The Most Hated Microorganism… Ever

Although midi-chlorians might be the most hated idea in all of Star Wars, the truth is they're only really ever mentioned in The Phantom Menace… and play a very small role in this film.

And that, folks, is how protective die-hard Star Wars fans are of a certain galaxy far, far away.

Essentially, the midi-chlorians provide quantitative shorthand for how Force-sensitive Anakin is. Analyzing the boy's blood sample, Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan learn he has a midi-chlorian count of more than 20,000, which is higher than even Yoda's.

Since 20,000 is a pretty big number and we already know that Yoda is a powerful Jedi from previous films, the audience can intuit that Anakin is one Force-sensitive tyke. After this scene, they play no practical purpose in this or any other Star Wars film.

(Phew.)

While midi-chlorians may be low on plot, we're here to consider the symbolic nature of these microscopic McGuffins.

Hey Lucas, Did You Misspell Mitochondria?

Speaking on the subject, George Lucas has said "midi-chlorians are a loose depiction of mitochondria, [organelles] which are necessary components for cells to divide" and that without them "[t]here wouldn't be any life."( Source)

Later in the film, Qui-Gon explains to Anakin exactly what midi-chlorians are, and some of the language sounds awfully familiar to the quote above:

QUI-GON: Midi-chlorians are a microscopic life form that resides in all living cells.

ANAKIN: They live inside me?

QUI-GON: Inside your cells, yes. And we are symbionts with them.

ANAKIN: Symbionts?

QUI-GON: Life forms living together for mutual advantage. Without the midi-chlorians, life could not exist and we would have no knowledge of the Force. They continually speak to us, telling us the will of the Force. When you learn to quiet your mind, you'll hear them speaking to you.

Writing for Force.net, Chris Knight points out that this mitochondria inspiration furthers "the theme of symbiosis between life and the Force" found throughout the Star Wars films. (Source)

Harmony for You and Me

The Jedi have always desired to live in harmony with all life, and the Force is the energy connecting them to the life of the universe. As Obi-Wan says in A New Hope, the Force "binds the galaxy together," and Yoda states in The Empire Strikes Back that it is everywhere around you "here, between you, me, the tree, the rock, everywhere, yes."

The midi-chlorians take this idea and turn it toward the microscopic. These organelles connect their hosts with the Force for the benefit of both. What benefit the organelles derive from the relationship is left a total mystery, but being able to Force lift an X-Wing and live in harmony with all of nature no doubt is beneficial for the Jedi host.

Dang. Now we want some midi-chlorians.

But this symbiotic relationship gets taken a step further. It seeps into the level of society. As Obi-Wan points out to Boss Nass:

"You and the Naboo form a symbiont circle. What happens to one of you will affect the other. You must understand this."

When Boss Nass disregards this mutual relationship, both the Naboo and his people fall to droid armies. But when Boss Nass teams up with the Naboo for the benefit of both, they successfully defeat the droid army and win the day.

So the midi-chlorians are really just a roundabout way to ask, "Can we all get along?