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star wars - What, specifically, are the "Whills"?


I know what the Journal of the Whills is, but I haven't found a lot of information as to their nature, such as where they came from, what they're capable of, or, most importantly, what they actually are. Are they deities, or are they the pinnacle of being connected to the Force, or are they the next (or final) step for those who become Force ghosts? Are they Force itself? I've oft-heard people refer to the "will of the Force," so that makes me curious if it's actually their will.


** I feel that it is important to mention that there is a common misconception that Yoda is a Whill. George Lucas has strongly denied this. Yoda's race is a mystery to fans, as far as I am aware, as Lucas has not revealed it yet.



Answer



The existence of the Whills, or their journal is currently only mentioned in one canonical source: a brief quote from the Journal of the Whills in the opening of the novelization for The Force Awakens. All other previous mentions (in prior novelizations and comics) were later contradicted by higher canon materials.


However, the Annotated Screenplays gives us some information regarding their intended background.



George Lucas: "Originally, I was trying to have the story be told by somebody else; there was somebody watching this whole story and recording it, somebody wiser than the mortal players in actual events. I eventually dropped this idea, and the concepts behind the Whills turned into the Force. But the Whills became part of this massive amount of notes, quotes, background information that I used for the scripts; the stories were actually taken from the 'Journal of the Whills.'"




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