QUI-GON JINN

'Qui-Gon Jinn' is a fictional character in the ''Star Wars'' universe, portrayed by Liam Neeson in ''. He also appears frequently in the ''Star Wars'' Expanded Universe of comic books, video games and novels.

Contents

Character overview

Biography

Early life

Knighthood and Xanatos

Taking another apprentice

Forbidden love

Changing times

Blockade of Naboo

Discovery of the Chosen One

Last lightsaber duel

Postmortem Appearances

Personality

Behind the scenes

Trivia

References

External links

Character overview

Qui-Gon is introduced in ''Episode I'' as a wise and powerful Jedi, the mentor of the young Obi-Wan Kenobi. He is something of a maverick among the Jedi Order; unlike other, more conservative Jedi Masters, he values living in the moment as the most effective and rewarding way to embrace the Force. While other Jedi respect him, they are frequently puzzled by his unorthodoxy, and ultimately deny him a seat on the Jedi Council.
Qui-Gon inherits his independent spirit from his equally rebellious master, Count Dooku. Unlike his master, who leaves the Jedi Order and ultimately joined the Sith, Qui-Gon stayed true to the Jedi his entire life.

Biography

Early life

Born almost a century before the events of '', Qui-Gon is taken as an infant to the planet Coruscant to train and become a Jedi. He maintains some ties with his native planet, and even once obtains a special worn stone from his homeworld's River of Light.
At the age of eight, he and Tahl become the best of friends. At the age of 10, Qui-Gon participates in the Exhibition Day Tournament, where young students are encouraged to perform their skills so that they may be taken as an apprentice to one of the Jedi Knights or Masters. At this exhibition, Jedi Master Count Dooku first sees Qui-Gon's lightsaber skills, and takes the boy as his Padawan a short time afterwards.
Together, Dooku and Qui-Gon go on numerous missions across the galaxy. On one notable mission, the two are sent to accompany Senator Blix Annon on a diplomatic assignment. However, space pirates infiltrate their ship, and their leader turns out to be rogue Jedi Lorian Nod with whom Dooku was once close friends. The two battle and Dooku lets his anger get the best of him. Qui-Gon stops his Master from violating the Jedi Code by committing cold-blooded murder. Some time following this assignment, Dooku and Qui-Gon are given their final assignment as master and apprentice, a mission set to last two years. Upon returning from this mission, Qui-Gon is reunited with Tahl. Dooku tells Qui-Gon that he has one weakness: his compassion for all life. Dooku warns him that betrayal inevitably comes from a friend.

Knighthood and Xanatos

Eventually both Qui-Gon and Tahl become Jedi Knights. The Jedi Council suggests that he take a Padawan learner, but Qui-Gon chooses not to, feeling he is unready. Over the next few years, he takes on solo missions. During this time Qui-Gon discovers a young boy from Telos IV named Xanatos who exhibits a strong connection to the Force. Qui-Gon takes Xanatos to the Jedi Temple for training, even though the child is much older than the accepted age for training. Soon Xanatos becomes Qui-Gon's first apprentice. The visual guide to ''The Phantom Menace'' states that Qui-Gon did have an apprentice before Xanatos and that he trained him to knighthood, but there are no other sources to this so it is presumed that this information is false.
For 12 years, Qui-Gon and Xanatos are master and apprentice. Many members of the Council, including Yoda, express their concerns about Xanatos, and decide to give the young man one final test before granting him the title of Jedi Knight. Qui-Gon and Xanatos are sent to Telos, Xanatos's homeworld, where the boy's father, Crion, has become a tyrant. Xanatos is tempted by his father's wealth and power, and joins Crion, hoping to rule together. Leading the planet into a civil war, Crion is confronted by Qui-Gon, who is forced to kill the governor. Xanatos flies into a rage and takes a ring from his father's finger, searing hot from Qui-Gon's blade. He brands it into his cheek, creating a broken-circle scar. Swearing his revenge on his former master, Xanatos flees.
Qui-Gon blames himself for Xanatos' failure, vows not to take another Padawan for the rest of his life. Tahl tries to comfort Qui-Gon by accompanying him to the training world of Ragoon VI, but this dark chapter in Qui-Gon's life would be very hard to erase. Despite this however, Qui-Gon is given the rank of Jedi Master by the Council, possibly as a commencement to him for ending the war on Telos.
For the next few years, Qui-Gon returns to solo missions, yet occasionally works with others on various assignments. Qui-Gon and Tahl are credited for accomplishing many missions, such as successfully overseeing the first democratic elections of New Apsolon.

