Star Wars: 10 Things You Never Knew About Qui-Gon Jinn
Was Qui-Gon secretly the greatest Jedi ever?
Transcript
00:00 I ask you, who is genuinely the greatest Jedi of all time?
00:04 You might offer a Luke Skywalker, or Yoda, or even Disney+ newcomer Obi-Wan Kenobi.
00:09 And those would all be fine choices, of course.
00:12 But who among us would seriously be quick to say Qui-Gon Jinn?
00:16 Few unfortunately, that's who.
00:18 And that's understandable, but still not forgivable.
00:21 In the Star Wars films themselves, we don't actually get to see much of Qui-Gon Jinn,
00:25 it must be said.
00:26 And that's a damn decent shame, if you ask me.
00:29 Had he lived, he could have even possibly saved the galaxy from its dark fate.
00:33 But of course he did not, and now with all that being said, I am Padawan Gareth, and
00:37 here are 10 things you never knew about Qui-Gon Jinn.
00:40 10.
00:41 Qui-Gon and Mace Windu secretly hated each other
00:43 Although Qui-Gon Jinn and Mace Windu were two of the most powerful Jedi plying their
00:47 trade within the Jedi Order, they didn't really get along that well.
00:50 Qui-Gon was a non-conformist, so he often booked the Jedi Council and questioned their
00:55 wisdom, which obviously went down an absolute treat.
00:58 Mace, on the other hand, was very much a traditionalist in every sense of the word.
01:02 He firmly believed in both the Jedi Code and the establishment that was the Jedi Council.
01:06 Mace, therefore, never questioned orders from the Council, and eventually he became a high-ranking
01:11 member of the group of layabouts himself.
01:13 On top of these clashes in viewpoint, Qui-Gon and Mace had personal tension too.
01:18 Although he never openly admitted it, Qui-Gon felt Mace was cold and arrogant, while Mace
01:22 also had a rather low opinion of Qui-Gon too.
01:25 Specifically, Mace felt that Qui-Gon was wrong about the return of the Sith.
01:29 He also disagreed with Qui-Gon's belief that Anakin Skywalker was the Chosen One,
01:33 as felt and seen in the Skywalker saga throughout.
01:35 It's worth mentioning too that Qui-Gon was ultimately right on both counts.
01:39 Advantage Jinn!
01:41 9.
01:42 Qui-Gon was empathetic and often took helpless lifeforms under his wing
01:45 One of Qui-Gon's greatest strengths was undoubtedly his relentless empathy.
01:50 This was a trait that was sadly lacking in his Jedi contemporaries for the most part.
01:54 Even in the stoic and often lifeless likes of Mace Windu and Yoda, Qui-Gon on the other
01:58 hand was able to put himself in the shoes of others and understand their suffering,
02:03 even aiding it on occasion too.
02:04 Due to his empathetic nature, Qui-Gon often took pity on weaker lifeforms and took them
02:09 under his wise old wing, much to the annoyance of other Jedi like his one-time master Dooku,
02:14 for example.
02:15 The best example of this is Jar Jar Binks, of course.
02:18 Qui-Gon saved the Gungan and brought him along on his and Obi-Wan's journey throughout
02:21 the Phantom Menace, despite his Padawans' reluctance to engage with the all-around goofball.
02:26 Jar Jar was, well, Jar Jar.
02:28 But Qui-Gon didn't give a damn and was all too happy to help.
02:32 8.
02:33 Yoda regarded Qui-Gon as defiant
02:35 Qui-Gon had a rather contentious relationship with Yoda.
02:38 Like all Jedi at the time of the Republic, Qui-Gon was trained by Yoda as a potential
02:42 filled youngling.
02:44 And Qui-Gon, like said many other Padawans in waiting, held the Jedi master in very high
02:48 regard indeed.
02:50 But Qui-Gon's eventual unique view of the Force brought him into many a conflict with
02:54 Yoda.
