How are there Midi-chlorians in a rock?

"Size matters not. Look at me. Judge me by my size, do you? Hm? Mmmm. And well you should not. For my ally in the Force. And a powerful ally it is. Life creates it, makes it grow. It's energy surrounds us and binds us. Luminous beings are we, not this crude matter. You must feel the Force around you. Here, between you...me...the tree...the rock...everywhere! Yes, even between this land and that ship!" Yoda

This has been a pet peeve of mine for a while, and I'm sorry that this is a bit geeky. Well, I'm not THAT sorry that it's geeky. I am a geek, after all.

One of the things that's bugged me about the Star Wars prequels, is the way Lucas contradicts himself, and the demeanor of the Jedi. In the above quote, taken from Empire, Yoda speaks of the Force being all around us, not just around the people with Midi-chlorians. It is a unifying, universal thing, not a segregator. The other thing that is contradicted, is the peaceful, almost submissive nature of the Jedi.

"You will know. When you are calm, at peace. Passive. A Jedi uses
the Force for knowledge and defense, never for attack." Yoda

A Jedi uses the Force for knowledge and defense. In the prequels, the Jedi are constantly shown charging in, lightsabers swinging. How is that passive? How is that defense?

That was what I liked about Timothy Zhan's "Hand of Thrawn" Duology. In those stories, Luke Skywalker find new power and abilities in the Force by NOT using it. He finds that flaunting his power causes fear in those around him, and that using the Force in an overt, even agressive method, stifles his powers, even as great as they are. (The books are set later than most, after Luke as defeated clones of the Emperor, and attained Master status. Basically, he had the ability to rip a ship apart with the force. Makes things a bit too easy, doesn't it?)

Not that my opinions matter, of course. Lucas has already chosen what he wants his 'vision' to be, and I"m just one more "angry geek" that goes a-ravin' at the drop of a hat [/sarcasm]

I guess what it boils down to is: I'm sad that something that instilled such wonder in me as a child went in such a different direction. I realize that the original movies weren't exactly deep, but they hinted at depth that the prequels definitely did not live up to. I suppose that's a selfish bent to take, but there you have it.

And don't get me started about Jar-Jar.