Heres a question

[Darth Turbogeek]

Yalsalimar, the creatures that produce the Force empty bubbles in Zahn's novels. Now we know more about the Force (ie midichoridians and the way they create the link between a being and the Force), how do you think these creatures could exist? They are already a difficult concept to accept knowing that life is all a part of the force in SW, so how could something negate the existance of The Force, which all things need to be connected to?

[Doc Milo]

Could be that the Ysalamiri's midi-chlorians create the bubble as a defense mechanism to protect the creature from its natural predators. So the Force bubble is actually a use of the Force? Just speculation.

[Darth Turbogeek]

It is a rather good question... I dont have anything against Zahn or his creations but considering what we know of the Force, Yalsalimr dont seem to fit real well

[Aragorn son of Arathorn]

I see of it as this: Midi-chlorians, as we know from Lucas, are living things, and not just random particles. So, in essance, yslamir could just have a 'midichlorian' repellent, that drives them away. Also, we know (from Vector Prime, which GL did give his approval on) that not all living things need midi-chlorians to survive. The Yuzzem Vong (sp?) obviously did not have them; they were empty areas in the force. So, it is possible that yslamir just evolved their force repellant the hide from their natural predators, Vornskrs.

[Bromine]

However, remember that the midi-chlorians themselves aren't the Force. They are just a conduit between people and the Force. The Force exists with or without the midi-chlorians. The Force "is an energy field created by all living things." Ysalimiri are said to "push back the Force". My theory is that ysalamiri create the Force and are part of it, but they also create another form of energy that repels the Force, like magnets with similar poles. I guess you could also think of it like a big aquarium. The water is the Force. Even though it's everywhere, you can blow a bubble and push back the water. Also kind of interesting, you can do this even though you've got water inside of you. Okay, I'm stretching the metaphor quite a bit, but you get the idea. :)

[Doc Milo]

According to TPM, Qui-Gon said to Anakin that without the midi-chlorians life could not exist, and they are conduits of the Force. But this truth, I believe, holds true only for lifeforms in the SW galaxy. So Aragorn's bringing in the Yuzzem Vong is comparing apples to oranges, since they are extra-galactic. I believe the ysalamiri have midichlorians, same as anyone other lifeform in the SW galaxy, but not in high quantities. We know of two "poles" to the energy field known as the Force: The Light Side, and the Dark Side. Perhaps, unconsciously, the ysalamiri use small quantities of both against each other, cancelling each other out, creating a small bubble absent the Force.

[Jedieb]

Here's my practical but boring explanation. They're Zahn's creation and Lucas can ignore them without even a second's thought. We've seen him contradict events in the EU before. Remember Fett and the Sarlac pit? Anyone still think he makes it out alive? It looks to me like new SE Sarlac chewed him up. I don't think that Ysalmiris(sp) fit in Lucas' SW universe, just the EU. I still enjoy the EU, don't get me wrong. I just think that George can, and has, the ability to ignore anything that's ever taken place in it. MTFBWY

[Doc Milo]

Agreed, Jedieb. I'm not trying to make GL's SW universe fit in with the EU Star Wars Universe. I'm trying to make the EU SW Universe fit in with GL's. So, if something in the EU contradicts GLs world, the EU is wrong; but is there a way to make it fit? That is the question. Is there a way to make the ysalimiris fit in with GLs vision? Or do they just not fit, and thus can't possibly exist within the SW universe, except as mythical creatures, thus relegating the EU to myth within myth status?

[Bromine]

Myth within a myth... Man, that's deep, Doc. :)

[Aprentize]

You know, in the same way that ylamaries are immune to the force, so is Watto. Think about that...

[Doc Milo]

Watto isn't immune to the Force. He's resistant to the Jedi Mind Trick, much like Jabba the Hutt. "The Force has a strong influence on the weak-minded" (Obi-Wan Kenobi, SW:IV:ANH) That Watto or Jabba are resistant to the mind-trick is merely a tribute to their strong minds.

Ysalamiri, on the other hand, create a bubble where the Force does not exist. A Jedi standing in the middle of that bubble cannot feel or use the Force at all.

There is quite a difference between the two.

[Aprentize]

Ok, i agree. There is a difference.
But acording to the SW EP1: IG toydarians are in a way immune to the force. Obviously not in the same way as ysalamaries, but they are...

[Gurney Halleck]

GL and Zahn worked together on creating the Thrawn Trilogy (in fact, I'm rather surprised that the books aren't said to be co-written; GL supplied a lot of the ideas, and Zahn just wrote them into an increadibly good story...), so I doubt that GL will suddenly go and deny what Zahn wrote. When Qui-Gon said, "Without them, life could not exist." (or something of the like...) I believe he was referring to life in general, not every instance of life. Also, I think that yslamiri don't push midichlorians away, they just disable them within a certain area, or block the midichlorian's link to the force. That would blot out the force in the area of a bubble, too. And, by using that explanation, what Qui-Gon said works, too. The midichlorians are still present, they just aren't working at the moment.

And I don't agree with you discounting the Yhuzzem Vong, either, just because they come from another galaxy. We'd expect the laws of physics to apply outside the Milky Way, wouldn't we? Why should one galaxy be allowed presence of the force, but others not?

[Bromine]

That's the best explanation for ysalamiri I've heard so far. They just shut up the midichlorians.:)

As far as the Force in other galaxies, Ben said, "The Force is an energy field that...binds the galaxy together."

You can interpret that several ways, but possibly it means that the phenomenon of the Force only occurs in the one galaxy. Again, just wild speculation.

[RHJediKnight]

Yeah, maybe the midi-chlorians are only native to that particular galaxy, so that would explain why the Yuuzhan Vong have no midi-chlorians and hence aren't linked to the Force...