Taking another apprentice

9 Years later, Yoda encourages Qui-Gon to take another apprentice. Qui-Gon agrees to at least observe a small tournament among a group of the Temple's older students, which include Bruck Chun and Obi-Wan Kenobi. He takes notice of Obi-Wan's skills, but shortly following the tournament, he leaves for the planet Bandomeer.
On the transport ship to Bandomeer, Qui-Gon is reunited with Obi-Wan, who is also being sent to Bandomeer to begin life as an agricultural labourer. On the transport, Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan help defend a group of Arcona from the criminal organization Offworld Corporation. After putting an end to the tense situation, the two arrive on Bandomeer, where Qui-Gon receives a letter signed by Xanatos. It turns out that the whole ordeal has been organized by Xanatos, who is revealed to be the leader of Offworld.
Qui-Gon sends Obi-Wan off to his Agri-Corps duties, while he plans to meet with Xanatos to find an agreement between Offworld and Bandomeer. However, Xanatos plans to sabotage their meeting and kill Qui-Gon. Qui-Gon duels with his former apprentice, and he and Obi-Wan end Offworld's business on Bandomeer. Xanatos escapes, however. During their situation with Xanatos, Qui-Gon discovers Obi-Wan's true potential, and takes him as his new Padawan learner. As a gift for his 13th birthday, Qui-Gon gives Obi-Wan the special rock he found from the River of Light on his homeworld.
Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan are sent on various missions across the galaxy, to worlds such as Gala and Phindar. One mission, in which the two rescue a blinded Tahl from the war-torn world of Melida/Daan, leads to Obi-Wan's temporary resignation from the Jedi Order. Also over this time, Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan have more encounters with Xanatos, who, with the help of the bitter Padawan, Bruck Chun, nearly assassinates Yoda within the Jedi Temple itself. After Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan chase Xanatos back to his homeworld Telos, the fallen Jedi commits suicide, jumping into a pool of acid instead of surrendering. It is after this that Qui-Gon retakes Obi-Wan as his apprentice.
Along with other Jedi such as Tyvokka, Plo Koon, Tholme and his Padawan Quinlan Vos, Qui-Gon fights in the Stark Hyperspace War. It is the first of many times that he and Obi-Wan encounter the Trade Federation.
Qui-Gon once again faces off with Lorian Nod on Junction 5, and once again the fallen Jedi is incarcerated for his crimes.
As time goes on, Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan accomplish various other missions across the galaxy. On Kegan, they discover the Force-sensitivity of the future Jedi Knight Olana Chion. In the Rutan system, they act as ambassadors to settle a conflict between Rutan and its moon of Senali.
Qui-Gon also helps the Wookies Attichitcuk and Chewbacca establish a colony on the Kashyyyk moon of Alaris Prime, and drives the Trade Federation off it.
A year later, Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan investigate a strange series of murders in which the bodies of the victims were drained entirely of their blood. This investigation leads them to meet the famed scientist Jenna Zan Arbor. Eventually, they discover that the bounty hunter Ona Nobis is behind the murders, but they still do not know who her client is. Upon confronting Nobis, Qui-Gon gets aboard her ship and is immediately hit with her blaster fire. Qui-Gon is captured and taken to Jenna Zan Arbor. Zan Arbor, who is studying the genetic traits of Force-sensitives, begins further experiments on Qui-Gon, draining his blood and torturing him to test his limits. Obi-Wan, with the help of Tahl, Adi Gallia, and Siri Tachi, infiltrates Zan Arbor's labs and frees Qui-Gon. Zan Arbor is caught and imprisoned, and the bounty hunter Ona Nobis is presumed dead after a fight with Obi-Wan.
Another year later, Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan are faced with troubles of the past yet again. Vox Chun, the father of the Dark Padawan Bruck Chun, hires lawyer Sano Sauro to prosecute Obi-Wan for Bruck's accidental death. The trial leads Qui-Gon's apprentice into an emotionally difficult time, even after he is cleared of the charges.

