Star Wars: Can Jedi Use Force Lightning?
There is no Sith or Jedi power cooler or more impressive than Force lightning. Okay, maybe it's actually astral projection (sorry, "Last Jedi" haters, it's true), or battle meditation (RIP to the old EU), or that time Darth Vader ripped a starship out of the sky. Still, of the main abilities showcased throughout the franchise, there's nothing more iconic than the lightning. And, as it happens, dark lords of the Sith aren't the only characters who can use this power.
Only Dark Force users manage to conjure lightning in the first six films in the Skywalker Saga. Emperor Palpatine debuted the ability in "Return of the Jedi," and he and Count Dooku both use it in the prequels. Snoke also lays down the law in "The Last Jedi" by putting Kylo Ren in his place with Force lighting. Other stories like "The Clone Wars" add even more complexity to the nature of Force lightning.
Throughout the franchise's history, it's a power that's typically associated with the dark side. Despite that, Jedi can use Force lightning. Both the Legends timeline and the modern canon feature examples of light side users channeling the skill in times of intense passion and as a pure expression of the Force. So, does using Force lightning actually corrupt you? And what does it take for a Jedi to master this skill?
Force lightning in Star Wars Legends
The "Star Wars" Legends timeline is usually the place where you'll find more extreme and bizarre Force abilities. Grey Jedi, battle meditation, Sith ghosts, ancient dark side gods — these are the trappings of the old Expanded Universe. As such, it should come as no surprise that Jedi use Force lightning pretty often in the EU.
The "Knights of the Old Republic" video games feature plenty of Jedi who use Force lightning, albeit typically in a weaker form than the Sith. The technique is frowned upon within the Jedi Order because many believe it has the power to corrupt users with the dark side. For this reason, the ability is often stronger when channeled by the most powerful Sith, but Jedi can still summon lightning. A more pure version of Force lightning used by Jedi like Plo Koon and even Luke Skywalker is referred to in Legends as Electric Judgement. This form is typically golden, reflecting the light side from which it draws its strength.
In truth, video games are probably a big reason why Jedi lightning is so prevalent in the Expanded Universe. In games where you get to choose between the dark side and the light, it's no fun to exclude half of all players from the flashiest and most powerful Force combat ability. The current canon is often more conservative with such things, and yet, it still has numerous instances of Jedi using Force lightning.
Force lightning in canon
While less prevalent than in the Legends timeline, Jedi lightning does exist in the modern "Star Wars" canon. Books like "Dooku: Jedi Lost" and "Master and Apprentice" show that Count Dooku used the skill multiple times before turning to the dark side. This could be explained away as him dipping his toes into Sith power before fully diving in, but it still counts. It shows that a Force user doesn't need to have turned to dabble in the skill, and in fact, it backs up the old EU Jedi theory that using Force lightning while on the light side can corrupt you.
A similar phenomenon occurs with Rey in "The Rise of Skywalker." As a descendant of the Palpatine bloodline, Rey has a predilection for the dark, and she uses Force lightning involuntarily early on in the film. Yoda uses a different kind of lightning in "The Last Jedi," calling down a blast from the sky as a wake-up call to Luke on Ahch-To. This is obviously quite different from Sith lightning, as it's conjured from the ether instead of from the user's hands, and Yoda's status as a Force ghost at the time makes it more complicated. In "Star Wars Rebels," the ancient Force being Bendu — a manifestation of the balance in the Force — uses a similar technique to battle Grand Admiral Thrawn.
Overall, the canon timeline doesn't have as many examples of Jedi using Force lighting, but there's room for that list to expand in the future.