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.