Forbidden love

Over the next year, tensions increase in Qui-Gon's friendship with Tahl. Tahl had recently taken Bant Eerin, one of Obi-Wan's close friends, as her Padawan, and Qui-Gon tries to press his advice onto her. The tension starts to make the two realize that they have romantic feelings toward each other. However, they put the teachings of the Jedi Code first, and do their best to ignore their mutual attraction.
While training with Obi-Wan on Ragoon VI, Qui-Gon suffers from visions of Tahl in grave danger. Upon returning to Coruscant, Qui-Gon requests to the Council that he be sent with her on her next mission, to New Apsolon. Tahl, however, declines his offer and goes on alone, even leaving Bant behind at the Temple. Three weeks pass without word from Tahl. Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan go to New Apsolon (against the orders of the Council) to discover what may have happened to Tahl. After a lengthy search, they find her, safe and in perfect health. Upon seeing each other again, Qui-Gon and Tahl openly admit their forbidden love. They promise to each other that they will deal with their emotions more after the mission is over.
However, it isn't long before Tahl goes missing yet again. This time, she is kidnapped by the corrupt Chief Security Controller named Balog. When Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan finally find Balog, he has already drugged Tahl. The Jedi rescue her, but she dies despite Qui-Gon's attempts to heal her through the Force.
Tahl's death drives Qui-Gon into a terrible state of depression and a rise in strong dark side emotions. He blames himself for her death and even recalls his past failure with Xanatos. He swears revenge on Balog and vows to track him down. Qui-Gon tracks Balog down and corners him. When he is about to take his revenge, however, he hears a voice beseeching him to stop.
Qui-Gon suddenly realizes that he is heading down a dark path, and abruptly deactivates his lightsaber. After taking Balog into custody, Qui-Gon thanks Obi-Wan for stopping him, only to hear from his apprentice that it was not him who said those words. Qui-Gon realizes that it was the voice of Tahl who had stopped him from giving in to the dark side. The Jedi return to Coruscant and give Tahl a proper funeral.

Changing times

On a mission to protect a young boy named Talesan Fry, Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan are paired with Adi Gallia and Siri Tachi. The mission, which resulted in Qui-Gon and Adi being separated from Obi-Wan and Siri, leads to the discovery of romantic feelings between the two Padawans. Qui-Gon detects these emotions and warns Obi-Wan of his own example with Tahl, and the consequences of losing a loved one.
Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan meet Supreme Chancellor Finis Valorum, who calls upon the two Jedi in particular for future assignments. The two also encounter the bounty hunter Aurra Sing, and fight alongside Mace Windu, Plo Koon, and other Jedi against the Yinchorri.
During this time period, Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan are dispatched on a mission to locate a valuable cargo ship that had disappeared. Their search takes them to Ord Mantell, and brings them to confront the land baron Taxer Sundown. On the mission, Qui-Gon befriends the native Mantellian savrip, which helps him to complete the mission.
Both Jedi later fight against a terrorist organization called the Nebula Front. At the Trade Federation conference on Eriadu, Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan defend Supreme Chancellor Valorum, but do not prevent the deaths of the rest of the Trade Federation Directorate, allowing the Neimoidians to take control of the Federation.

Blockade of Naboo

In ''The Phantom Menace'', (12 years after Qui-Gon took Obi-Wan as his apprentice) Qui-Gon (now 60 years old) and Obi-Wan are sent to the planet Naboo onboard the ''Radiant VII'' to resolve a political crisis. The Trade Federation, in protest to recent taxation laws, have assembled a blockade of the planet with a fleet of battleships. Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan are sent as ambassadors of Supreme Chancellor Valorum to reach a peaceful settlement.
Shortly after their arrival on the Federation battleship Saak'ak, the ''Radiant VII'' is destroyed and the conference chamber they were waiting in flooded with dioxis gas. They survive the gas, and easily defeat the battle droids assigned to reinforce the chamber entrance. Qui-Gon tries to cut through the bridge's blast doors, but the arrival of Federation droidekas forces them to flee through the ships ventilation. The two Jedi then stow away on a troop transport as the Federation moves to invade Naboo with a force of battle droids.
On Naboo, Qui-Gon meets Jar Jar Binks, saving him from possible death and earning his life debt. Binks reluctantly takes him to the underwater city of Otoh Gunga, where Boss Nass agrees to give them a transport and allows Binks to go with the offworlders as a guide. After he gains transport to the capital city of Theed, Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan and Jar Jar journeys through the planet's core, evading several sea monsters, to Theed. Once in the capital city, he and Obi-Wan rescue Queen Padmé Amidala and escape Naboo on the royal starship. As they dash through the blockade, however, the ship is hit by laser fire and the hyperdrive is badly damaged. The party is forced to land on the planet Tatooine.

