Mind trick

In the execution of a mind trick, the user commonly used a persuasive tone and a specific gesture, often moving their hand in front of the subject's face. If it worked, the person affected would unconsciously repeat the user's words exactly and then act as instructed, with their own thoughts aligning with the suggestions. Later recall of the event was rare. It was believed that the mind trick only worked on those with weaker minds, and certain species, such as Toydarians, Geonosians, and Hutts, possessed either a strong resistance or complete immunity to it. Moreover, training to resist mind tricks was possible, as demonstrated by Prime Minister Almec's Mandalorian Guards. The mind trick could influence multiple targets simultaneously, sometimes without the target needing to hear the user's commands. In some instances, a simple hand wave was sufficient, while in others, no gesture was needed at all.

A group of Force users could also use the mind trick together, speaking in unison to amplify their collective influence on those who might otherwise resist a single Force-sensitive's attempt. This was shown by Jedi Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Mace Windu when dealing with the bounty hunter Cad Bane. However, forcefully compelling a strong mind could risk damaging or even destroying it, as Bane experienced intense pain during the Jedi's attempt to influence him. The living world of Planet X also had a mind trick-like effect, inducing euphoria in visitors and making it difficult for them to leave.

Some Force users, particularly those aligned with the dark side like the Inquisitorius and Kylo Ren, could probe the minds of others and extract information from prisoners, though Force-sensitives and individuals with strong mental fortitude could resist. This technique was considered a variation of the mind trick, using its telepathic aspects to deeply interact with and influence the subject's mind. Dark siders, such as the Sith, possessed a stronger version called mind control, which allowed them to completely dominate others' wills, controlling them like puppets with sheer concentration and without verbal commands. After training with a Sith holocron, Ezra Bridger forced an Imperial walker pilot to turn against his comrades and commit suicide. Darth Vader once stated that mind tricks were not of the dark side, saying, "We prefer force."

The Nightsisters also had their own version of the mind trick. Unlike the Jedi and Sith versions, its effects could be permanent and had a much greater range, capable of subduing almost the entire crew of the Imperial Destroyer Chimaera, turning them into a variant of the Stormtroopers called Night Troopers.

During the High Republic Era, Jedi commonly referred to the power as "mind touch." However, those outside the Jedi Order began calling it "mind trick," which became the more popular term over the years. During this time, two human sisters, Oliviah Zeveron and Elecia Zeveron, were born with Force sensitivity, though Oliviah was the stronger of the two. Elecia, the elder sister, had a natural talent for mind tricks, enabling her to influence people to act on her behalf simply by being near them. One day, a Jedi seeker arrived and observed both sisters' abilities. Ultimately, the Jedi seeker chose to take Oliviah for Jedi training, leaving Elecia behind due to her weaker connection to the Force. Elecia, however, felt she was more deserving and allowed her resentment to consume her.

Driven by her anger towards the Jedi, Elecia joined the Path of the Open Hand cult, whose members publicly opposed the use of the Force. Despite outwardly adhering to their beliefs, Elecia, who became known as "the Mother," used her powers to manipulate others for her own purposes. Within the Path, she was seen as someone who "calmed" those around her, but in reality, she imposed her will on those she needed to control. She manipulated Radicaz Dobbs into joining her cult and becoming devoted to her. Later, she influenced sheriff Jinx Pickwick, who was against the Path's return to their former compound on the planet Dalna. Pickwick became confused by her own words, unaware that the Mother was manipulating her. Marda Ro, a devoted follower of the Path, also noticed Pickwick's strange change in behavior before the Mother.

