Learn English – the meaning of “raw power”

meaningmeaning-in-context

In the What If? post Yoda, the author writes:

Yoda’s greatest display of raw power in the original trilogy came when he lifted Luke’s X-Wing from the swamp.

What does raw power mean? I cannot find any useful example of this phrase in Google. I think it's similar to potential energy in physics context, but I'm not sure about that.

According to Macmillan Dictionary a raw emotion or quality is strong and natural, but not controlled or developed. So I think the same can be applied to power. However, Yoda is known to be a master, so his power cannot be uncontrolled or undeveloped, though I admit that I haven't watched the whole series.

Best Answer

Raw power has no strict physical meaning; it's descriptive. As Lawrence points out, it simply means the bearer (Yoda) commands an amount of power large enough that he can afford to exercise it without control.

Suppose we're Jedi knights, and a large mob of droids is charging at us. I might have moderate power with high control: perhaps I can overload the power core of a droid in the middle, creating an EMP that temporarily stuns the rest of the mob. You might have moderate power and moderate control: you can knock over the front droid, and hope it knocks over a few more droids behind it (maybe you just enjoy using your saber more).

Yoda has high power and high control: he could perform a refined move like I did, but may instead choose to employ that power in unrefined, raw form, bowling over the entire group, and maybe sweeping them all back several hundred feet.

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