Discovery of the Chosen One

On Tatooine, Qui-Gon looks for parts in the settlement of Mos Espa, where he encounters the junk dealer Watto and his slave, a young boy named Anakin Skywalker. Qui-Gon comes to believe that Anakin, who is exceptionally strong in the Force, may be the "Chosen One" of Jedi legend.
Qui-Gon's Naboo ship is disabled and his credits are no good on the planet. He places a wager with Watto and acquires machine parts for the repair of Anakin's podracer for the next race. Later, Qui-Gon releases Anakin from slavery when he wagers Watto on the boy's victory during the Boonta Eve Classic podrace. The wager also results in obtaining parts to fix the damaged Naboo ship. With their means to return to Coruscant secured, Qui-Gon and his new charge sojourn to the outskirts of Mos Espa to meet up with the disguised Naboo Queen, Padme. However, their progress is watched by a DRK-1 Dark Eye probe droid. Qui-Gon senses the intrusive presence and strikes the probe down, but the damage is already done. The Sith Lord Darth Maul had been trailing the Jedi and recovers his destroyed droid, thinking that his quarry have stowed aboard the smuggling ship. Maul boards the light freighter and strikes down the pilot. Once he learns the truth, the Sith assassin doubles his efforts to reach Qui-Gon before he escapes. As Anakin and Qui-Gon approach the Queen's ship, they are intercepted by Darth Maul. Qui-Gon fights the Sith warrior as the ship takes off behind him. Jumping high with the Force, Qui-Gon lands on the boarding ramp and they escape.
On Coruscant, Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan appear before the Jedi Council to give a report. The Council reluctantly agrees to test young Anakin for Jedi potential. They find that the boy is indeed very strong with the Force, having the greatest midi-chlorian count ever recorded, but says he is too old to begin the training. Yoda senses that the boy's future is "clouded" by the fear and anger he exhibits. Qui-Gon tries to release Obi-Wan from apprenticeship in order to take Anakin as his Padawan, but the Council remains firm. Disappointed, Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan prepare to return to Naboo with Queen Amidala, who hopes to liberate the planet in one swift stroke.

Last lightsaber duel

During the Battle of Naboo, Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan encounter and fight Darth Maul in a deadly lightsaber duel. Wielding a double-bladed lightsaber, Maul fights them across the main hanger, into the Theed power generator station and despite their combined skills, the two Jedi are unable to defeat the battle-trained Sith Lord. Eventually Obi-Wan is isolated from the fight by a row of deadly laser walls and Qui-Gon is forced to fight alone. After wearing the older Jedi Master down, Maul slams his double-bladed lightsaber hilt into Qui-Gon's chin, dazing him, and the Sith Lord quickly takes the moment to impale Qui-Gon with his lightsaber. Obi-Wan is then released from his laser wall prison and eventually cuts Maul in half with Qui-Gon's lightsaber. With his dying breath, Qui-Gon makes Obi-Wan promise to train Anakin. Following this, the Jedi Master's body is burned in the traditional way of a Jedi funeral. His lightsaber remains in Obi-Wan's possession for a while, until Obi-Wan builds a replica of the lightsaber he lost during the duel against Darth Maul.

Postmortem Appearances

10 years later, in '' when an enraged Anakin is slaughtering a pack of Tusken Raiders on Tatooine after his mother's death, Qui-Gon's voice is heard by Yoda on Coruscant, trying vainly to stop Anakin. Yoda becomes amazed that Qui-Gon was able to communicate after becoming one with the Force and tries to contact him personally. 3 years later, in '', after Anakin turns to the dark side and becomes Darth Vader, Yoda informs Obi-Wan that Qui-Gon has dicovered the ability to retain individual consciousness after merging with the Force, and that he will teach both Obi-Wan and Yoda to do the same. Qui-Gon doesn't appear in any of the original films '', '', or '' and isn't even mentioned, due to the fact that he hadn't even been created when the Original Trilogy was made.
Qui-Gon also makes a brief appearance in '', in a dream Yoda has, where he instructs a young Anakin to enter a cave very similar to the one Yoda has Luke Skywalker enter in ''The Empire Strikes Back''.

