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I have always wondered if Luke Skywalker had used the Force to forcefully lift up the large gate of Jabba's palace, or if he had used the Force to access the gate's control unit and manipulated it so that the gate would open.

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Did Luke use the Force to forcefully lift up the large gate of Jabba's palace?

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    Hmm. Script says "*16 INT MAIN GATE AND HALL - JABBA'S PALACE

    Noisily, the main gate lifts to flood the blackness with blinding LIGHT and reveal the silhouetted figure of LUKE SKYWALKER. He is clad in a robe similar to Ben's and wears neither pistol nor laser sword. Luke strides purposefully into the hallway. Two giant guards move to block Luke's path. Luke halts.*" - No help there

     – Valorum Apr 25 '22 at 21:47
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    Nothing useful in the original novelisation - "The iron main gate of Jabba’s palace scraped open harshly, oiled only with sand and time. Standing outside in the dusty gale, staring into the black cavernous entranceway, was Luke Skywalker."" – Valorum Apr 25 '22 at 21:49
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    Nothing useful in the original junior novelisation - "The next morning, two Gamorrean guards were stationed in the dark entrance of Jabba’s palace when the massive iron door began to rumble open. As the door lifted, bright sunlight poured in, revealing a solitary, silhouetted figure standing outside. The figure stepped through the doorway and into the cavernous hallway." – Valorum Apr 25 '22 at 21:50
  • @Valorum, since it said that "...door began to rumble open..." this makes me think that it was likely forced open by Luke. –  Apr 25 '22 at 21:53
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    The Radio Play says that it was opened by its motors rather than simply lifted by the Force. – Valorum Apr 25 '22 at 21:56

1 Answers1

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Luke tricked the TT-8L gate guard droid with his mind powers.

The way in turns out to be easy enough. An electronic eyeball barely has time to pop out before Luke has said, “You will open the door.”

Yes, this is a Jedi mind trick and it works easily. Inside, the simpleminded guard who operates the door unthinkingly obeys.

Return of the Jedi: Beware the Power of the Dark Side!

Valorum
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  • You may wish to note that this novelisation post-dates the creation of the Lucasfilm Story Group and is, hence canon. – Valorum Apr 25 '22 at 21:56
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    that's interesting because I would think that Jedi mind tricks would have not worked on droids, only on organic beings. –  Apr 25 '22 at 21:58
  • I agree. I may ask this sometime in the future unless someone asks it before me. –  Apr 25 '22 at 22:04
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    Already asked. I've added this example as a canon answer; https://scifi.stackexchange.com/questions/89452/do-force-mind-tricks-work-on-droids/262527#262527 – Valorum Apr 25 '22 at 22:04
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    @user57467 Based on the second line, he wasn't using a mind trick on the robotic eyeball itself but rather a (presumably organic) simpleminded guard inside. – Princess Ada Apr 26 '22 at 09:40
  • @PrincessAda - The eyeball is part of the droid guard. There's no person behind it – Valorum Apr 26 '22 at 12:22
  • Maybe it wasn't a Jedi mind trick at all but just a garden-variety threat, backed up by his obvious powers. i.e.: "You will open the door", implied "or I will tear a hole through it with my brain, smashing you into slag in the process". The droid complied in the interest of self-preservation. – Darrel Hoffman Apr 26 '22 at 13:25
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    @DarrelHoffman - "Yes, this is a Jedi mind trick" is hard to argue with – Valorum Apr 26 '22 at 13:29
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    Is the narrator in this book reliable? I can't find a summary of it that explains who the narrator is. "Yes, this is a Jedi mind trick" is a very conversational tone for an omniscient narrator. – IllusiveBrian Apr 26 '22 at 14:01
  • @IllusiveBrian - They're a 'reliable' (if chatty) narrator – Valorum Apr 26 '22 at 16:39