The Force Misconceptions series was a series of blogs made by the departed user @silver2467 on the general themes of the Force that were misunderstood by many others. My expertise relating to the Force is more concentrated on Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords, particularly the concept of a Wound in the Force and the Force Drain powers derived from it.
I intend on making another blog to explain the nature of Wounds in the Force, but for now, I will be attempting to clear up two key misconceptions surrounding the nature of the Force Drain ability as it is depicted in Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords - both of which I had believed in at some point myself.
Whilst the Drain Life power is commonly dubbed "Force Drain" or just "Drain", I would like to start out this blog by pointing out the disparity between your standard Drain Life power and the Force Drain technique exhibited in KotOR II. For this reason, I will use the term "Force Drain" solely when referring to KotOR II's Drain, and "Drain Life" whenever I'm referring to your other form of Drain.
Defining Force Drain
To understand what Force Drain is, you will need to play the dark sided version of Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords. In the dark sided version of the revelation scene in the Enclave (at least with TSLRCM, which I encourage you to play with), Kreia explains the nature of Force Bonds, Force Drain, and Wounds in the Force. In particular, I want to draw your attention to the this:
"The stronger your connection to life, to the Force, the stronger these echoes can be made - and the stronger they are felt. When heard, Force Sensitives instinctively seek out the source, are drawn to it, to try and form a connection. And when the connection is formed, both become stronger. And the influence between them grows.
...
You form such bonds easily - the why of it is not important now, all that is important is that you understand that your actions affect others, strongly. Anyone can do such things, since life is connected by the Force. Sometimes the connections are faint - but in your case, they are very strong. You instinctively know how to manipulate such connections to influence others. You have seen it mirrored in those who travel with you. When you accept this, you must accept that this can occur on a larger scale. When you act, you cast echoes. Your intent is mirrored in others - your bond, in many ways, is predatory, an expression of dominance. It is your right. But when you are wounded, all those you are connected to are wounded.
You give others strength to act, but it is also possible to draw upon the strength of others to increase your own. It is similar to drawing upon the Force as Jedi do, but when it is touched by the power of the dark side... it is something else, something deadly. These Sith we face... they have learned how to do this. It is a technique that has been lost for some time, not seen in the days since the ancient Sith. They can use it to consume other Force Sensitives - and at the highest pinnacle of power, use it to consume anything that lives. They draw upon the connections in the Force, and devour it. That is why they are drawn to Jedi, why it is easy for them to find where they gather - because it is like the smell of blood to them. And they can draw upon the Jedi's own strength to kill them."
Source: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords
So what does this all mean? A strong Force user will create strong echoes in the Force - and because life is connected by the Force, any Force-sensitive can hear these echoes and is naturally drawn towards the source - that strong Force user. Upon being drawn to them, a connection is formed between the two of them - a Force Bond. The formation of this Force Bond makes both Force users stronger, but powers, emotions and pain can be channeled through such Bonds as well. But that strong Force user is likely going to be stronger than the one who was drawn to him - and so that Force user is the "dominant" Force user with respect to the Force Bond(s). Those connected to that strong Force user will naturally be dominated and instinctively follow that Force user's actions and intentions. This is evident in the case of the Exile, and her companions, who instinctively follow her actions - against their own intentions, and even against their own sense. The exception, of course, is Kreia, who is more powerful than the Exile (whether it be a stronger will or a stronger Force connection) and thus was never unconsciously dominated by the Exile's will. It is also why she is able to notice the Exile's influence in a removed context, whereas the other companions didn't even know they were being influenced.
So how does this all relate to Force Drain? As it explained by Kreia in the quote above, Force Drain is the essentially the inverse of Force Bonds. Specifically, Force Drain is the exact opposite of the positive channeling of strength through a Force connection - instead of giving strength to others through these Force connections, you take their strength through these connections, draining it, and eventually, you drain the connection itself:
"You give others strength to act, but it is also possible to draw upon the strength of others to increase your own. It is similar to drawing upon the Force as Jedi do, but when it is touched by the power of the dark side... it is something else, something deadly. These Sith we face... they have learned how to do this. It is a technique that has been lost for some time, not seen in the days since the ancient Sith. They can use it to consume other Force Sensitives - and at the highest pinnacle of power, use it to consume anything that lives. They draw upon the connections in the Force, and devour it."