Personality

Regarded as a maverick by his peers, Qui-Gon was a wise and faithful — but unorthodox — member of the Jedi Order. Though a great teacher, his failure with Xanatos led him to obsess over the mistake. Due to this, he was reluctant to take Obi-Wan to be his new apprentice. Dooku, Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan, and Anakin formed a chain of Jedi Masters and Padawans through which passed a rebellious streak, making them a difficulty in the eyes of the Jedi Council. Indeed, his Padawan Obi-Wan suggested that the Council would have invited Qui-Gon to join them, if he would follow the Jedi Code. A distinguished and adept Jedi warrior, Qui-Gon reflected strength and wisdom.
A philosophical warrior, Qui-Gon believed heavily in what he referred to as the "Living Force," a method of focusing on the moment rather than contemplating the Force in all its degrees, otherwise known as the "Unifying Force". For this reason, Qui-Gon could be considered one of the more 'down-to-earth' Jedi of his time, due to his concentration on the matter at hand. It has been suggested that an ability such as this would have been conducive to stopping Palpatine's rise to power; as the Jedi focused on the Separatist threat to the future of the Galactic Republic, they failed to examine the moment more closely. Qui-Gon possessed knowledge of the architecture and engineering of various space transports and large capital vessels. Qui-Gon was also skilled in mind tricks, as was evident when he managed to convince the Gungan leader to let him escape.
In addition to his mastery of the Force, Qui-Gon was also a master in Form IV: Ataru, a form of lightsaber combat known for its exceptional speed and acrobatic skills. The Jedi lightsaber master who taught Qui-Gon had considered him the best lightsaber duelist he had seen in over 400 years of teaching in the Jedi Order. His deep-rooted strength and compassion was fuelled by the Force, and this was reflected in his lightsaber style, a style that needs precision and smoothness of movement. It is interesting to note his choice of Form IV despite sparring with Mace Windu, a master of Form VII: Vaapad, and being apprenticed to Count Dooku, a master of Form II: Makashi. During the time together as master and apprentice, Obi-Wan also used Form IV, but after Qui-Gon's death, he switched to using Form III: Soresu, due to him realizing Form IV's weakness of needing a large environment to preform, which Qui-Gon didn't have when he lost to Darth Maul.

Behind the scenes

As revealed in ''The Art of Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace'', director George Lucas conceived Qui-Gon's character during pre-production. This is shown by concept art where Obi-Wan is shown alone in the Federation ship and while meeting Jar Jar. Even when Qui-Gon was conceived, Lucas toyed with making him the younger Jedi, as shown in concept art depicting Obi-Wan as an old man.

Trivia

★ George Lucas planned to have Qui-Gon appear as a Force ghost in ''Revenge of the Sith'', similar to how Obi-Wan appeared in '' and ''. The idea was shelved, however, because Neeson had recently broken his leg. However, the writers covered for this by having Yoda tell Obi-Wan that he would eventually make contact with his former master. This is also confirmed when Yoda tells Obi-Wan that Qui-Gon has found the path to immortality. This story, however, has yet to be expanded upon.

★ As a nod to Neeson, one of the younglings in ''Attack of the Clones'' is named Liam.

★ In the PC game , online players would often play pranks on newer players by telling them to type "/qui gon" into the game's console. This resulted in the game registering the inputted command as "/quit", which disconnected the player.

References

★ '', 1st edition paperback, 1999. Terry Brooks, George Lucas, ISBN 0-345-43411-0

★ '' - Novelization'', 1st edition hardcover, 2005. Matthew Woodring Stover, George Lucas, ISBN 0-7126-8427-1

★ ''Star Wars Episode I Who's Who: A Pocket Guide to Characters of the Phantom Menace'', hardcover, 1999. Ryder Windham, ISBN 0-7624-0519-8

★ ''The New Essential Guide to Characters'', 1st edition, 2002. Daniel Wallace, Michael Sutfin, ISBN 0-345-44900-2

★ ''Star Wars: The Phantom Menace: The Visual Dictionary'', hardcover, 1999. David West Reynolds, ISBN 0-7894-4701-0

★ ''Star Wars Roleplaying Game Core Rulebook'', 1st edition, 2000. Bill Slavicsek, Andy Collins, ISBN 0-7869-1793-8

External links

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