[folder_nav]Without looking, I can infer that there is a TV Tropes page somewhere that describes the tendency of fictional settings to continually ramp up the power level. In the first Star Wars movie, there was nothing about Jedi being telekinetic. One movie later, one of the most powerful Jedi in a thousand years was able to move an X-Wing very slowly through careful concentration. Then in the prequels, every Jedi seems to be able to fling objects around at will with little fuss. Then in Force Unleashed, the Apprentice pulls down a Star Destroyer. And it has been explained to me that somewhere in one of the more unruly corners of the Expanded Universe a Jedi was able to move an entire fleet of starships through hyperspace. Maybe he had to transform into a Super Saiyan first, I dunno.
Part of this is the natural one-upsmanship you get with multiple authors operating in the same narrative space. Everyone feels like they have to be more epic than the previous author. Everyone is worried about getting their particular work out, and not as concerned with making sure the overall universe remains consistent.
Mark my words: Sooner or later, a Jedi is going to be moving a planet around. It is inevitable.
Shamus Young is the guy behind Twenty Sided, DM of the Rings, and Stolen Pixels, Shamus Plays, and Spoiler Warning. And none of that is his day job.
Published: Jul 30, 2010 01:00 pm