Star Wars: 10 Insane Force Powers That Literally Make No Sense

Probably one of the most popular Force abilities in Star Wars, the Mind Trick allows the user to influence their victim's mind, persuading them to do something they otherwise would not want to do. Mind Tricks were first seen in the eponymous 1977 film, in which Obi-Wan Kenobi used it to bypass a squad of Stormtroopers, in order to reach Mos Eisley.

Despite Mind Tricks being used frequently in Star Wars, its actual workings are poorly explained. Upon its use by Kenobi on Tatooine, he explains to Luke that "the Force can have a strong influence on the weak-minded." Logically, the strong-minded should remain unaffected by a Mind Trick, as Luke later experiences in Return of the Jedi, when he attempts and fails to use the power on Jabba the Hutt.

What doesn't make sense about the Mind Trick is what a weak mind actually is, and who and why someone is weak-minded. In The Phantom Menace, Watto resists a Mind Trick from Qui-Gon Jinn, though the film does nothing to suggest Watto is particularly intelligent. There is also no reason why the Mind Trick Jinn used on the Gungan leader, Boss Nass, should have worked, since Nass is later seen to be tactically and strategically competent during the planning of the Battle of Naboo. Overall, Mind Tricks in Star Wars are not wholly consistent, and need a bit more explaining for them to make total sense.