Star Wars influencers

In a political galaxy far, far away...

An influencer is a person, droid or organization that has the power to change things or to make things happen. The impact of an influencer is recognizable and significant, and includes changes in behavior or opinion in others, sometimes using nothing but the persuasive powers of the Force. Notably, these agents have the power to create change without necessarily taking direct action, such is the power of influence. Influence is defined as follows:

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The power to change or affect someone or something. The power to cause changes without directly forcing them to happen. A person or thing that affects someone or something in an important way.^[1]^[2]

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This power to influence the state of the galaxy, and the aliens and humans living within it, can derive from such things as fame, legacy, social presence, charisma, rhetorical skill or even moral status (as a Jedi Knight). It is not limited to the wealth of a Jabba the Hutt, or the ability to pay to make things happen.

In the Star Wars universe, influencers take on many forms: senators, crime bosses, Jedi Masters and seemingly low level players. Nonetheless, these players leave an impact that can be seen on a galactic level.

A well known definition of power by Yale Professor Robert Dahl includes the following point: "A necessary condition for the power relation is that there exists a time lag."^[3] In other words, influence cannot solely be measured by direct and immediate action; there is often such a delay, that the influencers' impact is hardly noticed. They do not necessarily leave a fingerprint or paper-trail. The connection may be more amorphous or unclear.