While most Star Wars actors get to stick around for at least a few movies, Liam Neeson had the misfortune of playing the prequel trilogy’s answer to Alec Guinness’ Ben Kenobi: a wise old Jedi whose death in the first movie motivates the hero throughout their journey. But despite his limited role, Neeson gave a lovable and memorable enough performance in his one Star Wars movie to become a fan-favorite icon.
Ewan McGregor’s Obi-Wan gets a great introduction and Jake Lloyd’s subversively wholesome Anakin is massively underrated, but Qui-Gon Jinn is arguably the breakout star of The Phantom Menace.
10 Qui-Gon Is The Quintessential Jedi
There’s a lot of debate about which Star Wars character is the ultimate Jedi Knight who perfectly embodies the tenets of the Jedi Order. Obi-Wan Kenobi, Mace Windu, and Yoda are often named as possible contenders, but a strong candidate would be Qui-Gon Jinn.
As seen in The Phantom Menace, Qui-Gon is kind, compassionate, dryly funny, and full of wisdom. He only resorts to violence if it’s absolutely necessary, which is best exemplified when his duel with Maul is separated by a laser barrier. Maul paces back and forth like a predator waiting to pounce on its prey while Qui-Gon takes a knee and calmly meditates.
9 Liam Neeson Brought Pathos To Material That Didn’t Have Any
Even the most dedicated Star Wars fans admit that Lucas’ writing in the prequel trilogy has some weak spots. The romantic scenes are cringeworthy, the exposition forgets the “show, don’t tell” rule of writing, and a lot of the dialogue is painfully on-the-nose.
But great actors like Natalie Portman and Ewan McGregor managed to find depth in their characters and make it work. Liam Neeson, the acclaimed star of Schindler’s List, brought plenty of pathos to material that didn’t have any.
8 Qui-Gon Believes In Anakin When No One Else Does
After Anakin is dismissed by Obi-Wan and turned down by the Jedi Council, Qui-Gon still insists he’s the “Chosen One.” He believes in young Anakin even when nobody else does – including his own mentor, Yoda.
There’s a tragic undercurrent to Qui-Gon’s enthusiasm because the audience knows that the basket he’s putting all his eggs in is destined to become the most infamous Sith Lord in the galaxy.
7 He Develops A Heartwarming Father-Son Dynamic With Anakin
Throughout The Phantom Menace, Qui-Gon develops a heartwarming father-son dynamic with Anakin. He only came to Tatooine to pick up a part to repair Padmé’s royal starship, but he ended up returning to Coruscant with a new surrogate son.
Qui-Gon is the father figure that Anakin needed. He’s the polar opposite of Palpatine, and if he’d survived to train Anakin, he could’ve kept him away from the dark side. But, unfortunately, Qui-Gon died, allowing the future Emperor to swoop in and groom his new apprentice.
6 Qui-Gon Is A Great Deadpan Foil For Jar Jar
Jar Jar Binks is one of the many new Star Wars characters introduced in The Phantom Menace. He’s positioned as the comic relief character, but with gags of the slapstick and scatological variety, a lot of his humor doesn’t land – except when he’s talking to Qui-Gon.
The usually irritating Jar Jar works in scenes with Qui-Gon because Neeson makes a great deadpan “straight man” opposite Ahmed Best.
5 There’s A Hilarious Irony In His Scenes With Padmé
When Padmé’s royal starship is downed on Tatooine in need of repair, Padmé insists on going into town with the Jedi Master to pick up the necessary parts to fix it. She disguises herself as a handmaiden and tells none of her travel companions that she’s really the queen to protect her identity.
Thanks to this setup, there’s a hilarious irony in Qui-Gon’s interactions with Padmé in her handmaiden disguise. He keeps talking about the queen, ostensibly behind her back, and doesn’t realize he’s insulting the queen to her face.
4 Qui-Gon Has The Most Emotional Moment In The Movie
There are a bunch of heartbreaking dramatic moments in The Phantom Menace, like Anakin leaving his mother behind on Tatooine, but easily the saddest moment in the movie is Qui-Gon’s death scene.
Along with Yoda’s peaceful demise on his deathbed and the mass execution of most of the galaxy’s Jedi Knights, this is one of the most emotionally engaging death scenes in the entire saga.
3 Neeson Shared Convincing Master-Padawan Chemistry With Ewan McGregor
While The Phantom Menace is primarily an origin story for Anakin, it also serves as an origin story for Obi-Wan Kenobi. The wise, aging Jedi played by Alec Guinness in the original trilogy is reintroduced as a naive young padawan with a lot to learn.
Obi-Wan’s master-apprentice dynamic with Qui-Gon is crucial to his origin story. Neeson shared convincing on-screen chemistry with Ewan McGregor as a teacher and his student.
2 Obi-Wan Bisects Maul With Qui-Gon’s Lightsaber
After Darth Maul kills Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan fights him in anger and ends up hanging from a bottomless pit. He calms down, taps into his Force powers, and manages to leap from the pit, summon Qui-Gon’s lightsaber, and chop Maul in half.
There’s a beautiful sense of poetic justice in Obi-Wan avenging his master with his own sword. And becoming the first Jedi to defeat a Sith Lord in 1,000 years is a perfect climax to Obi-Wan’s origin story.
1 Qui-Gon’s Death Seals Anakin’s Tragic Fate
Not only is Qui-Gon’s death scene one of the saga’s most heartbreaking sequences; it’s also integral to the tragedy of the overall narrative, as his untimely passing seals Anakin’s grim fate. If Qui-Gon had survived to train Anakin and serve as a father figure, he might not have turned to the dark side.
Qui-Gon’s dying wish is that Anakin is trained as a Jedi against Yoda’s orders. This forces Yoda’s hand, Anakin is trained to harness his Force abilities, and he ends up becoming the Sith overlord of the entire galaxy.
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