star wars - When Jedi lose parts of their body, does their midi-chlorian count and strength in the Force diminish?

From what I understand, midi-chlorian count is a strong indicator of ability in the Force (though there are other factors as well). So it seems like when Anakin loses his arm or Luke loses his hand, their midi-chlorian counts (and thus their Force ability) should slightly diminish.

Is this the case?

Answer

It would seem to follow, if midichlorians were responsible for a person's connection to the Force, that this would be this case.

Since Vader does NOT become notably weaker in the Force after losing hands or other limbs, but rather grows in strength, that midichlorians are NOT the tie between people and the Force.

"But," you say, "Qui-Gon said so himself!"

Yes, yes, you're very clever. Now remember who he was talking to: Anakin, at all of 8 years old, and his uneducated slave mother. While he wouldn't have done a midichlorian count if it weren't an indicator, I believe they are just that: an indicator.

I believe that midichlorians are drawn to force-sensitive individuals, and that their presence is an effect of the Force, not a cause.

This would be difficult to explain to a young child, especially without freaking him out. Qui-Gon, if my theory is correct, simply talked down to his level of education, to make it easier to understand.

Further evidence for the divorce between midichlorians and Force presence is given by the presence and activities of 'Force Ghosts' and Exar Kun's presence on Yavin's fourth moon (as seen in the Jedi Academy Trilogy) - they have no physical form, but their Force abilities cannot be denied.