The conflict between the Path and the Jedi Order escalated into the Battle of Dalna, where the Path attacked visiting Jedi teams. During the battle, Marda, carrying the lightsaber of the deceased Jedi Padawan Kevmo Zink, encountered a Jedi wearing a vocoder mask. The Jedi initially demanded she drop the lightsaber before calmly repeating the order using a mind trick. Marda quickly fell under its influence, believing she didn't need the lightsaber, but a young Nameless—a creature native to Planet X that consumed Force-sensitives, whose eggs Ro and others had collected for use against Force users—suddenly attacked the Jedi. This freed Marda from the mind trick just as she loosened her grip on the lightsaber and deactivated it. Enraged at being tricked, Marda saw it as the Jedi invading her mind, but she was horrified by the Jedi's fate at the hands of the Nameless.

Meanwhile, upon returning from the mission to retrieve Nameless eggs on Planet X, Dobbs realized that the euphoria the world induced, possibly a defense mechanism to prevent visitors from leaving, mirrored the feeling he had around the Mother. Enraged at being manipulated, Dobbs attempted to steal artifacts from the Path during the Battle of Dalna and informed Yana Ro, a rebelling Path member and Marda's cousin, of his discovery. Yana later shared Dobbs's theory with Marda. Marda recalled the Mother's interaction with Pickwick and realized her cousin was right. Marda confronted the Mother, finding herself tempted to believe her words, realizing it was a mind trick. Having fallen for the Mother's powers in the past, Marda resolved to never be deceived again and ultimately killed the Mother by unleashing the Nameless known as the Leveler against her.

Later in the High Republic Era, Jedi Knight Elzar Mann began using the term "mind trick" despite the continued widespread use of "mind touch" among the Jedi.

Qui-Gon Jinn used a mind trick to persuade Boss Nass to provide him with a bongo for transportation to Theed. Later, stranded on Tatooine, Jinn attempted to use a mind trick on Watto to accept Republic credits for a T-14 hyperdrive, but Watto, being a Toydarian, was immune to mind tricks. Republic credits were useless on Tatooine, and Watto insisted on local currency.

During a mission to Carnelion IV years later, Obi-Wan Kenobi used a mind trick to convince a hostile local woman named Pran that weapons were unnecessary in their conversation. The trick worked, but their conversation was interrupted by an attack before she could act on the suggestion.

Years later, while on Coruscant searching for an assassin targeting Padmé Amidala, Kenobi was approached by an individual in a bar selling death sticks. Kenobi used the mind trick to convince him to not sell death sticks and to rethink his life. Shortly after, on Naboo, Amidala suggested that Skywalker use the mind trick on her to open up about her past, but Skywalker replied that it only worked on the weak-minded.

During the Clone Wars, Clone Captain CT-7567 "Rex" resisted a mind trick from the Sith assassin Asajj Ventress during the Battle of Teth. Rex pretended to be affected, contacting Skywalker but using his first name, Anakin, to signal something was wrong. When Kenobi and Skywalker were captured by the Ohnaka Gang, Kenobi used a mind trick to convince a guard to release them and go drinking, though they were eventually recaptured.

Prime Minister Almec's Mandalorian Guards were trained to resist mind tricks and feign compliance. Jedi Padawan Ahsoka Tano attempted to use a mind trick on a guard to see Duchess [Satine Kryze](/article/satine_kryze], who was being held hostage, but discovered that he was acting and that the guards were trained to resist what Almec called "archaic magic."

During the Senate hostage crisis, Anakin used a mind trick to convince the bounty hunter Shahan Alama to check another floor, avoiding detection because he was unarmed.

Jedi Master Mace Windu attempted a mind trick on a Dagoyan to gain access to the Queen's chambers on Bardotta, but was warned, "That will not work on a Dagoyan," similar to Qui-Gon's experience with Watto.

During the first year of the Imperial Era, Ferren Barr used mind tricks to recruit at least two of his disciples. He also used one to convince King Lee-Char to take drastic action against the invading Imperial forces. Barr also used a mind trick to activate the inhibitor chips in a Purge Trooper squad's heads, forcing them to execute Order 66 against their Inquisitor commanders, who were revealed to have once been Jedi.

Jedi Cal Kestis was skilled with the mind trick, using it to manipulate others' thoughts to achieve his goals and even make enemies attack each other. However, its effects typically lasted only a few seconds.