Source: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords
"As much as one may use the Force to bolster the wills and strengths of others, the reverse is possible, though not often used. Instead of sending one's will through connections in the Force, instead such connections are drawn upon, fed upon, and drained completely."
Source: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords
"Let that pain be a lesson - and a reminder of what you have forgotten. Pain travels both ways along connections in the Force - it casts echoes, always - and one can learn to draw strength from such connections... and take it from others. It is a lesson you know well... and you have taught to others... at the end of the Mandalorian Wars."
Source: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords
You may notice that the first of the three quotes above mentions "devouring" connections in the Force. To explain what this "devouring" is:
"It is a technique that is almost as old as the Sith themselves... it is a means of severing connections between life, the Force, and feeding upon the death it causes. It cannot be taught... it can only be gained through instinct, through experiencing its effects, first-hand."
Source: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords
Now, note that this "severing" of connections is not the same as Sever Force. For those of you who have read Tales of the Jedi, Sever Force is a light-sided power, not a dark-sided one as Force Drain is. Sever Force simply blocks your connection to the Force with light side energy:
A powerful Jedi can block a Force-user's access to the Force, preventing them from accessing Force skills or Force feats.
Source: Jedi vs Sith: The Essential Guide to the Force
"This technique blinds your enemy to the Force with a wall of light, a permanent blockage if you so choose, rendering him unable to use Jedi powers. It is difficult. And it is the most devastating attack possible using the powers of the light side. To block a Jedi from the Force—even a Dark Jedi—is a terrible thing."
Source: Jedi vs Sith: The Essential Guide to the Force
"I imprison you in a wall of light. A fortress to block you from the Force…blind you to your Jedi powers…"
Source: Tales of the Jedi: The Sith War 5: Brother Against Brother
So Sever Force, as the Jedi use it, merely blocks one to the Force, or blinds them to it. It is never suggested that the Jedi outright sever someone's Force connection, only block it. This is a sharp contrast to Force Drain, where the victim's Force connection is actually consumed. So here, the Force connection is severed - but it isn't just "cut", per se - it's outright drained to non-existence:
"As much as one may use the Force to bolster the wills and strengths of others, the reverse is possible, though not often used. Instead of sending one's will through connections in the Force, instead such connections are drawn upon, fed upon, and drained completely."
Source: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords
Furthermore, the technique isn't just about actually devouring the Force connections outright, but also feeding upon the death that is caused. And I can draw upon many examples to prove that the Exile, Nihilus, and Malachor V - all Wounds in the Force - feed on death:
"He's right. It's... all the deaths you've caused to get here. You feed on it, and you grow stronger. You're like Malachor... it's in you, it's what you are now."
Source: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords
"This echo travels in the places where death has walked, where planets have died. Massacres fuel its power, the death of life fuels it."
Source: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords
"It is a technique that is almost as old as the Sith themselves... it is a means of severing connections between life, the Force, andfeeding upon the death it causes."
Source: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords
"And he fed upon its destruction - it will sustain him, for a time."
Source: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords
"There is a place in the galaxy where the dark side of the Force runs strong. It is something of the Sith, but it was fueled by war. It corrupts all that walks on its surface, drowns them in the power of the dark side - it corrupts all life. And it feeds on death."
Source: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords
So that tells us that there is more than one application of Force Drain. You can feed upon a Force connection, but also someone's death - which is why the Exile unconsciously fed upon the deaths of the hundreds that she had killed across the galaxy during her journey in KotOR II.
It is also necessary to note the following instances may appear to contradict what I have said about Force Drain not feeding off somebody's life energy:
"These Sith are spawned of you, spawned by the Mandalorian Wars... all those deaths, all those Jedi. Their power is to feed on life, until nothing is left except a hollow galaxy, echoing with the screams of the Jedi lost to us."
