The Sith Mind Trick

Anakin was brainwashed.
When you see Skywalker bow before the Dark Lord, we hear Sidious's voice drop into a deep, demonic drawl - he is inside Anakin's head. Anakin will be haunted by this voice for the rest of his life - it is the same disembodied voice speaking to Anakin when he is waiting in the Jedi Council. "If I die, my knowledge dies with me." (paraphrase?)

This is what it is like to be mind tricked by the Sith. This is how "hundreds of senators are under the influence of a Dark Lord of the Sith." These senators aren't weak minded people - the Sith can literally, physically "twist your mind", as Obi-Wan says.

Palptine drills his lies into Anakin's skull.
(paraphrased)
PALPATINE
"The Jedi's next move will be against the Senate."
ANAKIN
"I agree, the Jedi will soon attack the Senate."

Anakin repeats and agrees with everything Sidious says, like he's hypnotized. He has no reason to believe the Jedi would attack the Senate. He has lost his soul and his mind to Sidious - it sounds like The Emperor actually inhales Anakin's soul when Young Skywalker bows before him.

"Don't underestimate the powers of the Emperor"

Look at Dooku. Qui-Gon Jinn, his own apprentince, was murdered by the Sith - Dooku knew this but turned to the darkside anyway. Anyone - even those who join the Sith with the intention of destroying them - who lowers their guard to the Sith make themselves vulnerable to their mind warping powers.

This makes the Luke situation at the climax of ROTJ all the more perilous. Sidious is trying to con Luke into feigning alliegance to the Sith to save his friends. Merely feigning alliegance to the Sith gives Sidious enough of a hole to get inside your head and rearrange your thoughts and beliefs. Sidious knew he wouldn't be able to argue Luke over to the darkside - all he needed was an opening. Its kind of like inviting a vampire into your house. Even if you do so with the intention of killing the vampire - by opening your door to the evil spirit, you've allowed yourself to become helpless to its grip. And like a vampire, the Sith's poisonous venom can transform anyone into a monster.

 

No!!!!! Not the Sith Vampire Theory again.

 

I AGREE!!!! Finally someone brings this up!!!!! You really need to pay attention to that scene but IT IS there!!!

 

"The force has a strong influence on the weak minded"

Anakin isn't weak minded.
Anakin wanted to save padme and palpatine said all the right things, thats all.

 

yessssssss...the darkside clouds...
it is a sith mindtrick and anakin was weak minded...

 

Really.

If a Sith mind trick is all there's to it, the prequels could have been a 3 minute music video.

 

That isnt the only thing at all. Anakin had given in to the darkside too often now, he had drawn his strength from it, with the Tuskens, Dooku and now Mace... he had become overpowered by the darkside. It had become too much for him to control. It took posession of him. He realizes it when it happens, proving there is still good in him, like Padme says, and like we know from RotJ. It's genius. And then he bows to Sidious, unwillingly at first, but doing it just to save Padme. He looks sad when he kneels. Then Sidious stands for him and he rests his hands on Anakin. A low demonic choir echoes his words, his own voice now also lower in pitch and slower...really demonic spooky stuff there. New dark powers at work for sure there. Anakin fights it, but becomes overwhelmed, the look in his eyes changes. He looks evil now. As if he's thinking: "But I will kill him". For me it feels like he stole his soul there. I would describe this as a dark version of the Jedi mind trick. Force Domination... Anakin had become overpowered by the dark side, he opened himself to sids, and then he was victimized, tricked. Right after he loses his soul, Palpatine tells him: I'm sorry I don't know how to do what I told you about saving Padme. Together we will find out. Now go kill the separatists in the mean time. He's been tricked.

Lucas said LITERALLY: "Anakin will become all powerfull but it will cost him his soul."

And no, I don't think he's metaphorically speaking after all. My mate thought the exact same thing as I did and we didnt even talk during the scene. He was a couple seats away from me.

 

"Force Domination"
good call Humble Jedi.

Obi-Wan literally spells it out to Anakin: "You have allowed this dark lord to twist your mind until you became the very thing you swore to destory."

The key phrase here is that Anakin ALLOWED Sidious to warp his mind. For this Sith Force Domination to work, the victim has to be willing. He must be tricked into putting himself in a vulnerable state which the Sith can exploit to sink their fangs into the victim's mind.

