The Story of Jedi Mind Tricks

One of a Jedi's most powerful weapon is the mind trick. A skilled Jedi uses the powers of the Force to influence the thoughts of sentient beings. The weak minded are particularly vulnerable to this tactic.

Jedis commonly used this trick through voice suggestion to coerce an agreement or gather information, allowing situations to be resolved without the use of violence. Obi-Wan Kenobi was perhaps the most skilled Jedi when it came to using the Force for persuasive purposes.

Despite the effectiveness of this technique, some species were known to be inherently resistance to the effects of Jedi mind tricks, the Hutts, for example. Even Luke Skywalker failed in his attempt to persuade Jabba the Hutt.

In its early days, the mind trick had its moral and ethical questions. Because it involved violating an individual's free will, strict rules were put into place to ensure the trick would only be used for the greater good. Jedi were forbidden from using the trick for personal gain

Sith and Dark Jedi, on the other hand, would use the mind trick as they saw fit with no concerns over the ethical implications

Learn more about Star Wars at the Jason Hope Jawa blog.

Luke Skywalker, Jedi Knight

Luke Skywalker was the Jedi Knight who helped bring down the Galactic Empire and pull Darth Vader from the clutches of the dark side.

Skywalker was born as son to the fallen Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker and Padme Amidala, queen and senator of Naboo. Luke was raised on the desert planet of Tatooine in an effort to keep him away from Emperor Palpatine and the dark Sith Lord Darth Vader.

By chance, Luke and his uncle Owen purchased two droids from the Jawa, C-3PO and R2-D2. R2 contained a message from Princess Leia, that would end up taking Luke on a journey across the galaxy in an effort to defeat the Empire.

Owen and Beru Lars were murdered when Imperial Forces on a mission to track down the missing droids ravaged their home and burned it down. Meanwhile, Luke delivered the message to famed Jedi Master Obi-Was Kenobi. When he returned to find his family murdered, Skywalker decided to leave with Obi-Wan on a mission to rescue Princess Leia, who he would later discover is his sister.

After leaving his home planet, Skywalker helped to form the Rogue Squadron during the battles of the Galactic Civil War. Jedi Master Yoda trained Luke in the ways of the Force and helped him to become one of the most powerful Jedis the galaxy had ever seen.

Of his most important victories, Skywalker fought in the Battle of Endor and turned the Sith Lord Darth Vader back to the light. Vader was then able to kill Palpatine and bring down the Empire.

Why is a Lightsaber the Weapon of the Jedi?

Anyone familiar with Star Wars also knows that Jedi such as Luke Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, or even Sith like Darth Vader wielded the mythic lightsaber as their weapon of choice. The question comes up, however, why would the Jedi use such an archaic sort of weapon in a time when blasters were so common on the battlefield? The answer lies in the history of the Order and its connection to the powerful source of their powers, the Force.

The earliest Jedi relied on metal swords, carefully honed to a fine edge not only for ceremonial purposes but also for battle itself. The relationship between a Jedi and the Force can be felt throughout their bodies, making hand-to-hand combat ideal for augmentation with the Force. The flurry of swings and lunges and parries would be more than most opponents could even hope to handle. In the quest for greater potency on the battlefields of the galaxy, the Jedi began experimenting in "freezing" a blaster's beam. With this primitive beam of light connected to a power source on their belt, the first recognizeable lightsabers were born.

The lightsabers continued to grow in stability and design, soon becoming the handheld weapons recognized across the galaxy. They offered the Jedi numerous advantages against their opponents, such as the ability to parry blaster shots fired at them or to cut through even the sturdiest of battle armors. There were few enemies that could stand up to a Jedi, making them fearsome defenders of peace. Even barriers such as blast doors and durasteel walls could be sliced through with relative ease.

Earning their reputation against the Sith and other would-be conquerors, the lightsaber also grew into a symbol of the Jedi, its glow becoming a light that those in peril could take refuge behind knowing that a selfless champion would use the weapon to defend them to the last breath. So recognizable was the lightsaber that it was made into an integral portion of the Order's emblem, fitting considering just how expertly a Jedi could wield one with the Force as his or her guide.  

Do you know how many famous Jedis once lived on Tatooine? Check out the Jason Hope Jawa blog if you want to learn more.

The Importance of Tatooine

In the "Star Wars" saga, everything essentially begins and ends for the hero, Luke Skywalker, on Tatooine. He and his father, Anakin, both have lasting ties there, and both return in rescue attempts after their separate paths lead them away. The hero's journey is indelibly linked to Tatooine.

