How are Force ghosts different from Sith spirits? All 4 Differences Explained

Star Wars Viewers could be forgiven for thinking that Jedi Force ghosts and Sith spirits are the same thing, but they are actually very different. Force Ghosts were part of the Star Wars franchise since its inception, with Obi-Wan Kenobi maintaining his identity when he was killed by Darth Vader. They have become increasingly common since then, with Yoda, Anakin Skywalker, Qui-Gon Jinn, Luke Skywalker, and Leia Organa becoming Force Ghosts.

But here’s the problem; immortality is the prize sought by the Sith, not the Jedi. Palpatine, in particular, did everything he could to try to avoid death, but he was far from the only Sith to do so. He learned many lessons from the Sith heretic Darth Momin, whose spirit was preserved within his helmet. Yoda encountered dark side spirits on the Sith homeworld of Moraband in Star Wars: The Clone Wars Season 6, and his light proved greater than the darkness. Then What is the difference between Force Ghosts and Sith spirits?

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A Jedi becomes a Force Ghost by surrendering to the will of the Force…Unlike the Sith

Let’s start by exploring how a Jedi becomes a Force Ghost. Matt Stover’s novelization of Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sithwritten in close coordination with George Lucas himself, it features more details about Yoda’s conversation with Qui-Gon Jinn about this. “The ultimate goal of the Sith, but they can never achieve it,” Qui-Gon explained. “It comes only through liberation of the self, not through exaltation of the self. This comes through compassion, not greed. Love is the answer to the darkness.“The canonicity of the book is debatable, but the point has since been reaffirmed in the canon.

Take Anakin Skywalker as an example. Anakin died peacefully, satisfied with the direction of his life, no longer a victim of emotions like regret and longing. This prepared him for the moment of death, and he was welcomed by Obi-Wan Kenobi into the underworld of the Force, encouraged to finally stop fighting. His transformation into a Force Ghost was literally easybecause it is the end of all effort that means a Jedi can become a Force Ghost.

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A Sith becomes a spirit through self-exaltation

This is very different from a Sith spirit, as Sith do not receive immortality as some sort of “reward” from the light; rather, they claim it through the exaltation of the self. A Sith becomes immortal through the Force power called essence transfer, binding their spirit to some type of vessel or geographic location. Palpatine sought to use essence transfer with Rey in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalkerencouraging her to knock him down in a moment of anger; this suggests that a Sith’s potential host needs to be subject to the dark side in order to be possessed.

You can immediately see why this is so different from becoming a Force Ghost. Unlike a Jedi, a Sith refuses to abandon the physical worldinstead imposing his will on that of the Force itself, even to the point of resisting death. In the most extreme cases, your spirit surpasses that of another person, annihilating them.

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Force Ghosts are able to travel independently

A Force Ghost is inherently superior to any Sith spirit, and this can be seen in the many advantages Force Ghosts enjoy. A Force Ghost can travel independently, appearing wherever and to whomever it wishes. Leia, for example, received Force Ghost teachings from Obi-Wan Kenobi and Master Yoda in the years prior to the Star Wars sequel trilogy; Yoda later appeared to Luke Skywalker on Ahch-To in Star Wars: The Last Jediproving that distance and time are nothing.

In contrast, a Sith spirit is tied to a specific object – for example, a mask in Darth Momin’s case – or to a geographic location. In fact, these limitations mean that the Sith turned others into spirits as a form of punishment; Darth Vader imprisoned the spirit of the Grand Inquisitor in a Jedi Temple as a trap for the Jedi, and refused to grant him the peace of death. Far from being a reward, then, the experience of becoming a Sith spirit is so limited that it seems like torment.

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Force Ghosts can manifest themselves to (almost) everyone

Darth Momin’s experience suggests another important difference between Force Ghosts and Sith spirits. Darth Momin mastered the power of transference and survived death by placing his spirit inside his helmet. But Momin could only interact with others when they put the helmet on their heads, at which point he would possess them – and There is evidence that the experiment burned the hosts’ bodies. Likewise, when Palpatine’s servants placed the Emperor’s spirit inside host clones, they became extinct. Palpatine hoped that Rey could be his host.

Force Ghosts, on the other hand, can manifest themselves to anyone who is open to the Force. This is obviously an important discussion; Obi-Wan Kenobi couldn’t communicate with his master Qui-Gon Jinn until he stopped closing himself off in the Force, and Yoda couldn’t manifest himself to Luke on Ahch-To for years because he too had closed himself off. Still, the limitation appears to be basic, because Yoda even taunted Palpatine moments after his death.

In the end, the differences between Force Ghosts and Sith spirits point to the difference between the light side and the dark side. Light is the very path of life, and those who embrace it have the potential for immortality. In contrast, the dark side – the exaltation of the self – leads only to destruction. A Sith who uses darkness to cling to life ends up destroying others, and his experience of immortality is something he must endure rather than enjoy. It’s perfectly in line with George Lucas Star Wars philosophy.