Source: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords
"It is something the Sith, the assassins that stalk us, can do- it is of the dark side, the ability to feed on life, the Force, the closer one comes to it. It makes them stronger - for a time."
Source: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords
But when put in context, it is clear that these references to "feeding on life" do not refer to feeding on one's life energy, merely the lives of people, since life is connected by the Force - when you feed upon those connections, those connected will die as well, since nobody has ever survived being disconnected to the Force - except the Exile, which is the premise of Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords:
"The Mandalorian Wars were a series of massacres that masked another war, a war of conversion. Culminating a final atrocity that no Jedi could walk away from... save one. And that is what I sought to understand. How one could turn away from such power, give up the Force... and still live."
Source: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords
In summary? Force Drain isn't any one power, but an entire spectrum of powers, as Wookieepedia puts it. And they are right, in this case. Force Drain isn't any single black-and-white power that you can learn just from studying. It can drain the Force energies of others through a Force Bond, and it can drain Force connections entirely, then feed off the death that ensues.
Force Drain =/= Drain Life
It should be apparent from the above definition that Force Drain is not the same as Drain Life, but what about the differences in their applications, and more importantly, in their effects?
To begin with, let us look at brief descriptions of these powers and see where they are similar and where they are different. Drain Life is listed in Book of Sith: Secrets from the Dark Side as such:
Drain life: A delicate procedure that saps the life energy of another and funnels it directly into your own essence. It is extremely difficult to employ in combat and is derived from the teachings of Zelashiel the Blasphemer in the Holocron of Darth Revan.
Source: Book of Sith: Secrets from the Dark Side
Force Drain, as described by Darth Traya, a practitioner of the technique:
"It is a technique that is almost as old as the Sith themselves... it is a means of severing connections between life, the Force, and feeding upon the death it causes. It cannot be taught... it can only be gained through instinct, through experiencing its effects, first-hand."
Source: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords
There are two key differences to be noted here. The first is that the nature of the powers themselves are very obviously distinct. In the case of Drain Life, the user simply funnels the life energy of another into themself. It is very much what one would think of in relation to power named "Drain". As I touched upon at the end of the section above, with Force Drain, there is no direct siphoning of life energy. In fact, you don't feed on somebody's life energy at all. Instead, with Force Drain, you feed off somebody's Force connection, killing them, but most importantly, feeding upon the death that is caused as well. Drain Life doesn't feed upon the death caused, nor does it feed upon a person's Force connection. It is merely the direct transfer of life energy from A to B.
In simple terms - Drain Life feeds on somebody's lifeenergy, whereas Force Drain feeds on somebody's Force connection (and consequently, their life as a result) and the deaththat is caused.
Secondly, Drain Life can clearly be conventionally learned, as my first quote shows. Bane learned it from the Holocron of Darth Revan, who, in turn, derived it from the teachings of Zelashiel the Blasphemer. Force Drain, on the other hand, cannot be conventionally learned or taught, as explained in the second quote. Instead, one must experience its effects first-hand. This is why the Jedi Masters in KotOR II make a point of how the Sith Triumvirate has learned their hunger from the Jedi Exile.
There is another point of difference between the two powers, but it is not as concrete as the two set out above. Kreia notes that there is no defense against the Force Drain technique as she recounts having it used on her by Nihilus:
"There are techniques within the Force against which there is no defense."
Source: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords
Whereas Ulic Qel-Droma was able to teach Anakin Skwalker the ability to resist the effects of the Dark Reaper, which are more analogous to Drain Life than Force Drain:
Anakin made an emergency trip to Ulic Qel-Droma's tomb on Rhen Var. There, the ancient Jedi gave the Padawan the knowledge he needed to resist the effects of the Force Harvester and to destroy the Dark Reaper.
Ulic Qel-Droma's lessons had been learned well, and Anakin had the power to resist the Harvester.
