The Jedi Suit, also known as Jedam Armis in Old Morsian, was an experimental exo-suit armor developed by the Morsian Empire. The suit was also often referred to as Jedi Armor or given informal names such as the Anti-Jedi Suit. The armor was designed to give the wearer abilities similar to that wielded by Jedi or Sith using the Force. It was also designed to be used as a defense against either of them. The project was never intended for mass production or to be issued to the legions of the Morsian Army, but instead just a proof of concept to explore how easily the abilities of Force-wielders could be replicated.
The idea was partially thought up due to boredom, where a few idle scientists and engineers wondered if it would be possible for a regular non-Force sensitive person to experience the abilities and power of a Jedi or Sith. After discussion, they put together an experimental project and applied for funding. Due to the structure of the army having little place for powered soldiers only a small amount of funding was given to the project, though with what they got they set to work and produced the Mk. I suit.
Later iterations of the suit improved upon the foundations laid out by the Mk. I suit and further abilities were included in later designs to mimic more and more Force abilities, such as Force lightning. Later models would also seek to make the design more compact and usable. As made very clear by the army about the project, it was never intended to be used in combat, though discussion did rise several times about potentially making an elite unit that would wear these suits. It gained little traction and while funding continued to be trickled into it, the suits never reached a stage that would be beneficial for mass production. However the project did prove that certain abilities could be successfully mimicked, or at least replicated to an extent that would appear to be like a Force user.
Design[]
Helmet[]
The helmet of the suit resembled that of a regular legionary helmet, with a rear brim to protect the neck as well as hanging cheek plates to protect the sides of the face. However, it also featured a visor to include a heads-up display (HUD) as well as rudimentary protection from psychic Force attacks that would seek to mess with the mind of the wearer. The Mk. I helmet was indeed just a regular army helmet fitted with basic psychic protection and a HUD, though later refinements would use a custom built and designed helmet that would begin to stray from the original design. The usage of the HUD was to supplement the reactions of the wearer, with later models able to track incoming projectiles, identify threats, and several other abilities that would mimic the heightened abilities and senses by the Force.
Torso and body[]
The main body was formed of plates around a flexible metal frame, which on the Mk. I suit was comprised mostly of armor taken directly from the legions. Initial versions of the suit did not have complete coverage for all the limbs and body, due to the segmented legionary armor covering only the main torso and shoulders. This was remedied in later designs which managed to cover most of the extremities to a good degree. The armor could take several blaster shots and survive glancing blows from lightsabers, however against a direct cut or pierce from a lightsaber it would not entirely stop it. Attempts were made to create regenerative armor that could repair any damage sustained, in a bid to mimic Force heal, however no attempts were successful and the idea was dropped. The limbs featured motors that would increase their speed and link up with the main computer stored in the chest as well as the helmet HUD, giving the user increased reaction times and more power to their punches.
Gauntlets[]
The gauntlets over the hands were constantly being improved and given new abilities, including later models having emitters to shoot electricity from them, replicating Force lightning. They were just as armored as the torso and with small motors in the fingers it allowed the user to have superhuman grip on objects. Other abilities granted to the gauntlets included a small tractor beam to move or pull objects from a distance, replicating Force pull, or a sonic emitter that would release a shockwave capable of moving objects or people and being a stand in for Force push.
Boots[]
Like with the gauntlets, the boots of the suit were constantly being upgraded and tweaked with. The initial project wanted to use sandals as the footwear of choice, but that was quickly dropped when it was released that there would be no way to incorporate technology and protection into them. As such, a pair of army boots were taken for the Mk. I suit and these were replaced in later models by custom boots. Just as protected as the body and gauntlets, the main goal of the boots for the project was to give the user a way to be thrust high into the air, replacing Force jump. Many things were attempted and suggested to achieve this, including rocket motors, however the end design incorporated repulsors and ion thrusters that could be used via the HUD. The thrusters would give the user a burst of height while the repulsors ensured that the user wouldn't break their legs from the fall.
Functionality[]
Force ability replications[]
Force sense[]
The most basic of all abilities for a Force user, Force sense covered a broad range of Force abilities ranging from sensing the feelings of another being to a danger sense that could warn the Force user of incoming danger. While not every aspect of Force sense could be replicated, certain parts of it were able to be mimicked. By the use of a HUD attached to the helmet of the suit, it could cover many aspects of Force abilities and was the central controller for all the other abilities given to the suit. The first version of the armor used a crude and basic HUD attached to a regular army helmet, as more aspects of Force sense were understood and mimicked, the helmet had to be custom built.
The main parts of Force sense replicated were the enhanced reflexes and Force sight. By using sensors built into the suit, facing every direction, they could link up to the HUD and give the user an edge in combat by alerting them to incoming melee attacks and potentially blaster shots. It did not, however, allow the suit or user to more easily detect threats. It also didn't aid with the Force ability to see danger and people through walls, objects or barriers. This was not remedied until the Mk. III suit, where a basic x-ray was integrated into the HUD which allowed thin walls and objects to be seen through, highlighting the outline of whoever or whatever was behind it. With later models, this was upgraded to be more powerful, see through thicker barriers as well as show heat signatures and through clothing or muscle to reveal what the person had on them.
As more abilities were added to the suit and Force sense was expanded, the helmet quickly changed from a modified regular army helmet to something more custom. Implementing communications and hand-free activation via the HUD required more processing and computing power which necessitated a bulkier helmet which only became larger when armor was added. Adding in protection from Telepathy required an extra internal lining, which meant that the helmet ended up far larger than anything standard.
