14

As I learned from the answers to this question: In what adaptation of Return of the Jedi did Jabba brag about killing Jedi in the old days?, in the novelization of Return of the Jedi, Jabba the Hutt states that

I am not affected by your human thought patterns.

Seeing this reminded me of a debate I had with my father (roughly thirty years ago) about why Jabba was not affected by Luke's Jedi mind tricks. I, influenced by the Marvel comic adaptation and possibly the novelization, thought that there was something biological about a Hutt like Jabba that made him immune. (I did not specifically remember the lines from the novel/comic books, but their influence certainly stuck in my subconscious mind.)

My father, who had seen all three original films multiple times and had read at least one of the novelizations, thought that Jabba was unaffected merely because he was not the type to ever take orders; he thought for himself. This was presumably based on Obi-Wan's comment from Star Wars:

The Force can have a strong influence on the weak minded.

So what I am wondering now is whether there is any other information in the Expanded Universe about Hutt brains and why Jabba was so resistant to Luke's commands.

Improve this question
11
  • In the novelization there is mention of (an?) other creature(s) which are/is immune, but at this moment I can't remember which specifically. There is also a description of a creature that drains the force powers of a user, and is therefore also immune. Though this was on a specific planet only.
    – Mixxiphoid
    Commented Jul 12, 2018 at 6:31
  • 1
    Toydarians are also immune.
    – Valorum
    Commented Jul 12, 2018 at 6:59
  • 1
    There was a Hutt Jedi at one point, so the weak connection to the Force reasoning can be discarded.
    – Theik
    Commented Jul 12, 2018 at 7:16
  • 2
    @Theik Cool, thanks. Reading the story from the wiki about the Jedi Hutt (see also the one about the Jedi Ewok!) really convinced me that Disney's choice to wipe the EU was the right one...
    – Hans Olo
    Commented Jul 12, 2018 at 10:44
  • 2
    @gowenfawr They're midichlorians not minichlorians, so obviously Hutts are full of either wavchlorians or mp3chlorians
    – CBredlow
    Commented Jul 16, 2018 at 20:10

4 Answers 4

Reset to default
15

According to Jedi Path: A Manual for Students of The Force, Hutts in general are less susceptible to Jedi mind tricks than other species.

Hutts: You and your Master will probably run across a Hutt’s thugs long before you meet an actual Hutt, but don’t use mind tricks if you’re brought before their boss! Hutts are notoriously difficult to influence or read through the Force. Their elusiveness has been a struggle for the Jedi since our forebears left Tython.

So this quote would lean to your side of the argument. It is a biological trait of Hutts rather than anything to do with Jabba as an individual.

Improve this answer
3

Simply put, some species are more susceptible to force abilities like mind tricks than others. One such species is that of the Hutts, as noted by @Jontia's answer. This is simply a natural ability some species have. This is not bound to Jabba, nor is it unique. It can also usually not be trained either, as far as I am aware (without the user being adept to the Force in the first place).

Other such species that are not affected by mind tricks either are for instance the species of Watto, the Toydarian. According to Legends, in the case of the Toydarians this has to do with "The weird composition of their brains"

"Toydarians were known to be strong-willed and resistant to mental manipulation with the Force." - Wookieepedia, excerpt from Toydarian - Canon.

However, this usually also results in the species having less Force users per amount of individuals, as they are less open to the Force. This doesn't always have to be the case, and it depends on how the species is shut out from the Force (simply being strong willed has less effect than actually physically being blocked out from the Force, after all).

Improve this answer
1

Jabba is a very smart crime boss and like watto jedi mind tricks dont work on him and watto says "Im a toydarian your jedi mind tricks dont work on me." so its a mixture of him being a trick proof species and being very intelligent. and their hasn't been much talked about this in the EU and other non canon outlets. I hope this was helpful to you.

Improve this answer
1
  • The answer only answer here appears to be ”so its a mixture of him being a trick proof species and being very intelligent.” do you have any evidence to either to back up your claims most things are about Watto.
    – TheLethalCarrot ♦
    Commented Feb 8, 2019 at 3:51
0

According to ThoughtCo. (emphasis mine):

Jedi use mind tricks to influence others using the Force. Obi-Wan Kenobi in "A New Hope" explained it as, "The Force can have a strong influence on the weak-minded." With a mind trick, a Jedi can implant a suggestion in some else's mind and have them do as the Jedi wishes, often avoiding a potentially violent confrontation.

Obi-Wan even explains to Luke on the way to find a space ship to get them away that the Force works on the simple minded.

There was also scenes in the following:

  1. Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, where Qui-Gon tries to use the Jedi mind trick unsuccessfully on Watto, where I think Watto points out his mind tricks won't work on him.

  2. Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi, where Jabba berates his weak minded servant for falling for Luke's mind trick.

Improve this answer
2
  • Qui-Gon indeed tries to use the Jedi mind trick to have Watto let him pay with a different currency than he usually accepts. When that doesn't work, he tries again to allow him to pay later (if I remember that second attempt correctly). Watto gets disgruntled as that ticks him off what the Jedi is trying, and tells him such tricks don't work on him.
    – Toastyblast
    Commented Sep 5, 2018 at 7:15
  • I've done a few markdown/formatting changes to your answer here. Note that you can use > to denote a quote block and to get numbered lists use a . not a ).
    – TheLethalCarrot ♦
    Commented Sep 5, 2018 at 8:35

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge you have read our privacy policy.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.