Divine Influence
In both the first and sixth episodes of the Skywalker Saga, a Jedi uses the Force to influence a group of primitives by playing on their religious instinct.
In The Phantom Menace, Jar-Jar Binks is about to be punished by the Gungan leader Boss Nass when Qui-Gon Jinn intervenes on his behalf. Qui-Gon asks Boss Nass to free Jar-Jar on the grounds that because he saved Jar-Jar's life, Jar-Jar owes him a life debt according to the Gungans' religion. "Your gods demand that his life belongs to me now," Qui-Gon says, using the Force to perform a Jedi mind trick on Boss Nass. Boss Nass acquiesces and sets Jar-Jar free.
In Return of the Jedi, Luke Skywalker and his friends are trapped by the Ewoks, who mistake C-3PO for a god. Han Solo impatiently demands, "Why don't you use your divine influence and get us out of this?" However, C-3PO is reluctant: "It's against my programming to impersonate a deity." When the Ewoks are about to roast the heroes as part of a banquet held to worship C-3PO, despite C-3PO's objections, Luke intervenes and uses the Force to levitate C-3PO in the air as a display of his "magic." Awed into obedience, the Ewoks do as their god demands and set the heroes free.
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Characters: Boss Nass / C-3PO / Jar-Jar Binks / Luke Skywalker / Qui-Gon Jinn
Films: Episode I: The Phantom Menace / Episode VI: Return of the Jedi
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Concepts: primitives / religion
Interpretive Tools: Ring Theory
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