How A Jedi Mind Trick Saved The 'Star Wars' Galaxy
As we have seen throughout the Star Wars movies and shows over the years, the Jedi and Sith have repeatedly demonstrated the awesome power of the Force to move objects and people, attack, jump, move, examine objects, heal injuries, see the future, and project an image of themselves across the galaxy. And it's clear that the Jedi, specifically, have, on more than one occasion, saved the day (and the galaxy) through their use of the Force by all of these and other various means.
But often overlooked in the midst of some of the more dazzling and eye-popping uses of the Force, there is a pretty understated one that we're actually introduced to us pretty early on in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, specifically the "Jedi mind trick."
This ability continues to pop up occasionally throughout the movies and shows and has saved our heroes and, by extension, the galaxy on more than one occasion. The most well-known and famous example of this aforementioned Force ability is, of course, wherein exiled Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi saves Luke, C-3PO, and R2-D2 by using the Jedi mind trick to fool some Imperial Stormtroopers at a checkpoint on Tatooine, ensure their ability to eventually escape Tatooine, and, ultimately, save the Rebel Alliance and deliver a crushing blow to the evil Galactic Empire.
In Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker, budding Jedi Knight Rey uses the Jedi mind trick to enable her, Poe, and Finn to infiltrate a First Order Star Destroyer to save Chewbacca and recover the Sith dagger that holds the key to stopping Emperor Palpatine's plans. We've also seen it used in humorous and mundane situations such as in Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones, where Obi-Wan Kenobi casually uses the power to encourage a fellow bar patron trying to sell him "drugs" to "go home and re-think" his life, which the patron appears to swiftly do. As we have also seen, the Jedi mind trick doesn't always work on some species and the strong-minded.
In Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace, Jedi Knight Qui-Gon Jinn unsuccessfully attempts to manipulate Toydarian junk dealer Watto into accepting Republic credits for new parts for the Queen's starship, which he manages to refuse. In Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi, Luke Skywalker unsuccessfully uses it to attempt to get Jabba the Hut to release Han Solo, Chewbacca, Princess Leia, C-3PO, and R2-D2 to him. Jabba actually mocks him, boasting that, unlike Bib Fortuna, his weak-minded majordomo who succumbed to Luke's use of it to gain access to their hideout, Jedi mind tricks wouldn't work on him.
Although most of these examples of the (successful) use of this ability could be said to have, at least indirectly, saved the galaxy, there is an even more significant (and direct) use of this power and its effect on the Star Wars galaxy and it takes place several centuries before, during the High Republic Era. The incident being referred to occurs approximately 200 years prior to Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace and involves the Jedi Order and the Republic of that time period exploring the Outer Rim of the galaxy and unintentionally awakening an ancient ally of the Sith, the Drengir.
The Drengir are a carnivorous and telepathic plant race that seeks to devour mammals, which, of course, includes humans and most sentient species in the galaxy. During this period of time, their seeds have been cultivated throughout the Outer Rim, and the Republic, Jedi, and other species are facing an invasion by the Drengir of galactic proportions, one that they are struggling to successfully defend themselves from.
These events are chronicled in Cavan Scott's Star Wars: The High Republic comic series. However, out of the darkness comes the light of a particular Jedi known as Keeve Trennis, who instinctively uses the fabled Jedi mind trick, known during the High Republic era as the "Jedi mind touch," on her former Jedi Master, Sskeer, who has fallen prey to the telepathic manipulations of the Drengir. Lowering their defenses to Keeve, Sskeer allows Keeve to ultimately use the Jedi Mind Touch to trick and manipulate the Drengir into believing that the galaxy's mammalian species are somehow unclean and/or poisoned. This causes the Drengir to cease their conquests and end their threat to the rest of the galaxy, a truly amazing use of this ability to save the galaxy far, far away.
Source(s): Screen Rant