Mind trick

"The Force can have a strong influence on the weak-minded."

- Obi-Wan Kenobi to Luke Skywalker

A mind trick was an ability of the Force that allowed the practitioner to influence the thoughts of the affected, generally to the user's advantage. When using the mind trick, the practitioner generally adopted a suggestive tone of voice and used a distinctive gesture, waving their hand in front of the target's face.

The mind trick was said to work only on the weak-minded, and there were certain species, including Toydarians and Hutts that were either highly resistant or immune to it. However, the mind trick could be used by a group of Jedi simultaneously to exert a greater collective influence on those who would normally be able to resist a single Jedi's attempt alone, as demonstrated by Obi-Wan Kenobi, Mace Windu, and Anakin Skywalker upon the bounty hunter Cad Bane.

History
Qui-Gon Jinn used a mind trick to convince Boss Nass to give him a bongo for transport to Theed, though it was unclear to what degree it was necessary, as Nass knew that the route to the surface was littered with sea creatures and he was happy to be rid of the accident-prone Jar Jar Binks.

Later, when he was stranded on Tatooine, he attempted to use a mind trick on Watto in order to get him accept Republic credits for the purchase of a T-14 hyperdrive, but Watto told him that he was a Toydarian and that mind tricks didn't work on him, only money.

When Obi-Wan Kenobi was on Coruscant seeking an assassin that had targeted Padmé Amidala, he was approached by an individual in a bar that sought to sell him death sticks. Kenobi used the mind trick both to convince him that he didn't want to sell him death sticks and that he wanted to go home and rethink his life. Not long after this, when Anakin Skywalker and Amidala were on Naboo, Amidala suggested that Skywalker might use the mind trick on her after he had trouble getting her to open up about her past, but Skywalker replied that they only work on the weak-minded.

During the Clone Wars, when Kenobi and Skywalker were captured by the Ohnaka Gang, Kenobi used a mind trick to convince a guard to let them out and go out drinking, though he and Skywalker were ultimately re-captured anyway.

The Mandalorian Security Forces were trained to resist mind tricks by playing along. Ahsoka Tano thought she could use a mind trick one of the guards to see the Duchess Satine who was being held hostage, but learned that he was acting and that the guards were trained to resist what Prime Minister Almec called "archaic magic".

Later during the war, Skywalker used a mind trick to convince the bounty hunter Shalan Alama to check for pursuers.

Jedi Master Mace Windu attempted a mind trick on a Dagoyan to allow him access to the Queen's chambers on Bardotta, but was told "That will not work on a Dagoyan."

When Kenobi and Luke Skywalker traveled to Mos Eisley to seek passage to Alderaan, Kenobi used a mind trick to convince a suspicious stormtrooper both that he did not need to see Skywalker's identification and that the droids (R2-D2 and C-3PO) that were accompanying them weren't the droids that they were searching for. After he and Skywalker were clear of the checkpoint, Skywalker expressed surprise at how easily they had escaped and Kenobi explained that "The Force can have a strong influence on the weak-minded."

When Skywalker was on Rodia to acquire weapons for the Rebel Alliance, he encountered an obnoxious Rodian who refused to take him to his contact, Taneetch Soonta. He attempted a mind trick to get the Rodian to be more cooperative, but to no effect. He tried again, adding the hand gesture that Kenobi had used, but the attempt again failed. He then gave up the attempt as pointless, realizing he didn't have enough knowledge for the trick to work, but the problem was resolved when the Rodian received a comm message instructing him to cooperate.

When Skywalker visited Jabba's Palace to rescue Han Solo, Leia Organa and Lando Calrissian, he used a mind trick on Bib Fortuna to convince him to bring him before Jabba the Hutt. Jabba criticized Fortuna as a "weak-minded fool," and Luke attempted to use a mind trick on Jabba to get him to release the hostages, but the trick did not work.

Behind the scenes
The Jedi mind trick first appeared in Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope, but was not identified by name at the time and was first described as "Jedi mind trick" in Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi. The mind trick was widely featured in Expanded Universe, later re-branded as Star Wars Legends, in which it had a number of useful variants, such as the ability to project illusions, but these cannot be considered canon. Kenobi's original usage of the mind trick, "These aren't the droids you're looking for," became a phrase in popular culture and has served as the inspiration for at least two songs.

Appearances

 * Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace
 * Star Wars Journeys: The Phantom Menace
 * Star Wars: Galactic Defense
 * Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones
 * Dark Disciple
 * Star Wars 7: From the Journals of Old Ben Kenobi: "The Last of His Breed"
 * Star Wars Rebels: The Siege of Lothal
 * Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope
 * The Adventures of Luke Skywalker, Jedi Knight
 * Heir to the Jedi
 * Star Wars 1: Skywalker Strikes
 * Star Wars: Darth Vader 1: Vader
 * Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi
 * Aftermath
 * Dark Disciple
 * Star Wars 7: From the Journals of Old Ben Kenobi: "The Last of His Breed"
 * Star Wars Rebels: The Siege of Lothal
 * Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope
 * The Adventures of Luke Skywalker, Jedi Knight
 * Heir to the Jedi
 * Star Wars 1: Skywalker Strikes
 * Star Wars: Darth Vader 1: Vader
 * Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi
 * Aftermath
 * Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi
 * Aftermath