10 Subtle Signs Movie Characters Were Getting Smarter

Most famously used by Obi-Wan Kenobi (Alec Guinness) to tell a Stormtrooper that C-3P0 and R2-D2 (Anthony Daniels and Kenny Baker) weren't the droids they were looking for, the Jedi mind trick is something that really could have been utilised a lot more. Instead of risky and potentially fatal fights, why not just politely tell the enemy to stop?

Perhaps it's because the mind trick doesn't work on everyone. When Qui-Gon Jinn (Liam Neeson) tried to manipulate Watto (Andy Secombe) into accepting his Republic credits, the latter explained that he was a Toydarian, and such tricks didn't work on him, meaning the Jedi was forced to leave without getting what he wanted.

Sometime later, Qui-Gon needed to persuade the winged alien once again. Knowing that he couldn't simply control his mind by using the Force, Obi-Wan's master had to think a little harder and get a little more creative. He couldn't use his trick on Watto directly, but that didn't mean he couldn't manipulate the environment around him.

When discussing their wager on Anakin's (Jake Lloyd) pod race, Qui-Gon wanted to free the young boy and his mother, though Watto was only willing to gamble one of them. He rolled a chance cube, and if it landed on blue he would bet Anakin, red his mother. The Jedi was confused when his mind tricks didn't work on Watto, but instead found a different way to get what he wanted, and used the Force to ensure the dice landed on blue.