02:55 As he grew as a Jedi, Qui-Gon established a belief in the Living Force.
02:58 And this meant that Qui-Gon was concerned with following the will of the Force at all
03:02 costs, regardless of it conflicting with what was required of him from the Jedi.
03:06 Yoda and the other Jedi, however, were more concerned with focusing on, controlling and
03:10 predicting the future.
03:12 Yoda also felt that Qui-Gon's devotion to the Living Force was misguided.
03:16 And even after Qui-Gon's death, Yoda continued to disapprove of his philosophy.
03:20 It wasn't until the rise of the Sith and the fall of the Galactic Republic that Yoda
03:24 ultimately acknowledged that Qui-Gon, again, was correct.
03:27 And on to something truly good with said Living Force theories.
03:30 7.
03:31 Qui-Gon had a genius-level intellect
03:33 Qui-Gon was an evident deep thinker and master tactician.
03:37 His intellect rivaled that of Yoda and even the unsettling Sheev Palpatine.
03:41 But the best evidence of Qui-Gon's sheer genius was undoubtedly his unmatched knowledge
03:46 of the unexplored and aforementioned Living Force.
03:49 As stated before, other Jedi, like Yoda and Mace Windu, rejected Qui-Gon's adventurous
03:53 philosophy.
03:54 But Qui-Gon's adherence to the Living Force gave him insight into truths that the Jedi
03:58 in general were collectively blind to.
04:00 Again, Qui-Gon correctly identified Anakin as the Chosen One, and he successfully predicted
04:05 the rise of the almost unstoppable Sith.
04:07 So had other Jedi listened to Qui-Gon, the Council may have been able to avoid the fall
04:11 of the Republic and destruction of the Jedi.
04:14 Shudder would have cut it, though, eh?
04:15 6.
04:16 He was the first Jedi to become a Force ghost
04:18 Qui-Gon first learned how to become one of the Force ghosts, or spirits, whatever you
04:22 want to call them, seen throughout the wider Star Wars universe from the Force priestesses.
04:27 This secret knowledge allowed him to become somewhat immortal after he was mercilessly
04:30 killed by Darth Maul in the Phantom Menace.
04:33 Qui-Gon was also the first Jedi to master this all-important skill, or even know of
04:37 its possibilities, and he eventually learned of this impressive ability because of his
04:41 aforementioned unwavering devotion to the Living Force.
04:45 After his death, Qui-Gon was therefore able to speak through the Force.
04:49 He used this skill to guide both Yoda and Obi-Wan after the destruction of the Jedi.
04:53 He then taught both Jedi how to become Force spirits themselves, and these teachings were
04:57 ultimately passed on to Anakin during the closing stages of his time among the living.
05:01 This knowledge obviously allowed Hayden Christensen to make that weirdo cameo at the end of Return
05:05 of the Jedi.
05:06 5.
05:07 He believed that Anakin was the Chosen One even after he became Darth Vader
05:11 As already alluded to, as soon as he met Anakin, Qui-Gon was sure that the boy would bring
05:16 balance to the Force.
05:18 This would therefore eventually fulfill the legendary prophecy of the Chosen One.
05:21 So before he died, Qui-Gon asked Obi-Wan to train Anakin, defying the wishes of the weary
05:26 Jedi Council.
05:27 Ha, classic Qui-Gon.
05:28 Eventually, Anakin of course fell to the dark side of the Force, and Qui-Gon witnessed all
05:33 of this from afar as an aforementioned Force spirit, but he did not lose faith.
05:38 Qui-Gon still believed that Anakin would bring balance to the Force, and through said Force
05:42 he was able to see that there was still conflict within the now-Darth Vader.
05:46 Qui-Gon, while others felt all was lost, ultimately knew that Anakin was not beyond redemption.
05:51 Once again, Qui-Gon was proven right when Anakin sacrificed himself to save his son's
05:55 damn life.
05:56 4.