What the victims don't realize is that it is impossible to feign allegiance to the Sith. This is how Sidious seduces his apprentices - he tricks them into thinking that they can just feign allegiance to the darkside to get an advantage on Sidious. He was counting on Luke to fall for this in ROTJ, that Luke would plan on bowing before the Emperor just long enough so that his friends could escape. But that one bow is all Sidious needs to get in your head and alter your reality. The victims don't realize is that there is no coming back.

This is how Anakin goes from greiving Mace to killing younglings in one evening. He has ALLOWED Sidious to warp his mind - Anakin is no longer in control of himself. All of his thoughts and beliefs, his very identity, have become putty in the Dark Lord's hands.

To me, this makes Vader's redemption more tragic and meaningful, because he's able to break this spell.

 

I totally agree. I especially like how you've looped it back to Yoda telling Luke "Do not underestimate the powers of the Emperor."

This makes Sidious an even more perilous foe. Literally, you give him and inch and he'll walk all over you. There was a moment of weakness after Anakin helped to kill Windu and Sidious took advantage of it right there with, in my mind (and as has been quoted here), a very powerful Mind Trick (or Force Domination, if you will).

Anakin wasn't weak minded. The Emperor was just that strong.

 

There's no mind trick using the Force. Just lies, deciet and creating mistrust.

 

what sinister said, exactly what he said, not what the other guy said about ALLOWED him, that as in, put sop much trust into him u believe his every word, why must ppl always try to find something wrong or something extra special...

 

THE_DARTH_MOONWALKER, you summed up what I feel took place between Anakin and Palpatine perfectly.

 

I agree with Darth Moonwalker. Very good call.

 

Don't forget that Palpatine has been mind-controlling hundreds of Senators. He is that powerful.

There are many elements at work here.
The darkside of the Force is like a disease, a cancer that consumes its host the more it is exercised.
This process began in Anakin in AOTC.
The Sith Force Domination only works on those who've become vulnerable to the tempatations of the darkside. It isn't exactly like demonic possession - one doesn't simply become a puppet of the Sith. Rather, the Sith will warp and distort their victim's reality to suit their needs. They still have their old memories, but their perspective on everything has been bent by the Dark Lord.

"I must obey my master"
Once you're infected by the Dark Lord, you can not oppose him. No one under the influence of the Sith argues with Sidious - his word is their command. This is what makes Anakin's tears on Mustafar so tragic - because we see there is still good in him, but now he's trapped by the Dark Lord and has no choice but to follow his every command. And the shadow of who Anakin once was is doomed to witness the horror of his own actions.

 

I am reading with interest all of your theories and conjecture. I would like to add just one thing...

Please please please stop using the word "literally" inapropriately.

"Literally" does not mean "I really really want to emphasize this."

"Literally" means that the language that you are using is to be taken for EXACTLY what it says. An example: "I literally fell into a rut" means that I actually fell into an actual rut.

Proceed.

 

Let's spice this up with a little EU info here and take a look at the way past sith lords had seduced their apprentices in chronological order. 1. Naga Sadow seduces Gav Daragon and then later Freedon Nadd.

2. Freedon Nadd seduces Exar Kunn

3. Aleema seduces Uliq Quell Droma and Exar Kunn seduces a bunch of other vunerable jedi in a conspiracy to build a sith army.

4. Darth Reven seduce a whole bunch of jedi and republic dissidents.

5. Darth Malek seduces Bastila Shan

6. Bastila Shan seduces a reformed Darth Reven.

Would you say that the same sith tactics/powers were used in all of these seductions. This would make perfect sense in that all sith teachings were passed down from master to apprentice for all of these centuries.

 

Literally, you give him and inch and he'll walk all over you.

"Literally" means that the language that you are using is to be taken for EXACTLY what it says.

Did you miss the scene where Anakin comes in an hands Palpatine 1/12 of a 1' long ruler- and then lays down and Palpatine walks on his back?

It was right before the scene when Mace finds out just how shocking Sidious' powers are- literally.

 

There's no mind trick using the Force. Just lies, deciet and creating mistrust.

These are not the droids you're looking for. Ring a bell?

 

Not sure if this is the quote you're referring to but, "the Sith can literally, physically "twist your mind", as Obi-Wan says."
That's exactly what I mean.
I believe that Sidious has the power to physically rewire his victim's synapses (sp?) as he sees fit.
Literally.
The weak minded are open game.
For all others, a careful seduction is required to weaken the victim's defences. Once the guard has been lowered, once Sidious gets inside your hide, there is no escape from his command.