Force jump[]
One of the first abilities to attempt to be replicated, Force jump was also one of hardest for the Morsians to figure out. In the Mk. I suit, the ability was replicated by little more than a glorified set of spring shoes which could propel the wearer high in the air with little to no control. The springs were dangerous, uncontrollable and also unable to be retracted once activated, resulting in the user being nearly unable to walk in the suit. The later Mk. II suit continued pursuing a solution utilising springs, with the ability to retract them and lock them in place. While this sorted the reusability aspect of the ability, due to the springs being able to be compressed again and locked in for another jump, it failed to address the wild uncontrollability of the jump itself. The only solace that could be found was that the springs adequately cushioned the landing of the user, preventing them from breaking ankles or legs.
Moving away from springs, the Mk. III armor used small rocket motors that were initially attached to the sides of the shoes. Custom metal boots were built to withstand the thrust and securely hold the rockets to prevent them shooting off the shoes and potentially injuring the user or surrounding engineers. While marginally more controllable on the Mk. III suit, the rockets were still too unstable in flight to allow control as to which direction the user could go and where they would land. Other problems included flight instability, limited jumps due to fuel supply, too much or too little power and also the lack of a soft landing option. Nevertheless, rockets would be pursued as an option in various numbers, sizes and positions until the Mk. VI armor.
Eventually a scientist had the idea of using ion thrusters as a replacement for the rockets, as not only would they be quieter but also more efficient, more compact and more controllable. The Mk. VII arrmor would be the first to incorporate ion thrusters, which proved to be far more promising than the rockets. As predicted, they were both quieter and more compact than the rocket motors. With the advent of the Mk. VIII suit, the ion thrusters were properly hooked up to the HUD in the helmet and for the first time since the project was started, the user was able to guide their leap and land in roughly the place they were aiming for. However, there was still the problem of having a soft landing. Activating the ion thrusters at a low power did work to slow the fall and give a softer landing on the feet of the user, but it was far from ideal. As such, in the Mk. IX suit, small repulsorlift drives were installed to the boots which could be activated by the user to create a soft landing for them. Later iterations of the suit would make this automatic, activating when the boot reached a certain height above the ground.
Force healing, Cure Disease and Cure Poison[]
A collection of healing and health related Force abilities, all were replicated using modern medicine. Force healing was mostly replicated by using Bacta in some capacity. Bacta was generally disliked by the Morsians, however for the purpose of replicating this Force ability which could heal cuts and other physical ailments, bacta appeared to be the most suitable analogue. With the Mk. IV suit, a supply of bacta was added to the wrists and forearms of the suit, able to be dispensed either as a mist or gel onto the afflicted area. Following suits refined this method slightly, though it seemed to replicate the ability well enough.
Cure Poison and Cure Disease worked in much the same way, however instead of bacta they used either a powerful antivenom, medicine or combination of the two. Implemented with the Mk. V, they were added next to the bacta dispensers on the wrists/forearms and worked in a similar way. They could either be injected into a vein or given directly into the mouth as a liquid.
None of these abilities were exactly like their Force counterparts, and were regarded as rudimentary at best. The Force abilities required concentration and using the Force to remove these ailments or heal damage. Even by the workers on the project, this collection of abilities were considered some of the weakest in terms of analogues, being more akin to just modern medicine administered by any doctor or droid across the galaxy.
Force lightning[]
Force lightning was one of the later abilities to be developed and implemented into the suits. The idea of adding an electrical generator to the suit was initially suggested early on in the program, however more useful or well known abilities were prioritized to be replicated first. As a result, it wasn't until the Mk. VI suit that the first attempt to recreate Force lightning was made. A small electrical generator was attached to the rear of the suit on the back, built into the framework. A series of wires ran up to the shoulders, down the left arm and to the fingers where emitters were placed on the fingertips. With the hands-free commanding offered by the HUD in the helmet, the emitters would in theory fire out bolts of lightning towards the target.
In practice, the generator was proven to be too weak and the lightning too short to be of use. The bolts would shoot out only a few feet away from the user and be highly scattered. With the Mk. VII suit, a more powerful generator was provided which increased power output, allowing bolts to fired further. The emitters were also redesigned to better focus the bolts as they were fired. This gave the ability better range as well as a modicum of accuracy, though not enough to satisfy the project. With the Mk. VIII suit the generator was further refined to give more power at the same size, as there was worry among the design team that the generator would make the suit too heavy and unwieldy. A second set of emitters, which were themselves further refined, were added to the right hand to double the output of lightning. In testing, these factors did increase the range and accuracy of the bolts but the ability was still considered short range, able to reach less than ten meters. Later suits continued to search for refinements to the ability, though little breakthrough was managed.
Abilities not replicated[]
Not every Force ability was able to be replicated for various reasons. One reason could have been complexity. Another could be that it was simply impossible to do, as it was something unique to the Force. This did not necessarily stop the engineers and scientists from attempting to replicate what they could, however in the end it it was a dead end.
Telepathy[]
The ability to read minds, control minds or interact from a great distance was not something able to be done without either line of sight to the target or having a prior connection to their mind using something like an implant. Several ideas were suggested and discussed at length, however none proved easy to do.
Battle meditation[]
Battle meditation at first appeared easily replicated to the Morsians. It acted very much like the legion standards used by the army, rallying friendly forces whilst simultaneously reducing the will of the opponents. However, further investigating into the Force ability revealed that it was actually the Force that erodes at the willpower of the enemy, which was something unable to be accomplished without being able to interact telepathically. That also extended to the boosting of allies, since the Force wielder could also increase the stamina of friendly forces or increase their combat skills. Without any way of completing this, battle meditation was quickly dropped.
Behind the scenes[]
- The idea is based on the iron man armors which were also constantly improved and upgraded throughout various marks.