Oh, **that[/] Jedi claim would surely convince the non-believer. “The Force is real, and I can prove it by not using any of my powers within 4 meters if this Ysalamir!”
The Jedi are themselves gullible to their own misguided beliefs. They believe their “powers” won’t work near an Ysalamir, so the get a kind of psychological “paralysis” around them that prevents them from thumbing their hidden repulsorlift controls. It’s plain old voodoo, just like their own ability to influence the “weak-minded” only in reverse.
Palpatine, Palpatine, Palpatine. The guy’s an Evil Emperor! You gonna believe everything he says? I suppose if he told you that the first Death Star was just a rumor, and that he blew up Alderaan with his mind, you’d believe him too!
“Force storms” can be duplicated with existing technology. Mindwashing can be done with any number of drugs. Force-detection paddles can say anything their designers want them to say. Han Solo was right: It’s all a lot of simple tricks and nonsense.
You’ll notice that all of Vader’s “telekinetic choking” victims all had to be aware that Vader was choking them. It’s just like voodoo: If you believe that those pins being stuck into the voodoo doll really can hurting you, you’ll feel the pain – but not if you don’t know that the voodoo ceremony was performed. Vader has such an intimidating presence that he could probably convince someone to keel over and die just from suggesting it.
Yeah, that’s always the excuse. “Oh, sure, I can leap twenty feet straght up in the air and parry blaster bolts anytime I want. What? Do it now? Umm… There must be a ysalamiri somewhere in this room!”
That pod race was rigged. Two Jedi bet everything they had on the oucome of the race. Whenever there are Jedi involved, you can bet there will be dirty dealings afoot.
[Hijacky goodness]Of course I ran across this old favorite:
[R2-D2 and Chewbacca are playing the holographic game aboard the Millennium Falcon.]
Chewbacca: Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrgh!!
C-3PO: He made a fair move. Screaming about it can’t help you.
Han Solo: Let him have it. It’s not wise to upset a Wookiee.
C-3PO: But sir, nobody worries about upsetting a droid.
Han Solo: That’s 'cause droids don’t pull people’s arms out of their sockets when they lose. Wookiees are known to do that.
Chewbacca: Grrf.
C-3PO: I see your point, sir. I suggest a new strategy, R2: let the Wookiee win.
The Jedi are scamming me? Bullshit. George Lucas is scamming me. I paid $8 to see Attack of the Clones and probably that much to see The Phantom Menace. He owes me at least $20 plus damages to my brain from watching that crap.