The Jedi mind trick is an iconic power in the Star Wars franchise, but while Jedi use the ethically-dubious power sparingly, Sith Lords like Darth Vader employ the ability unscrupulously. Although the Jedi Knights are peacekeepers, they are among the galaxy’s finest warriors, carrying deadly mystical weapons and using the fundamental powers of the Force in combat, if absolutely necessary. By contrast, Sith Lords use their lightsabers and mastery of the Force’s dark side to brutally eliminate or control their enemies in their quest to rule the galaxy.
The mind trick’s first and most famous appearance is in A New Hope when Obi-Wan Kenobi convinces a group of Stormtroopers to let them pass through Mos Eisley without conflict. Luke Skywalker goes on to employ the ability towards the end of his path to Jedi Knighthood in Return of the Jedi, using it as one of many non-violent options to free Han Solo from Jabba the Hutt before finally drawing his lightsaber as a last resort (and after two attempts to execute him). The dark side equivalent to the Jedi mind trick, however, is never shown in any of the live-action Star Wars films.
Issue 51 of Marvel’s classic Star Wars comics, by David Michelinie and Walter Simonson, showcases how terrifying a mind trick can be when used by a Sith. Imperial Army Major Kuhru disobeys Darth Vader’s orders to capture a Rebel alive (who he discovers is Luke Skywalker) and attempts to justify his insubordination to Darth Vader, who promptly uses the dark side to give him an order he can’t disobey. Using a Sith mind trick, Vader compels Kuhru to exit the Executor-class Super Star Destroyer via the airlock without a space suit, killing the officer and demonstrating the horrific ways that Sith use their influence over the minds of others.
Using a mind trick suppresses the free will of its victim, making it an extremely morally questionable ability, especially for the Jedi. Jedi Master Yarael Poof, a Jedi Council member in the prequel-era Jedi Order, was renowned for his skill with Jedi mind tricks, but he also frequently warned of the dangers of affecting the minds of others and how great restraint and care must be used if considering using the ability. Naturally, the Sith have no such reservations and use the dark side’s full power to dominate minds.
Palpatine often uses dark side mind tricks in similarly sinister ways to his apprentice. The Emperor has an Executor-class Super Star Destroyer, the Lusankya, constructed within Coruscant’s cityscape, and is alleged to keep its construction secret by murdering certain individuals and employing dark side-fueled mind control on a massive scale. Palpatine’s depravity even leads him to plant a suggestion in the mind of his own adopted daughter, Mara Jade, which she struggles with for years until finding a loophole to satisfy the command. Palpatine and Darth Vader demonstrate that the dark side version of the classic Jedi mind trick is one of the most dangerous abilities in the Star Wars franchise.