The Inquisitorius' Grand Inquisitor used mind tricks during his and Governor Wilhuff Tarkin's interrogation of Jedi survivor Kanan Jarrus to learn about his fellow Spectres and a potential wider rebellion. Jarrus resisted the Inquisitor's mind tricks, impressing him.

While rescuing the pirate Hondo Ohnaka from an Imperial prison on Naraka, Ezra Bridger, influenced by the Presence of the Malachor Sith holocron over the past six months, used a dark-side-fueled version on the driver of an All Terrain Defense Pod. He took over the driver's mind, forcing him to fire on stormtroopers and then pilot the walker off a platform. Ezra's fellow rebels Sabine Wren and Garazeb Orrelios, as well as Ohnaka, were disturbed by this, unaware of Ezra's use of the Sith holocron.

When Kenobi and Luke Skywalker traveled to Mos Eisley to find passage to Alderaan, Kenobi used a mind trick to convince a suspicious stormtrooper, TD-110, that he didn't need to see Skywalker's identification and that the droids (R2-D2 and C-3PO) weren't the droids they were looking for. After they passed the checkpoint, Luke was surprised at their easy escape, and Kenobi explained that "The Force can have a strong influence on the weak-minded." The mind trick left TD-110 with a headache and prevented him from recognizing the droids later on the Death Star when 3PO requested to "take [R2] down to maintenance" after being detained.

When Luke 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 make the Rodian more cooperative, but it failed. He tried again with Kenobi's hand gesture, but it still didn't work. He gave up, realizing he lacked the knowledge for the trick to work, but the Rodian then received a comm message instructing him to cooperate.

Darth Vader once bent a group of Kakran to his will. Shortly after, Luke tried to dissuade Warba Calip from stealing his lightsaber, which she believed was a mind trick, and Skywalker didn't deny it. On Al'doleem, Skywalker failed to use a mind trick on two stormtroopers but later successfully used one to convince Kes Dameron that he was capable of a dangerous mission to Coruscant.

When Luke visited Jabba's Palace to rescue Han Solo, Leia Organa, and Lando Calrissian, he used a mind trick on Bib Fortuna to bring him before Jabba the Hutt. Jabba called Fortuna a "weak-minded fool," and Luke attempted to use a mind trick on Jabba to release the hostages, but it didn't work.

The scavenger Rey attempted a mind trick on First Order stormtrooper FN-1824 while imprisoned on Starkiller Base. She tried to convince the guard to remove her restraints and leave the cell open for her escape. Her first attempt failed, causing the guard to tighten the restraints. However, when she repeated her instructions, the stormtrooper complied and dropped his blaster as he left. Rey achieved this without any distracting gestures, as she was shackled. Rey was inspired to use the mind trick after resisting Kylo Ren's mind probe, turning his power against him and briefly experiencing his memories. She then realized that if she could resist Ren's mental powers, influencing a stormtrooper with no such training would be easy. She reached out with her words and thoughts.

Shortly after, realizing that he and Rey were connected through the Force, Ren attempted to use a mind trick on her to reveal Luke Skywalker's location, but it was ineffective. During the Mission to Kijimi, Rey, Finn, and Poe Dameron were apprehended by two stormtroopers, FN-0606 and FN-1226, aboard the Star Destroyer Steadfast. Rey quickly mind tricked the troopers into accepting their presence without issue and being happy with them on board. Disturbed, Dameron asked Finn if Rey had used the same Force tactic on them.

The Jedi mind trick first appeared in Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope, but it wasn't named at the time and was first described as a "Jedi mind trick" in Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi. The mind trick was widely featured in the Expanded Universe, later rebranded as Star Wars Legends, where it had several useful variants, such as projecting illusions, but these are not considered canon.

Kenobi's original use of the mind trick, "These aren't the droids you're looking for," became a popular phrase and inspired at least two songs.