star Wars rise of skywalker rey healing powers freed kylo ren from dark side

Unsurprisingly, using the Force to heal others is a signature move of the Jedi Knights. The ability is shown prominently in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, with Rey describing it as the transference of Force energy from one being to another. The ability, while rare in live-action films, appears often in canon and Legends non-movie material, such as The Mandalorian, the MedStar novels, and the Jedi Knight video games. Force healing is an extremely advanced power, which is why Force-using groups other than Jedi, like the Baran Do Sages and Guardians of the Whills, are not shown using it. Moreover, the ability is intrinsically selfless, making it impossible to use for dark side practitioners. Instead, Sith Lords and Nightsisters use the dark side to drain the life Force of others.

Projection

Luke on Crait in Star Wars The Last Jedi

Another highly-advanced application of the Force is the creation of a lifelike doppelgänger. In Star Wars Legends, this power was introduced in Dark Empire and used by both Jedi and Sith (from Luke Skywalker and Mara Jade to Lumiya and Count Dooku), but in canon, it is exclusively used by the Jedi Knights. Luke Skywalker famously uses Force projection to distract the First Order on Crait and allow the surviving Resistance members to escape the planet safely. The ability’s passive nature makes its lack of use among Sith Lords and Knights of Ren understandable, and Kylo Ren’s description of it in Star Wars: The Last Jedi implies that it is too advanced for non-Jedi to use.

Absorb

Yoda deflects Force lightning in Attack of the Clones

Jedi also use the Force to protect themselves from attacks, particularly the dark side itself. Force absorb made several appearances in non-movie material before its live-action debut in Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones. Both Jedi and Sith can use the Force or its dark side to deflect external attacks, as shown by Darth Vader in The Empire Strikes Back and Obi-Wan Kenobi in 2003’s Star Wars: Clone Wars, but absorbing deadly dark side attacks like Force lightning is an ability that only a powerful Jedi like Yoda can employ. Yoda catches the Force lightning of Count Dooku and sends it back his way, forcing the Sith Lord to deflect it. In Legends-era video games, the power can also be used to reinvigorate its user when they are attacked by dark side abilities.

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Immortality

Luke and leia force ghost rise of skywalker

One of the rarest and most advanced Force abilities is that of retaining one’s form and consciousness after death. Naturally, this ability is only used by certain Jedi with exceptional strength in the Force and typically a considerable amount of training. The irony of the Jedi’s ability to return as Force ghosts is that immortality is something that Sith Lords and other dark side-users strive for, even at astronomical cost, but it is ultimately letting go of one’s need to survive at all costs that allow them to return. Powerful Sith can transfer their consciousness and survive grievous wounds and in some cases, even have echoes of themselves existing in a state of chaotic torment while confined to a specific place or object, but these abilities are ultimately pale imitations of Jedi Force ghosts, who exist in serenity and can even interact with the physical world in some cases.

Morichro

yaddle jedi powers morichro

First appearing in Legends but having been brought to Star Wars canon by the 2016 sourcebook Star Wars Character Encyclopedia: Updated and Expanded, Morichro is a rare and potentially dangerous ability in which a Jedi slows down the functions of one’s body, putting them in a death-like coma or state of suspended animation. Like the Jedi mind trick, this ability is ethically-dubious and only a select few can use it, with Jedi Master Yaddle being the most notable practitioner. The ability requires careful monitoring by its user to prevent it from becoming lethal, and Yaddle notes in Legends-era material that it is only a Jedi-exclusive ability because it is one of the order’s most closely-guarded secrets.

Binding

Star Wars High Republic Jedi

Force binding debuted in Star Wars canon’s 2021 novel, The High Republic: Into the Dark. A seemingly simple ability, Force binding allows Jedi to limit the corrupting influence of a dark side artifact for the safety of others. The ability is reminiscent of Force absorb, and containing the malevolent energy of the dark side is an extremely difficult task, likely explaining why it can only be used by Jedi. Jedi Grandmaster Yoda explains in the original Star Wars trilogy that Jedi, for all their power, use the Force only for “knowledge and defense,” which both continuities have demonstrated with powerful Jedi-exclusive abilities like Force binding.