Qui-Gon Jinn

A Jedi with a mind of his own, not blindly following the will of the Jedi Council, Qui-Gon Jinn first leapt off the Theed balcony and into our hearts in 1999. Although only seen in one film, Qui-Gon made a major impact through his mentorship to perhaps the most beloved Jedi of all-time—Obi-Wan Kenobi—and through his bold and controversial stance to train a young Anakin Skywalker in the ways of the Force. Since then, Qui-Gon has gone on to speak through the Force to both Anakin, Obi-Wan, and Yoda in Episodes II, III, and the Clone Wars, respectively. In recent years he has benefitted from a resurgence in interest. Claudia Gray has written a short story about his appearing to Obi-Wan in From a Certain Point of View, and then went on to write the seminal Qui-Gon masterpiece, Master and Apprentice (which we unanimously loved here at Youtini—read our review here). Qui-Gon received his own stellar issue of Marvel’s Age of Republic this year as well.

A closer look at Qui-Gon shows him to be calculating, deeply devoted, and yet roguish. He becomes obsessed with the ancient Jedi prophecies, is closely attuned to the Living Force (the mystical energy field, not the podcast), and he isn’t afraid to go out on a limb to bring in an outcast. He once served as the Padawan under none other than Count Dooku himself, which is explored in glimpses in Master and Apprentice and Dooku: Jedi Lost. On the other side of his Knighthood is his training of Obi-Wan. In addition to Master and Apprentice, the Legends universe has some excellent stories set during this time-span. Phantom Menace prequel Cloak of Deception is a tale of Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan investigating an assassination attempt on Chancellor Valorum and Jude Watson’s TWENTY-book Jedi Apprentice series details this relationship in great detail. Several Legends-era comics cover Qui-Gon as well—Jedi: The Dark Side ties into Jedi Apprentice's darker plotlines, and Last Stand on Old Mantell is a self-contained story of Jinn & Kenobi on a mission to a lawless world.

Qui-Gon may have met his noble end at one of the blades of Darth Maul, but his legacy is large in the hearts of many great Jedi—and many Star Wars fans as well.