Source: The Official Star Wars Fact File #117
Of course, Kreia is not infallible nor omniscient, but there are numerous points in the game where she is basically speaking for the author. In this case, it is not clear, but it is still worth noting.
Force Drain is not an "instant kill" power
There are users who perpetuate the notion that Darth Nihilus or Darth Traya are capable of simply causing any target to die with Drain, bar the immune Exile. This is completely unsubstantiated and based on a no-limits fallacy to begin with, so I should not have to be devoting any of my time to disproving this.
Regardless, there is proof that this is not the case, and it is simple. When Nihilus and Sion Drained Traya, she survived despite them trying to kill her. Note that they are indeed using Force Drain - the same one that Nihilus would later use to consume Katarr and other worlds:
A blind Sith Lord appears. She has felt his existence like a gaping wound in the Force. The Force, she explains, fuels his hunger, and she will show him how to devour worlds. The Sith and the Force are meaningless to him, but the hunger must be appeased. Darth Traya indeed teaches the newly christened Darth Nihilus to harness his life-craving gift to radical heights – so effectively in fact, that Nihilus saps Traya's powers in a calculated double cross.
Source: Knights of the Old Republic Campaign Guide
"There is more. Darth Traya yet lives. You did not kill her, as you assumed."
Source: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords
"After all that has happened, still you live. You are difficult to kill."
Source: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords
If Nihilus was using an identical power to the one that he used to devour worlds, and he was using it to kill, then there should be no reason for Traya to survive if this power was, in fact, inherently capable of killing anyone and anything instantly. It's obvious that there's a measure of superiority to your victim(s) that is required.
In addition, many people cite Kreia's claim that there is no defense against the Force Drain technique as proof that it kills anything instantly. However, just because there is no specific counter-technique to Drain does not mean that it is an infallible power, nor does that justify the use of a no-limits fallacy in claiming that it instantly kills anything. Moreover, Kreia herself contradicts this notion of Drain simply killing anything, with such a notion only being possible for one who has reached the highest pinnacle of power with the Force Drain technique:
"You give others strength to act, but it is also possible to draw upon the strength of others to increase your own. It is similar to drawing upon the Force as Jedi do, but when it is touched by the power of the dark side... it is something else, something deadly. These Sith we face... they have learned how to do this. It is a technique that has been lost for some time, not seen in the days since the ancient Sith. They can use it to consume other Force Sensitives - and at the highest pinnacle of power, use it to consume anything that lives."
Source: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords
And Kreia goes on to claim that Nihilus has not yet actually reached this "highest pinnacle of power":
"The blind seer - her Master has harnessed this technique, and he is rapidly approaching the height of its power."
Source: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords
The conclusion? Nihilus hasn't even reached the stage where he can simply "consume anything that lives".
Just to put the nail in the coffin, the Assassins use an identical technique to Nihilus, just not as potent, yet it doesn't instakill.
"Do not think of his power as one would a weapon, or one of your warships of the Republic. It is terrible, but it is still a subtle thing. The sect of assassins that chase you feed on the Force... what he does is simply the pinnacle of what they could achieve, in time. And that is why they - and their techniques - must be wiped out. No one again must experience and learn what her master did."
Source: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords
If the technique in of itself was an instakill, then there wouldn't even need to be degrees of mastery or potency for the power - anybody who used it would kill instantly - yet that is obviously not the case with the Assassins. It is therefore evident that the power kills on the basis of the user being far more powerful than his victims, not because the technique itself instantly kills any target.
Finally, as I defined above, Force Drain is a power based on feeding off death, not life, so by definition, it isn't an instakill whatsoever.
Can you resist Force Drain?
Now, this is the part that will be speculative to a degree. We know that it is said that there is "no defense" against the Force Drain technique - no blanket blocking power, and indeed, one has not been discovered.
**IN PROGRESS**
If you have any further questions on Force Drain in KotOR II, feel free to ask. I'll be making another one of these for Wounds in the Force sometime in the future.
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