The Star Wars franchise has used a key quote about the Force from Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, making it even more important than before. Rogue One introduced a new Force-using religion, the Guardians of the Whills, who protect the Kyber crystal temple of Jedha, with two of their members joining the Rebellion and fighting in the Battle of Scarif. The Guardians’ signature phrase “I am one with the Force and the Force is with me” was also featured in Star Wars: The Clone Wars, and another time in the upcoming novel Star Wars: Shadow of the Sith, giving it new context.
Chirrut Îmwe frequently used the phrase throughout Rogue One, helping him focus on tapping into the Force and using its power to perceive the intentions of others, shoot down TIE Fighters, and impair the marksmanship of Imperial Death Troopers. His best friend, the former Guardian-turned-mercenary Baze Malbus, regains his faith in the Force and says the phrase as Îmwe dies and again as he makes a final stand against Imperial forces.
The phrase was implied to have been exclusive to the Guardians of the Whills, until Ahsoka Tano, a former Jedi padawan, speaks the phase as she locates Rex’s control chip in The Clone Wars. The quote appears once more in Shadow of the Sith when fights nine Sith wraith-like beings in a vision, showing that it’s used by the Jedi as well as the Guardians. In addition to helping Force users focus and empower themselves in moments of darkness, the quote’s uses also reveal a common trait among both the Jedi and the Guardians, aside from both of their uses of the Force.
Little is known about the relationship between the Jedi Order and the Guardians of the Whills, but considering that both religions use the Force (as opposed to its dark side) and have altruistic goals, the two organizations were likely on friendly terms. Jedi travels across the galaxy, helping those in need and keeping the peace, while the Guardians remained on Jedha and protected the sacred planet’s Kyber crystal reserves. Jedha held significance to both groups, so interactions between them were inevitable, possibly resulting in shared traditions and rituals, such as the famous Rogue One phrase.
If the Rogue One: A Star Wars Story phrase is exclusive to the Guardians, Ahsoka and Luke Skywalker’s use of it has fascinating implications. Ahsoka is no longer part of the Jedi Order in The Clone Wars season 7, and whether she learned the phrase during her studies as a padawan or sometime after leaving the order, her use of it highlights her distance from the religion that lost faith in her at the end of the war. Luke Skywalker rebuilt the Jedi Order upon becoming a Jedi Knight, but canon lore reveals that he traveled the galaxy, learning about other Force-using religions during his quest, so he either learned the phrase from a surviving Guardian, their texts, or Ahsoka Tano herself, who is revealed to be his friend and ally in Star Wars canon material.
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