The Force is a complicated issue. In general I agree that it's overpowered in the expanded universe as well as the prequel films and TV series to some extent, particularly with lightning; however, it's the Force... with the Force anything should be possible. It's supposed to be mysterious and supernatural. You have to hint at the impossible, while still keeping it within reasonable levels. Tricky. And it inevitably leads to escalation. Of course, magic is the same way in many respects.
One problem with Star Wars is the EU's obsession with the film era and the film characters. 25,000 years of galactic history and only half a century of it matters, and it all involved the same handful of individuals. Well, maybe 90% of it.