He’d already come to believe that they were mismatched as teacher and student. The main reason Qui-Gon hadn’t asked for a transfer before was that he knew Obi-Wan would be hurt by it, and would blame himself. The Council’s invitation would allow the transfer to be impersonal, merely practical. Obi-Wan could then be reassigned to a teacher who would serve him better.
Why, then, did the idea fill Qui-Gon with such a profound sense of loss?
One thing is becoming profoundly clear to me, and that is that the Jedi are an overly-emotional bunch! Not that there is anything wrong with that of course, just that their code states that the Jedi shouldn’t have emotional attachments. Yet each and everything I’ve read so far seems to point to the exact opposite of this. In fact, I’d go so far as to say that the Jedi feel things even more deeply than the average person. Why do you think this is?
Personally, I believe it all comes down to the one thing that no one, not even Yoda, can fully interpret or understand and that is, The Force. I’ve mentioned this several times in my writing for Star Wars Is Poetry, and it is, without doubt, a recurring theme amongst many of the books and media I’ve read. I think that once you join with someone in the force, it bonds you on a level a non-force sensitive could never understand. And in turn, you become one with the force, within that bond that goes beyond blood, heart and soul, beyond friendship and even beyond love itself. This is not to say that non-force users could not feel something as strongly as this (the relationship between Padme and Anakin comes to mind), but it’s just something that only Force users can experience.
The very idea of becoming one with something much bigger than yourself, more significant than any other force in the known universe, fills me with so much love for the Star Wars universe and certainly makes it much easier to relate to these other-worldly wielders of the mysterious “Force”.
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I agree! The Jedi are an overly-emotional lot but I think their lack of expression and actual suppression of said emotions is what gets them into so much trouble as the series progresses. And I think you’re right, they totally underestimate the power of their emotions and that they are amplified (and encouraged) by the Force itself! And on another note: I am so looking forward to this book!!!!!! Have you read her others? Any favorites?
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I’m glad someone agrees with my point of view 😁 I don’t think that suppressing emotion is healthy and I actually agree with Anakin when he is telling Padme why he thinks love is so important for a Jedi. He’s actually right on the money but it’s never acknowledged.With regards to books, I am ashamed to say that I am not as well read as I should be but I am slowly rectifying that. What about you? Any favourite books?
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If we’re talking SW books then anything by Claudia Gray is freaking epic! Lost Stars, Bloodline, and Leia: Princess of Alderaan are all my absolute favs and I can’t wait for this new one because Qui-Gon is my #1 Jedi ever!!! Non-SW books… wayyy too many to list, though my last big favorites were the Court novels by Sarah J Maas 💖
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So why is Qui Gon Jinn your favourite Jedi? I haven’t heard of the Court novels but I really need to start reading more in general (not just Star Wars books although there is nothing wrong with that) 🙂 I just don’t like to limit myself to reading one thing, if you get what I mean 🙂
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Qui-Gon is the closest representative we get in both the prequels and the originals to a Gray Jedi, which is what I think is needed for true balance in the Force. I wrote a few posts about him last week that delve more into detail, but it just that I don’t actually like the Jedi mindset, I think it’s extremely dangerous and is basically right on par with the Sith, so showing someone who walks that middleground and showing that it exists I think is really important. It’s what I hope the sequel trilogy is moving towards with Rey and Kylo: more balanced forceusers who can access and control both their light and dark halves. And Qui-Gon is the first representation of that.
As for the Court novels, they are this amazing blend of Beauty and the Beast, Hades and Persephone, and the Scottish story Tamlin and I just fell HEAD OVER HEELS in love with them. Sarah J Maas is a MASTER storyteller and she is at her finest in these books!!!
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You think Qui Gon Jinn is a Gray Jedi? Really? What makes you think that? HIs mindset or his attitude? In the films, he is depicted as quite head-strong for a Jedi and defies the council at least once (if I remember correctly). Taking on Anakin as a Padawan was against the Jedi council’s recommendation but after reading further into his character, I can see he defied the council numerous times and through learning how to become one with the living force, he taught both Obi Wan and Yoda how to manifest themselves after death. I also didn’t know that he was the one who told Obi Wan Kenobi to lay down his life for Luke Skywalker so that he could flee from Darth Vader … mind blown!
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I didn’t know that last bit about Obi-Wan and Luke, but it was Qui-Gon’s bucking of the established and restrictive Jedi practices that make me think he was our first visual foray into the Gray Jedi concept. He challenged the council, openly defied them because he knew they were wrong and wasn’t afraid to call them out. He more than any other Jedi thought and reacted for himself, judging things the way *he* saw them, not the way the Jedi would. He wasn’t perfect but he also didn’t try to be, he just did what he thought was right. In general, he was more open-minded and accepting and I think that is what is needed for forceusers to achieve balance: to be able to see both sides and choose what is right in the moment regardless of dogma.
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I think Qui Gon Jinn had the makings of a truly great Jedi master simply because of the way he understood and interacted with the Force and for his empathy for all living things. I can see why you praise him as a character, he truly was multi-faceted and an interesting character to read about. I think Liam Neeson’s portrayal as Qui-Gon is so close to how he is written (not just in the movies but in the books and other media) that even if you haven’t read anything more about him beyond the films, you can get a really good sense of who he was.
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[…] talked about the Force and how a bond in the force goes beyond anything non-force sensitives could feel or understand. In this excerpt from Revenge of […]
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