Like Anakin in The Phantom Menace, Han Solo doesn’t know what the Force is in A New Hope. As Yoda says of the Force, “Life creates it, makes it grow. Therefore, in the Star Wars universe, one doesn’t strictly have to become either to use the Force. Anakin wins the podrace – is it due to Anakin’s unknowing ability to use the Force or to Qui-Gon’s? Either way, Jedi and Sith make up most of the known users of the Force, but their power isn’t acquired during padawan or apprentice training. In Episode I - The Phantom Menace, which takes place about 40 years before the originals, Qui-Gon Jinn says to young Anakin Skywalker, “You must have Jedi reflexes if you race pods.” These Jedi impulses tend to involve the Force, but when Qui-Gon says this he doesn’t know of the boy’s potential. Let’s look at chronologically in terms of time period (not when films were released but when they were set). In fact, though, the third protagonist of the original trilogy, Han Solo, could be Force-sensitive as well, and there is potential evidence that may support this claim. Luke and Leia, two of our three heroes in A New Hope (1977) to Return Of The Jedi (1983), are known to be Force-sensitive because they are the offspring of powerful Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker, who becomes Sith Lord Darth Vader. However, this is an interesting explanation as to what the Force is and how it can be measured.) When an individual uses unique reflexes or senses unforeseen events, these behaviors indicate they may be “Force-sensitive.” According to sources in the Star Wars universe, the Jedi discovered individuals with Force-sensitive traits hence the majority of Force users are on Yoda’s Council in the Temple.
(Okay, not everybody is convinced by the scientology that the prequels introduce about the Force. For example, Anakin Skywalker’s is incredibly high, even bigger than Yoda’s. Midi-chlorian counts determine how strong the Force is with someone. In Star Wars: Episode 1 – The Phantom Menace(1999), Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn explains the concept of midi-chlorians, which are genetic traits that are attuned to the Force.
In these films, we never learn how the Force is made apparent in the characters, whereas the prequels offer more background. In the original Star Wars trilogy, we meet a number of Force-sensitive characters, from those who connect with the Light Side, like Luke Skywalker, Leia (though only by sensing foreseen occurrences), Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Yoda, to those who use the Dark Side, like Darth Vader and Emperor Palpatine.
The latter is not strictly a term used in the series, but it describes the implied opposing presence to the more talked-about Dark Side. There is the Dark Side of the Force, and there is the “Light” side. The Force is one of the central tools in the Star Wars franchise for distinguishing between heroes and villains.