Star Wars Physics: Could the 'Force' Actually Exist?

This article was originally published at The Conversation. The publication contributed the article to Live Science's Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights.

As "Star Wars: The Last Jedi" opens in theaters and its heroine Rey seeks to learn the ways of the Force from an aged and isolated Luke Skywalker, it raises some obvious and ongoing questions:

Is there anything in science — particularly in quantum physics — that resembles the Force? Can objects be manipulated instantaneously from a distance? 

 Answers, modern physics might have 

 These aren't the forces that you are looking for

 Obi-Wan Kenobi told Luke Skywalker in the original Star Wars film that the Force "surrounds us and penetrates us; it binds the galaxy together."

Modern physicists know that there are actually four fundamental forces: the two nuclear forces, the electromagnetic force and the gravitational force. All of these play a role in binding matter together, from the tiniest of atoms to the largest of planets.

However, these are probably not the forces we are looking for. Old Ben Kenobi, Yoda, and, eventually, Luke, could communicate telepathically over large distances and move objects with their minds.

Are these feats possible? What do the laws of physics say about this? 

I find your lack of faith disturbing

 Einstein's theory of relativity put some strict limits on how fast we can communicate — the ultimate speed limit is the speed of light.

So, if you needed to send a message to Alderaan to warn the citizens of an Imperial attack, there would always be a delay. Even if you wanted to, you couldn't warn them in time to evacuate because it takes time for light to travel to transmit the message.

Ben Kenobi couldn't possibly have felt a disturbance in the Force only a few instants after the Death Star destroyed Alderaan. Or could he?

 It's true, all of it

See more at : https://www.livescience.com/61177-could-star-wars-force-exist.html