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 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.

History
When Qui-Gon Jinn 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.

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

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 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 Episode II: Attack of the Clones
 * Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope
 * Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi
 * Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope
 * Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi
 * Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope
 * Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi
 * Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope
 * Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi
 * Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope
 * Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi