Mind tricks,Mind-touch, ormind control, refer to a spectrum ofForce powers which influenced the thoughts of sentient creatures, most commonly used to coerce into agreement by suggestion throughvoice manipulation, or to cause one to reveal information. This allowed its practitioners to resolve matters in anon-violent way. It could also be used to appeal to a sensory impression for distraction or cause friendly fire among enemies.
A mind trick was the use ofthe Force to alter a target's perceptions or to plant a suggestion in their mind. It usually worked on the weak-minded.[1] There were some species that were particularly resistant to mind tricks, such asHutts,Toydarians,Falleen,Geonosians, andDashade.[5]
Applications[]
Examples of mind tricks included persuading another person to do something they would find unpalatable, creating a sensation of fear in a person, or causing them to see or hear things that were not there, including illusions.[1]
Force persuasion was the use of the Force to exert influence. Some species with highly organized mental facilities were known to be inherently resistant to its effects, requiring more skill, among themHutts,Toydarians,Yinchorri,Kloodavians,[15]Dashade,Falleen,Geonosians, and possiblySnivvians. For example,Revan could persuadeMotta the Hutt, butLuke Skywalker failed in his attempt to persuadeJabba the Hutt. Also during theJedi Civil War, certain ranks of soldiers were trained to resist this technique.[16] On the other hand, some species, such as theNikto, were particularly susceptible to it.[17] Known variants included affect mind and dominate mind, with dominate mind being a more advanced version of the former.
When using a Jedi mind trick, aJedi often waved his or her hand to aid in the persuasion. The Jedi adopted a peculiar tone of voice along with a casual facial expression. The sentient being that was the object of the mind trick tended to adopt a casual tone of voice but a peculiar facial expression. Should the trick succeed, he or she then agreed to whatever was being said to them without being able to think for themselves. Moments later, they would feel puzzled about their new opinion, but usually didn't feel like changing it back.
Experienced Force users could Force persuade over long distances—in one instance, between starships.[18]
Usage of the mind trick in the proper manner was a moral precept for the Jedi, as it did violate the individual's free will and conscience. Thus, the Jedi were strictly prohibited from using it for personal gain (such as in betting or bargaining), reserving its use for when it would serve the greater good and encouraged to use other means if possible;[1] though to some Jedi of the New Jedi Order like Master Durron , it was a small matter to bend others’ minds;[19] the Sith and other Dark Jedi, however, had no qualms about the usage of the ability.
When instructing Jedi students, Yarael Poof stressed that a user must be mindful when utilizing this ability, that their target was nevertheless a living being with a life of their own, and that extra precaution must be exercised as their command could potentially ruin their target's life or even confuse the target into self-harmful actions or make someone become literally sacred to death.[1] Mind tricks could also be used to convert individuals to fight for another.[20]
This power sometimes required the complete concentration of the user. Worries such as whether or not it would work or allowing one to be distracted by the insight gained into the mind of the subject would cause the trick to fail.[21]
Force confusion[]
Among the more advanced mind trick techniques was Force confusion, which could be used in combat to temporarily manipulate enemies to fight as an ally. It was especially useful when outnumbered, and was quicker to employ than affect mind in the heat of battle.
Force fear[]
A darksider using Force fear
"Terror is a cancer, devouring the mind from within. Strength, hope, and wisdom are nothing but thoughts to be consumed."
Force fear was adark-sideForcepower and possibly a dark-side variant on theJedi mind trick, used around4000 BBY bySith andJedi with dark-side tendencies. The wielder would strike directly at the deepest parts of the target's mind, causing an uncontrollable shaking fear that would wreak havoc with the target's capabilities. Through pure force of will alone, a user could cause them to lose their courage completely, and if left undefended, the effects could be severe, rapidly demoralizing the enemy with a feeling of hopelessness and regret. Depending on the victim, it would caused them to either cower defenselessly or flee from their opponent outright.
Force Fear was classified as a dark-side power because fear was an emotion of the dark side. However, as with many powers, it was the intent behind its use that counted, and Jedi would sometimes use it to defuse a potential dangerous situation.
Force fear had two advanced variants: Force horror and Force insanity. Force horror enabled theForce user to cause multiple enemies to enter into a catatonic state of panic that was more severe and more difficult to defend than the basic Force fear. In similarity, Force insanity also enabled the Force user to affect multiple enemies at once, although to an even greater range than its predecessor. As the most advanced form of Force fear, its effect was much more devastating, with the victims possibly descending into an utter state of frenzied madness and deranged mania as their situation seemed to suddenly become hopeless.
Mind control[]
Also known asdominate mind or control mind, mind control was the dark-side equivalent of theJedi mind trick, though mind control was much more invasive. It took complete control of the mind(s) of the victim(s) affected by the power. Higher levels of mastery allowed more people to be controlled, though its effect on members of certain species with an innate immunity to mind tricks (such asHutts orToydarians) is unconfirmed.
Force corrupt[]
"Wise Jedi have said that the Force can have a strong influence on the weak-minded. In typical Jedi fashion, they understand this truth, but lack the courage to make full use of it."
A Dark Jedi using Force corruption to control a clone shadow trooper
One sinister variation of the power was Force Corruption, an ability that would force targets to the user's side, while slowly draining their life.[24]
Force corrupt or Force corruption was a dark-side ability that could temporarily manipulate the minds of other sentient beings and make them serve one's own cause. During theGalactic Civil War, it was sometimes employed by the Force users of theGalactic Empire, possibly includingMara Jade and Palpatine himself, taking control of enemy soldiers and making them serve the cause of the Empire by attacking other enemy units.
Force corrupt was possibly a dark-side variant of theJedi mind trick, wherein the Force user employs similar principles, but to influence the target for violent purposes rather than deceiving them.
Mind Twist[]
This technique was a variation of the mind trick developed byDaegen Lok where he intruded into another's consciousness and twisted their perception of reality to suit his own ends. Lok's skill with the ability was such that he was able to convinceXesh that he was suffocating, and he convincedBel Zana's mind that she was on fire to the point where her body exhibited burn marks.
Force illusion[]
"There's no telling what kind of illusions a Jedi Knight can create with the Force."
Aleema Keto demonstrates her proficiency in creating illusions.
Force illusion was a very powerful Force ability, a subset of the various mind trick powers. Theuser projected an image into the minds of beings within range, of anything from a pillar of fire to a horde of snarling monsters to a fleet of warships, depending on the range. The user could "see" the illusion as well, though it would be only partially there, semi-transparent like a hologram.
The key differences between aForce illusion and a hologram is that unlike a hologram, the illusion could be controlled mentally and was limited only by the imagination of the user. Even more importantly, a Force illusion did not merely affect the sight of a creature. Since it was projected directly into the brain of the creature, it appeared on all of the creature's senses, from hearing to smell to senses such as echolocation. Even viewing it through an electronic system such as a cybernetic eye or camera was of no use if the creature was within range of the illusion during its duration; the creature would "see" it with the system as if the illusion were actually there, though any playback after the illusion had ended would reveal nothing at all.
Though powerful, it was not without its drawbacks. It had a greatly reduced (or almost nonexistent) effect on Force users or Force-resistantspecies such asHutts andYuuzhan Vong. It was also difficult to learn. While Force illusions could make something out of nothing, they couldn't make nothing out of something (in other words, render someone invisible; for that aspect,Force immersion would be used), though they could conceal anything within the illusion. In addition, the illusion offered no physical substance. Though it could be "felt," in most cases, any appendage that touched it would pass straight through, usually betraying its status. Finally, the sustained use of a Force illusion could be taxing, especially at the extreme ranges of the skill (thousands of kilometers, large enough to affectcapital-ship combat).
Lumiya used Force illusion on mirrors in her bedroom, to make the reflected people look more attractive than they really were. TheFallanassi, due to their abilities to manipulate theWhite Current, were capable of creating powerful illusions. However, unlike most Force-sensitives, illusions created through the White Current could be created to be as insubstantial or as real as the user wanted, with the most convincing illusions being indistinguishable visually from a real object. Conversely,Fallanassi illusions could be intentionally insubstantial, so as to trick a sentient into thinking that something that was real wasn't real.[26]
A Mirialan Force-user casts an illusion to escape pursuit
Yarael Poof, being described as a "consummate illusionist," was an adept at Force illusions, and was known to have used them on various occasions. Through the Force, Poof would determine an opponent's innate fears. Based on these fears, he would project images of them to wholesale armies, prompting quick, deliberate ends to battles that would otherwise have erupted into bloodshed. In some ways, this was not unlike the effects of Force fear, albeit a different method.[1]
A known variant of Force illusion was masquerade. Masquerade enabled the user to project an image into a person's mind over the user, essentially masking the user's appearance.
The dark-side technique for creating illusions, or mindforms, involved conjuring visible, lifelike astral projections of whatever the conjurer desired through the use ofSith magic. The illusions distorted all of an individual's sensory perceptions, and only through concentration on the Force was an individual able to perceive them as being false.
By simply gesturing with one's hands, amagician could create whatever manifestations she desired. As an application of the dark side, sorcerers tended to create hideous forms of serpents and other creatures to torment victims. Playing on all the victim's senses, the illusion could seemingly attack individuals, should they actually believe the apparition to be real. However, the illusion could be undone should the victim cease to believe it exists. The illusions could also be undone if the conjuring sorcerer is interrupted by a powerfullight side attack.[27]
The ancientDark Lord of theSithNaga Sadow was a master of illusion casting. His possessed considerable natural ability, but to augment the strength of his illusions Sadow would often employ the use of Sithtalismans or technology. During theGreat Hyperspace War, he would sit inhis meditation sphere and project magnificent illusions of war beasts on the battlefields ofKoros Major,Coruscant andKirrek. His concentration was broken, however, when one of his own capital ships fired upon his meditation sphere, causing his magical illusions to fade, eventually leading to Sith defeats on all three planets.[28]
When thespacerGav Daragon was being initiated as aSith apprentice by Sadow, he received from Sadow rudimentary instruction in creating illusions. Daragon's strength was minimal, for every illusion he conjured turned from something pleasing into a hideous spectral form.[29]
Sith sorceressAleema Keto was rather proficient with this ability. By simply gesturing with her hands, Aleema could create whatever manifestations she desired. Among her more popular creations were hideous forms of serpents and other creatures she used totorture victims, like theAdegan eel she replaced her former tutorKorus' tongue with. During theBattle of Koros Major, Aleema envisionedspace grazers and massivewarships against theGalactic Republicfleet. She could also form more obscure illusions, like turning swords into living animals, technology into monsters, or phantoms of severed heads.[30]
TheNightsisters ofDathomir had a perception of the Force very different than that of theJedi and the Sith, an integral part of which was the casting of illusions through "illusion spells."[31][32][33][34]
Force projection was a mysterious Force ability and was possibly a variation of Force illusion.Darth Ramage, aSithscientist, extensively researched this technique, recording his findings on hisholocron,SD41263.I.[36] It enabled the user to create and "program"[36] an apparition similar to themselves to distract, confuse or lure enemies. The illusion could be animate[36] or inanimate, was fully capable of intercepting incoming fire and was visible to all around it, not just a selected target. A similar ability that was primarily associated to the dark side wasForce phantom, which requiredSith rituals to tether the illusion created by the castor to a living creature, which would die if the illusion were destroyed.
Users[]
«You weak-minded fool! He's using an old Jedi mind trick!»
Almost four thousand years before the Battle of Yavin, onTaris,PadawanZayne Carrick tried to use a mind trick onMarn Hierogryph but he complained that such tricks were useless on him. In3956 BBY, during his quest for the Star Forge, Revan may have used this ability many times, though he was warned byBastila Shan against using it for personal gains, such as bargaining for low prices. Afew years later,Meetra Surik, known as The Exile, andKreia used the mind trick to make people forget that they were even there. In addition, the Exile also used the technique much in the way that Revan had previously. More thanthree hundred years later,Gnost-Dural used the mind trick on aNikto standing guard in front of theCrooked Finger bar to avoid paying a demanded cover charge.Theron Shan expressed that his life would be a lot easier if he could do that and Gnost-Dural noted that it doesn't work on everyone and that Nikto was particularly susceptible.
Twelve years prior to theClone Wars, while aboard the freighterMonument,Qui-Gon Jinn attempted to persuadeJemba the Hutt to return theirdactyl to theArcona workers in theArcona Mineral Harvest Corporation. Unfortunately, he had been focusing so much on healing his recent wound from a fight with aTogorianpirate and was too weak to change Jemba's mind. Later, onBandomeer, Jinn used a mind trick on a Hutt guard working for theOffworld Mining Corporation to grant him access to theprivate office of his formerPadawan,Xanatos. In33 BBY, while in acantina onDorvalla, Darth Maul used a mind trick on a bartender so that she would "bring him his drink and leave him alone." Ayear later, while onNaboo, Qui-Gon Jinn used a mind trick to convince the leader of theGungans,Boss Nass, to allow Jinn andObi-Wan Kenobi to depart in abongo withJar Jar Binks. Shortly thereafter, onTatooine, Jinn attempted to convinceWatto, aToydarian junk dealer, to allow him to useRepublic credits to buy spare parts for QueenAmidala's royal starship. Watto asked Jinn if he thought he was "some kind of Jedi, waving [his] hand around like that." Watto claimed that mind tricks did not work on his species. During this same time, Qui-Gon used the mind trick to convince a pushySebulba to wait outside while he talked with Watto after theBoonta Eve Race and later to make a cruel slave owner give hisslaveswater and to never harm them again.[37]
A Jedi General projects an illusion of additional starships during the Clone Wars.
A decade later, onCoruscant, Obi-Wan Kenobi refused the offer of aslythmonger,Elan Sel'Sabagno, for cilona-extract "death sticks," which were powerful narcotics. Kenobi convinced the slythmonger with a wave of his hand that he didn't want to sell him death sticks, and instead he wanted to "go home and rethink his life." A few days later, while hiding on Naboo,Padmé Amidala askedAnakin Skywalker if he was going to use the mind trick on her. He replied that it would only work on the weak-minded, implying that Padmé's mind was too strong—and Anakin knew it.
Early in the Clone Wars,Jedi MasterYoda used the mind trick to make CaptainTypho—responsible for Padmé Amidala's safety—recommend that they needed to saveLuminara Unduli andBarriss Offee onIlum, which was a "slight deviation" from their route. Although Padmé clearly recognized the trick, she still happily ordered Typho to go to Ilum. In21 BBY,Asajj Ventress used a mind trick onCaptainRex to force him to contact Anakin Skywalker. Rex managed to resist the trick and instead covertly warned Skywalker of the danger. Later that year, while in captivity to the pirateHondo Ohnaka, Obi-Wan Kenobi used a mind trick on aWeequay pirate to convince him that he did not want to stand guard, but instead wanted to deactivate the cell bars and go out drinking.Duros bounty hunterCad Bane was coerced to reveal the location of thekyber memory crystal and twoForce-sensitive children. Bane was resistant at first, but the combined power ofAnakin Skywalker,Obi-Wan Kenobi andMace Windu overwhelmed the bounty hunter's mental defenses, forcing him to reluctantly revealed the location of the memory crystal and children. Also in 21 BBY,Ahsoka Tano used a Jedi mind trick twice on aNeimoidian guard on aTrade Federation Battleship to allow her and SenatorRiyo Chuchi into the detention block to rescueChi Eekway Papanoida. While being hunted for sport on the moon ofWasskah,Jedi InitiateJinx tried using a mind trick onTrandoshan hunterSmug to call a speeder, but it didn't work the first time. AfterChewbacca hit the Trandoshan on the head,Smug became susceptible to Jedi mind tricks, and ended up calling a speeder which then was hijacked byO-Mer.
Just before the conclusion of the war, Obi-Wan Kenobi again used a mind trick to avoid any unnecessary entanglements on the sinkhole world ofUtapau. In order to procure transport needed to track downGeneralGrievous, Kenobi used the Force to persuade a localUtai dragonmount-handler to assist him. The Utai allowed Kenobi to rideBoga, a loyalvaractyl mount, to reach thetenth level ofPau City where he located Grievous and eventually killed him. After the execution ofOrder 66, when Kenobi returned toCoruscant along with SenatorBail Organa and MasterYoda, they were greeted by a guard; the guard said that he would take the Jedi into his custody, but Kenobi employed a mind trick persuading the guard that it would be better if the Jedi remained with the Senator.
In3 BBY,Starkiller used the mind trick several times during the course of his mission forDarth Vader. He used it to interrogate aNar Shaddaa bartender as to the whereabouts ofRahm Kota, forced an Imperial officer onFelucia to reveal the location of Senator Bail Organa, and attempted to persuadeLobot to grant him an audience with SenatorGarm Bel Iblis; however, because Lobot's brain wascybernetically enhanced, the mind trick had no effect on him.
Luke Skywalker used a mind trick on Bib Fortuna after entering Jabba's Palace.
In0 BBY Kenobi once more made use of the Jedi mind trick, this time to convince a stormtrooper thatLuke Skywalker and he did not have thedroids for which theEmpire was searching and that it would be best if they were allowed to move along. PilotBoShek used latent Force ability, along with residual effects from Kenobi's trick, to perform a mind trick which allowed him to escape from four stormtroopers after "borrowing" alandspeeder. Weeks later,Luke Skywalker used a mind trick to forceBib Fortuna and a group of guards to let them go after a bounty hunter tookGrubba from them.
In4 ABY, Luke Skywalker enteredJabba's Palace to rescueHan Solo. He used the mind trick to convince Bib Fortuna to grant him an audience withJabba the Hutt. Jabba later criticized Fortuna for falling for such a "old mind trick" and after Skywalker tried to use it on the Hutt, told the Jedi that his mind powers would not work on him.