05:57 He knew there were flaws in the Jedi Code This Jedi Master was one of the few Jedi known
06:01 to happily disobey the sacred Jedi Code.
06:04 He ignored said traditions and laws when he felt it was necessary, and his obeying to
06:08 the wills of the living Force often put him at odds with both the Jedi Code and Council.
06:13 An example of this was his heavily documented choice to train Anakin Skywalker.
06:17 The Jedi Code dictated that a Jedi could not have more than one Padawan at a time, and
06:21 the Council also specifically forbade Qui-Gon from training this little lad from Tatooine.
06:26 Both decrees would be laughed off and acted upon in a Force-sensitive middle finger to
06:30 the establishment.
06:31 Qui-Gon was willing to ignore both these facts because he felt it was the will of the Force
06:35 for Anakin to become a Jedi, and eventually the galaxy's biggest bad.
06:40 There's always a bit of fine print in there, you know?
06:42 3.
06:43 He collected all kinds of trinkets Unlike other Jedi who were forbidden to form
06:46 attachments with just about anything, Qui-Gon was known to collect small trinkets as it
06:51 goes.
06:52 Qui-Gon was even known to have a Mustafar fire diamond.
06:54 As you've probably guessed, this was a very rare diamond that originated on the fiery
06:58 planet of, you guessed it, Mustafar.
07:00 Yep, the same Mustafar that played host to the climactic and galaxy-changing duel in
07:05 Revenge of the Sith.
07:06 What a coincidence.
07:07 2.
07:08 He had a hard time training Obi-Wan Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon had a very close friendship
07:12 indeed, one much closer than your average Master and Padawan, with Qui-Gon eventually
07:16 saving the young Padawan from becoming a permanent member of the Agricultural Corps - a farmer,
07:21 in other words, in Legends lore.
07:23 But not before the green-saber-wielding Master initially declined to take him aboard as his
07:27 apprentice, due to his over-aggressive fighting style putting him at risk of falling into
07:31 the dark side.
07:33 Qui-Gon would eventually see potential in Obi-Wan, though, and the two would fatefully
07:37 unite of course.
07:38 Kenobi would then go on to become a very powerful Jedi Master in his own right, and a member
07:43 of the Jedi Council.
07:44 Hey, one out of two ain't bad, is it?
07:46 Obi-Wan didn't inherit his Master's rogue spirit, though.
07:49 Like Mace Windu, Obi-Wan was dedicated to the Jedi Code in the days that would follow
07:53 his early rebelliousness.
07:54 He often disagreed with his Master's rash decisions, too, especially when said decisions
07:59 went against the wishes of the sacred Jedi Council.
08:02 1.
08:03 He was offered a seat on the Jedi Council Despite the tension between Qui-Gon and other
08:07 Jedi, he was still very well respected within the Order.
08:10 Throughout the religious organisation, Qui-Gon was thought of as a wise and incredibly powerful
08:15 Jedi.
08:16 It's no wonder, then, that Qui-Gon was eventually offered a seat on the Jedi Council.
08:20 What a day!
08:21 And it probably wasn't that much of a huge surprise either when Qui-Gon rejected the
08:24 offer in the end.
08:25 Even though no other Jedi in his or her right mind would probably turn down a chance to
08:29 be on the damn Council, Qui-Gon felt the need to follow his own path away from the collective
08:34 establishment.
08:35 He was more concerned with following the will of the Living Force than that of the Council,
08:39 as we've already touched upon.
08:40 And in all honesty, it was the Jedi Council who should have probably been listening to
08:44 and taking notes from Qui-Gon instead all along.
08:47 So that's our list of any other things people never knew about Master Qui-Gon Jinn.
08:51 Let me know all about them in the comments section right down below and do not forget
08:54 to like, share and click on that subscribe button while you're at it.
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09:05 I have been Gareth from WhatCulture Star Wars, may the Force be with you, thank you for clicking
09:09 on this video today and hopefully I will see you very, very soon.
09:13 Bye bye!