"With each passing moment you make yourself more my servant."

"You, like your father, are now mine."

 

I do not think that Anakin was brainwashed Sidious's 'sith mind trick'. Sidious is a master planner and it was just part of his plan.

 

Very good points. It's not that Sidious is controlling Anakin like a puppeteer. He just took the opportunity to twist his mind and then "cut him loose", so to speak, on the dark path. Anakin's views got skewed to where he would do things that would put him even further down the path of the dark side.

Kind of like a whirlpool effect. Once you're in, you're going down a ways. Sidious just nudged him in.

 

THE_DARTH_MOONWALKER, that was so perfect that I'm going to copy it and repost every else and claim that I came up with that theory before you did and that you are merely ripping me off. Is that OK?

 

TrueJedi - sure, that's cool - I remember when you stole my "Revenge of the Sith" title and claimed ownership in your signature. Keep up the good work.

Anakin doesn't intend to become a Sith and rule the galaxy when he sells his soul. He has no desire to elimate Jedi Younglings. He just wants the power to save his wife. Sidious takes this desire and clouds all of Anakin's thoughts with it. Anakin hasn't been "brainwashed" really, he still retains all his memories - its just that Sidious completely pollutes his mind with the darkside when he takes Anakin's soul. Listen during that scene. You can almost hear Sidious sucking Anakin's soul out of his body.

I remember watching ROTJ and thinking - what the hell is The Emperor's plan here? Does he really think he can just scare and threaten Luke into joining the Darkside?

Well, in ROTS, we get to see his plan work. All he needed was for Luke to taste the darkside - to commit murder and then feign alliegance for a second, just long enough to save his rebel friends - that's all the opening Sidious requires to worm his way inside.

Watch the end of ROTJ - in fact, watch that whole movie - its very clear that Vader is under the mind control of Sidious. But by this point - Vader is aware of it. Tragically, he also knows there is nothing he can do about. That is the conflict in Vader. He still has a good side trapped away in there - and he knows it. "It is too late for me, my son."

Vader falls to the darkside in very much the same way that he is redeemed in the end.
He couldn't stand to watch Palpatine fry, and allow his wife's death.
He knew better - he knew he was a fool to trust a Sith Lord.
But his breaking heart overpowered his mind, his training, his common sense, his rationale.
In the end, he couldn't stand to watch Palpatine fry his wife's child, and that's what brought him back. It took him back to the very moment before he allowed his mind to be twisted by the Dark Lord.
His long-dormant heart was shaken so hard by the vision of Luke's execution that his heart was able to overpower his polluted mind.
And that's really how love triumphs in the end.

The duality of love is just like the duality of the Force. The balance of the Force is a macrocosm of the virtue of a balanced heart and mind.

 

I see here no one acknowledged my earlier post about the sith history of seductions. I'll give a classic example in the game KOTOR does anyone here see any resemblence to when malak was zapping bastila shan with force lightning and she accuses him of torturing her but malak says "I'm just wetting your appetite". "This is but a taste of the darkside". Now do you guys suppose Sidious probably read or was taught the tricks of past sith seduction??? Pleas eleborate.

 

Palps had to have used a subtle combo of old fashioned seduction and Mental powers. He uses telepathy to say tell anakin,if I die, the power to save Padme will die with me (cant remember the exact quote. Telepathy in its self is a form of mind manipulation. He wasn't cooperating with anakin to pass thoughts to each other. He forced ani to here it. Of course it was ani's choice to disobey Mace and come to palp. As was it his choice to cut off Maces hand. When he sees mace die, he is scared and remorseful and very emotional...that is when Palp springs the trap. In two seconds, Anakin goes from feeling remorse from indirectly killing Mace to telling palp that he'll do whatever he wants-including killing all other jedi (even younglings). He made this change with very little if any verbal suggestions from palpatine. Given this, plus palpatines weird voice, which he only uses on anakin (not on yoda, mace, or Luke), I have to concluded that he used force mind control or suggestion on anakin while anakin was in a weakened and overly emotional mental state (He was experiencing fear and guilt..which can easily be manipulated into the dark side).
I thought the change in anakin went too quick to be believable until I realized that Sideous might have got him up to a point with seduction and then used the force to mentally shove him over the edge. This is the only way his turn to the full on dark side makes since. This also explains why he could force choke padme and then feel incredably guilty later. His stupid "Nooo" was almost like a guy waking up from being drunk and realizing what he had done the night before.