After the death of EmperorPalpatine,Corran Horn unknowingly used the mind trick to hide from stormtroopers during his escape from theLusankya in6 ABY. Thefollowing year, Horn tried to intentionally use a mind trick on a stormtrooper while on an undercover mission onThyferra. For a moment, when the stormtrooper repeated Horn's statement about not having to go with him, Horn thought the trick was actually working. It failed miserably, and the only reaction he prompted from the stormtrooper was "You can go about your business? Your business is my business, void brain!" Horn was injured by the stormtrooper and ended up having to spend a couple of days in abacta tank to recover. Afterhaving begun studies to become a Jedi, Horn successfully projected an illusion of a hugeNew Republic task force, complete withLusankya andSun Crusher, into the brain ofLeonia Tavira's, leader of theInvids.
Luke Skywalker used this power on the animal denizens of lower Coruscant to protect himself and his companions during the Corellian crisis. He opted to jolt the animals' minds with fear as he was faced with a large pack and fear was the most readily recognizable emotion available. He did this to preserve everyone's life.
TheForce-sensitiveYuuzhan VongOnimi evidently used mind control onSupreme OverlordShimrra Jamaane during their reign over the species, but towards the end of theYuuzhan Vong War, Onimi lost control of Shimrra. He later attributed this, as he claims toJaina Solo, to his "preoccupation with defeating you [Jaina] allowed what remained of Shimrra to reemerge"; this is implied that he was somehow distracted in his greater battle withYun'o, which caused this loss of control over Shimrra.
In40 ABY, during theSecond Galactic Civil War,Leia Organa Solo used a mind trick on a lieutenant from theGalactic Alliance Second Fleet vesselSpinnerfish. She tricked him first into believing thatLando Calrissian (who was using the identityBescat Offdurmin at the time) was not offering aid and comfort to the enemy, then that they had to get toCorellia because they were doing something vital to theAlliance and finally to give them the access codes provided byIntelligence that would allow them to fly in directly. Afterward, Lando commented "That wasn't really fair" and Leia responded that the lieutenant was "even more weak-minded" than she was used to and she didn't think he'd progress far in the army.Ben Skywalker used a mind trick onGilthor Breen to persuade him that he had entered a turbolift. He projected an image of the turbolift doors closing and directed him to think about "the girl," a holodrama actress namedAliniaca Verr. Notably, Ben accomplished this trick without the use of either a hand gesture or his voice.Mara Jade used a mind trick on two bystanders after fighting withLumiya. She tricked the two bystanders into believing that the battle that they just witnessed between Mara and Lumiya was staged for a hol- program. The male bystander remarked that the blood on Mara's face looked real, tricked by Mara into believing that it was fake. In 41 ABY, during theSecond Battle of Fondor,Darth Caedus used the Force to mind trick the Fondorians into lowering the planetary shield based around the city of Oridin, opening the city to bombardment by his forces.
In137 ABY, PrincessMarasiah Fel attempted to use a mind trick onCade Skywalker in order to get aboard theMynock withAstraal Vao and away fromDarth Talon. Cade was not affected, but took them anyway after spotting the Sith. Cade later said to his companions, "Human thinks I'm some weak willed Koochu—tried a Jedi 'mind trick.'"
Behind the scenes[]
"I'm amazed at how many people that works on. Is the whole galaxy made up of weak-minded fools?"
―Canderous Ordo in response to Revan using a mind trick[2]
Various games represent the Jedi mind trick as a means of slipping past opponents without being seen. In one instance it was named "Force persuasion," but accomplished the same thing, probably a name to apply only to this variant of use. A mind trick in the game is employed, and the character becomes invisible to (an) opponent(s). Some games allow players to use the mind trick to confuse and stun their opponents; others employ the mind trick to cause opponents to temporarily switch allegiance by attacking other opponents.
The mind trick is known as bothaffect mind and the more powerfuldominate mind inStar Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. InKnights of the Old Republic and its sequel,Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords, usage of mind-affecting Force abilities follows the movies more closely. Learning these abilities gives the player additional choices in conversations, which can be used to persuade NPCs to do something beneficial for the player—for example, pay a greater reward than the player would normally receive, offer a lower price for an item, share some secret information, extract information from the individual, or manipulate them into doing or accepting various things.
InJedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast andJedi Knight: Jedi Academy, if the player character has a mind trick level higher than 3 (impossible without cheats), he may directly control an enemy includingReborn, which are normally immune to the ability. On level 4, this power could affect anyone, even on the strongest minds likeDesann orTavion Axmis.
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