Discussing
Star Wars: Episode I – Making Sense of Midi-chlorians

Individual election, adoption by faith, and The Phantom Menace's much-mocked midi-chlorians.

I wonder...is it possible to view the role of midi-chlorians as vaguely analogous to the work of the Spirit in the Trinitarian economy? At a minimum, they share the characteristics of animating all life (i.e., Gen 1:2 complemented by Col 1:17) and binding together the essence of all things, alive in their own right yet perichoretically advancing the will of someone greater than themselves (i.e., Qui-gon's repeated emphasis on the "living Force" and explanations that the midi-chlorians reveal to Force-sensitives "the will of the Force" suggest that there is a deeply personal essence behind whatever the Force actually is).

Whenever I've listened to the Qui-gon monologues on the Force in this film, I'm more reminded of the indwelling Spirit revealing the will of the Father than anything else. Of course the Spirit is not a biological symbient creature like midi-chlorians are...and the Spirit doesn't exist in greater or lesser "counts" between individuals He indwells. But the Spirit is indeed a living Person bespeaking and enabling the will of Another.

No analogy is ever perfect, of course. But I find the midi-chlorians much less "embarrassing" when I think of them in that sort of light...in case anyone else finds it helpful. :-)

An interesting way of looking at it! I think there's still some egalitarian critique to the notion that one person is more able to be spirit-filled than another, and yet it seems an inevitable consequence of distinguishing between spiritual talents. This would take it more in the direction of Marcus Borg's "spirit people," that folks like Jesus and other adepts are more attuned to spirit and are able to manifest that through a charismatic presence and powerful action.