2 minutes ago, FuriousGreg said:

I'm not out to screw with my players so unless they roll really poorly or ask for something outrageous I'm not going to punish them for using their character's abilities. The way I run it is that no muggles notice unless a Despair is rolled, that's what a Despair result is for. Another Force User is going to be really difficult to overcome anyway as their Discipline is going to be higher than a normal NPC so even a strait failure could be enough to alert them if the Plot calls for it. If it's a named Rival or Nemesis and their backstory would justify it then maybe a Threat could be enough to alert them but again that's a plot thing.

Every time we see this power used, at least every time I've seen it in the films a TV series, the target is either alone and they aren't aware that someone is trying to use a Power on them even if it fails (they act incredulous, as if the person trying is being a fool) or in a busy area with others around, some paying attention most just going about their business. In the latter case Influence is never noticed by anyone, even by troopers standing right next to each other. The only times we see anyone notice are Jabba in SW and he was old enough to know what Jedi were capable of as well as being immune, and Watto in TFM for basically the same reasons. So there really isn't any president to say the use of Influence is anything more noticeable than someone speaking normally unless they happen to be familiar with the technique and/or are immune to it.

Yep, interestingly, in the Gungun scene, I think it's safe to say that everyone in that room was focused on the Jedi, during the conversation, and they still didn't notice. Just like I'm sure a percentage of the audience (myself included) also didn't notice, despite watching them directly.

Bottom line, the power is mostly used, at least in film, to help facilitate the moving of the plot, when confronted with obstacles that our protagonists might not be ideally suited to dealing with. They don't have the necessary credentials to get through a checkpoint? Literally handwave it away with an Influence, move on to the scene where they meet up with the cool Smuggler guy and his Wookiee friend who just joined the gaming table. No sense bogging down a scene for a fairly trivial situation that might lead to an extended fight that the GM doesn't want to bother with. Sure you could say "Then why have the checkpoint at all" but it was needed to casually introduce the abilities that a Jedi has, and that they are genuinely magical.

Don't have a way to get to the other side of the planet? Handwave a free ride from the Gungun NPC, allowing the GM to gleefully toss giant criptids in front of the PC's as the Pilot gets a chance to flex his talent muscles, and you get to goof off with the comic relief NPC, and showing the aquatic world you created as a transitional scene.

Captured protagonist is just not having much luck with her escape checks to not die to the First Order? Have her Influence a way out so she can meet the rest of the party halfway, and get on to your dramatic Father/Son confrontation scene on The Bridge.

They are almost always used for comedy (You don't want to sell me death sticks), and/or to facilitate moving from one set piece to another, so it's hardly a huge issue in my book.

That being said though, if I was GM, and I had a player who used it a LOT, like multiple times in a scene, basically every social situation they're like "I use Influence!" I'd probably start making the ramifications of such behavior more significant, if only to try and curb the idea that Influence Solves Everything. But barring that scenario, and individual situations that might warrant it, for the most part I would just let it go as is, and not worry about it.