We all know the famous scene where we first witness Obi-Wan using the Jedi mind trick on the Stormtrooper at Mos Eisley. I'm curious as to what effect (if any) it was having on the Stormtroopers that he wasn't speaking to. Can a Jedi use the same mind trick on several people simultaneously? Or were they all standing there confused? Or did they simply not hear what Obi-Wan was saying as he performed it?
What are the limits of the Jedi mind trick (besides the fact that they only work on the "weak-minded")?
Answer
The Jedi Mind Trick can definitely affect multiple targets simultaneously.
In Episode IV: A New Hope, when Ben Kenobi is making his way through the Death Star, he uses the Jedi Mind Trick to make two stormtroopers think they heard something, allowing Ben to sneak past.
INT. DEATH STAR - POWER TRENCH
Suddenly a door behind Ben slides open and a detachment of stormtroopers marches to the power trench. Ben instantly slips into the shadows as an Officer moves to within a few feet of him.
OFFICER: Secure this area until the alert is canceled. Give me regular reports, please.
FIRST TROOPER: All right.All but two of the stormtroopers leave.
FIRST TROOPER: Do you know what's going on?
SECOND TROOPER: Maybe it's another drill.Ben moves around the tractor beam, watching the stormtroopers as they turn their backs to him.
FIRST TROOPER: Have you seen that new BT-16? SECOND TROOPER: Yeah, some of the other guys were telling me about it. They say it’s, it’s quite a thing to....
Ben gestures with his hand toward them, [and] the troops think they hear something in the other hallway. With the help of the Force, Ben deftly slips past the troopers and into the main hallway.
SECOND TROOPER: What was that?
FIRST TROOPER: Oh, that’s nothing. Top gassing. Don't worry about it.
What About the Stormtroopers in Mos Eisley?
It is almost certain that both stormtroopers were under the influence of the Mind Trick.
In light of the way the scene plays out, it just wouldn't make sense for Ben's first Mind Trick to affect only one of the two stormtroopers in Mos Eisley. Imagine if that were really what was going on:
Darth Vader sends stormtroopers to Mos Eisley to search for C-3PO and R2-D2. Two of these stormtroopers are standing around when a speeder pulls up with two droids in the back seat. The first stormtrooper thinks "That's gotta be the droids we're supposed to find. We're going to get a promotion for this!"
Before the first stormtrooper can say anything, the second one asks the driver how long he's had the droids. The passenger says they've had them for a long time, and offers to sell them. The second stormtrooper ignores this and demands to see the driver's identification papers. "The jig is up," thinks the first stormtrooper. "We've got them. We're going to be Vader's favorite people ever!"
The passenger says, "You don't need to see his papers."
Stormtrooper number two repeats him: "We don't need to see his papers."The first stormtrooper thinks this is pretty weird, but figures his buddy simply didn't hear what the passenger had said, and is repeating it for clarification. He is stunned by what happens next.
"These aren't the droids you're looking for", says the passenger.
"These aren't the droids we're looking for", says the first stormtrooper. Stormtrooper number one is flabbergasted, but again, he says nothing."He can go about his business", says the passenger.
"You can go about your business", the second stormtrooper parrots back.The first stormtrooper finally catches on to what is happening. The passenger is clearly using some kind of magic trick to hypnotize the other stormtrooper.
"Move along", the passenger says.
"Move along", chirps the second stormtrooper.As the speeder pulls away from the checkpoint, the first stormtrooper ponders what he should do. "Vader sent us to find two droids", he thinks. "I'm 99.9% sure that those are the droids in question. I know full well that whenever someone doesn't do what Vader tells them to do, they are immediately Force Choked to death. If I let that speeder get away, I will have failed to do what Vader told me to do. Therefore, unless I stop that speeder and catch those two droids, I will certainly be Force Choked to death a few hours from now."
The first stormtrooper mulls over the possibilities: "Should I stop the speeder, catch the droids, bring them to Vader, and get a promotion, or should I stand here with my thumb up my butt and do nothing, then get murdered by a homicidal half-robotic psychopath who has magical powers?"
A few seconds pass; finally, he makes up his mind. "Eh, whatever. I guess I'll just do nothing and get Force Choked to death."
This hypothetical scenario strongly suggests that one of two things must be true:
Both stormtroopers were affected by the Jedi Mind Trick.
Only one stormtrooper was affected, but the other one didn't mind being killed by Vader for not doing anything while his buddy let the droids get away, so he just stood there and watched.
It seems likely that both stormtroopers were affected by the Jedi Mind Trick.
What, if Any, Are the Limitations of the Jedi Mind Trick?
As to how many people it can affect, I don't know of any information that would give us any real insight into this question. The most we can say is rather obvious: "at least two people".
Regarding the other limitations, I can only vouch for what we see in the movies (particularly the original trilogy). We know that the Mind Trick only works on "the weak minded". Luke tries to use it on Jabba, and utterly fails. In the first prequel, either Obi Wan or Qui-Gon Jinn tries to use it on Watto, the insect-like creature who owns Anakin, and again, he fails in spectacular fashion. This would make the Jedi Mind Trick a very tricky (no pun intended) thing to try.
It seems likely that using the Jedi Mind Trick on multiple targets is dangerous: considering the fact that it only works on "weak minded" people, so if you tried to use it on a group of people, you would run the risk of some of them being unaffected, noticing that the others were behaving oddly, and calling attention to what was happening. This would negate the benefit of using the Trick in the first place: everyone knows you're up to something nefarious, and your cover is blown.
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