This is pretty much exactly why I struggle to enjoy most of the EU, at least in terms of the ideas and philosophies that material presents. There's a huge disconnect between the ideas of the OT and the rest of the saga.
Despite what he now claims, George Lucas never intended to make sequels to Star Wars, because he never thought it would be successful. That's why the first movie has themes that reflect a one-off retelling of the hero's journey and it's only later that this message gets contorted as George Lucas fleshes out a Star Wars "universe".
But elements of what would become the Jedi philosophy were present in the OT, just not as clearly spelled out as they would be later. Like in Empire Strikes Back when Obi-Wan and Yoda advise Luke against rescuing his friends, and tell him to effectively sever all attachments to them, or risk falling to the Dark Side.
So the Zen Buddhist philosophy was there from the beginning, but the prequels took things a step further by introducing the idea that the Force not only has a will, it is capable of exerting its will. In this respect the Force is less similar to Eastern traditions and appears closer to a God or Demiurge from esoteric Christianity, or perhaps the Fates from various European pagan religions.
Where does that leave Will to Power? Your destiny is set; the only thing you can do is face it with honor and enjoy the time you have in stoic defiance of whatever fate has apportioned you. Unfortunately in Star Wars canon, it's not that simple, because the will of the Force is to achieve balance by crushing the Dark Side. Lucas is
very clear about what Balance means, there is no alternative interpretation. Furthermore, there is no way to neutrally interface with the Force. There are two paths, Light and Dark, and anything in between will result in either apathy or an eventual fall to the Dark Side, such is the allure of its power. So if you are born powerful, it is your existential duty to sacrifice your humanity for the greater good. Exerting your own will, even as simple as forming relationships or keeping possessions, is seen as potentially dangerous and the Force will work to subvert you. This is why the Jedi Order exists - to restrain Force Users in the name of protecting life.
So, the self-actualization messages in A New Hope are what got us in the door, but then Lucas turned around and made a world with far more ghoulish ramifications than we had imagined. If you are born special, seeking free will is essentially punishable by death. It could potentially make for some really interesting stories and themes, but up to this point very few characters in Star Wars have engaged with these ideas directly. The will of the Force is mostly taken for granted by the Jedi and the Sith believe either it doesn't exist, or that they can subvert it (which they can't).