The first time audiences saw Luke Skywalker was in "A New Hope," at his home on Tatooine. He wasn't happy. He wanted to escape, and to find adventure. It finds him when agents of the Galactic Empire kill Owen and Beru, the only family Luke has ever known, and he leaves Tatooine with Obi Wan Kenobi.

No action takes place on Tatooine in "The Empire Strikes Back," but "Return of the Jedi" brings the story, and Luke, back to the desert planet. Now a Jedi Knight, Luke is there to rescue Han Solo; he and several others are prisoners of Jabba the Hutt. After they all escape from a desert battle, Luke leaves Tatooine once more.

In the prequels, Tatooine plays an equally important role. Anakin Skywalker also grew up on Tatooine. He's discovered there by Jedi Knights, including young Obi Wan, and like Luke, Anakin must leave his only family, his mother, to seek his own path.

The Jason Hope Jawa blog has some great information about those scavengers of the desert.

In "Attack of the Clones," Anakin returns to Tatooine in his own rescue attempt, when he has dreams about his mother's death. He sets out on a reckless journey to save her from Tusken Raiders, and although he finds her, their reunion is cut short when she dies. Filled with rage, Anakin slaughters the Tusken tribe, taking his first real step toward the Dark Side of the Force. He leaves Tatooine.

The final movie released, "Revenge of the Sith," finds Anakin completing his journey to the Dark Side in his attempts to save his wife, Padme, whose death he has also seen in dreams. He feels only his own power can save her, and he becomes the Sith Lord Darth Vader. When Padme dies in childbirth, the children, Luke and Leia, are secreted away to protect them from Vader. Obi Wan travels to Tatooine with Luke, and leaves him with his step-uncle and aunt, Owen and Beru, bringing the story full circle.  

Famous Battles on Tatooine

Though a remote planet, Tatooine has nevertheless seen its share of action, according to the Jason Hope Jawa blog.

One of the earliest known struggles on the planet took place almost four thousand years before Luke Skywalker came to call the planet home. A group of Jedi participating in the Great Hunt to exterminate the Sith creatures that had been left across the galaxy journeyed to the desert world in search of the monstrous terentateks. Though the Jedi took losses, the Cleansing of Tatooine was successful, and the order soon announced the end of the Great Hunt.

Millennia later, the Clone Wars came to the planet, first in an attempt by the Confederacy of Independent Systems to incite the Hutts against the Jedi Order as well as the Republic. Sith assassin Asajj Ventress captured the crime lord's young son, Rotta, prompting a Jedi mission to recover the infant Hutt. The child's return wouldn't be an easy one, though, as Separatist droids as well as Count Dooku himself attempted to intercept Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker and his padawan Ahsoka Tano before they could reunite Jabba with his lost huttlet. The Jedi proved wiley, though, and managed to keep a sort of peace between the Republic and Jabba the Hutt.

The most famous battle to take place on Tatooine, though, was likely the interception of Princess Leia Organa's starship, the Tantive IV, in orbit of the planet. Pursuing her across the galaxy, Darth Vader's Star Destroyer captured the ship and its passenger to recover the plans to the infamous Death Star despite a valiant effort by the crew of the smaller corvette to outrun it with turbolasers blazing. Once drawn into the Star Destroyer's bay, Imperial stormtroopers boarded the ship and battled outmatched rebel troops for control of the vessel. Though the fighting was taking place high over the planet's surface, Imperial boots would soon touch the hot desert sands while chasing after the plans entrusted to a pair of droids, C-3PO and R2-D2. Ultimately that would lead to a final, though very brief shootout between a squad of sandtroopers and an understandably startled Captain Han Solo.  

The Jedi Order

The Jedi Order was an ancient peacekeeping force made up of skilled knights trained in the ways of the Force. Jedi Knights observed the light side of the Force with a history that traced back more than a thousand generations.

Jedi Knights trained on the city-planet Coruscant in a beautiful and massive temple. All Jedis were governed by a 12-member council, who were in constant search of learning the true nature of the Force.

Becoming a Jedi is an incredible task. However, of all who have sought to become Jedi, only 20 have willingly given up. According to Starwars.com, those who voluntarily renounce their commission are highly valuable recruits for the dark side of the Force.

Jedi Knights were all but wiped out during the Clone Wars as Darth Vader and Supreme Chancellor Palpatine, who was actually Darth Sidious, rode to power.

Desperate times allowed Luke Skywalker to be trained as a Jedi, even though he was already an adult when his training began. His strength in the Force could not be denied. As you can read in the Jason Hope Jawa blog, Luke was raised on Tatooine before becoming a Jedi and playing a major role in the fall of the Empire.