Star Wars Finally Explains Why Qui-Gon Was Palpatine’s Greatest Threat (& Why He Could’ve Saved Anakin)

Audiences have long suspected that there’s a reason Palpatine targeted Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi in The Phantom Menace. The Sith Lord had never really seen Darth Maul as a true apprentice, more as an assassin, and Palpatine planned to use him to cull the Jedi from the shadows. Those plans failed in the end, of course, simply because Maul underestimated Obi-Wan; a disappointed Palpatine swiftly moved on to his next potential apprentice, Count Dooku.

At first glance, it seems as though Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan were targeted simply because they’d gotten in the way. But it’s striking that Qui-Gon Jinn was the one Jedi sensitive enough to the will of the Force to recognize the Chosen One when he stumbled upon Anakin Skywalker. Although Qui-Gon never made it on to the Jedi Council, his advice was so respected that his death shook the order. And many believe his views on balance would have prevented Anakin’s fall. Looking back, Qui-Gon feels like a true threat to the Sith.

We Finally Know Why Qui-Gon Would Have Been Such A Threat

Star Wars: Jedi Knights #10, by Marc Guggenheim and Madibek Musabekov wraps up an ongoing arc in which Qui-Gon confronts a shadowy assassin from his past. Years earlier, while serving as a Padawan to Dooku, Qui-Gon confronted a group of criminals who were plaguing the planet Sinsara. He was unwisely drawn into an honor duel with one of their own, Corlis Rath, and Dooku encouraged him to succumb to his anger during the battle. Qui-Gon went too far, using the Force during the honor duel, and the criminals were about to attack – only for Dooku to lash out, killing them all.

This isn’t mere backstory, though. It’s crucially important in understanding Qui-Gon’s own path, because he saw the dark side up close – including his own inner dark side – and rejected it. Qui-Gon committed himself to what he called “a higher path,” one where he attempted to shun aggressive negotiation and instead sought to encourage redemption even for the galaxy’s worst threats. As Jedi Knights #10 shows, he was even willing to sacrifice his life for another person’s redemption.

Qui-Gon’s “higher path” means he would have been the greatest threat to Palpatine’s plans, and it’s easy to see why the Jedi Council sent him to deal with the Naboo blockade. Had he survived, he would have been an influential voice among the Jedi, speaking out against the rising Separatist threat. Even more troubling for Palpatine, though, would have been the fact Qui-Gon had seen Dooku’s own darkness. As Attack of the Clones revealed, the Jedi refused to believe a former Jedi could be working for ill; but Qui-Gon knew what his master was capable of. He’d have warned them.

Palpatine’s Plans Would Never Have Succeeded if Qui-Gon had Lived

Until now, we’d tended to focus on the question of whether Qui-Gon Jinn could have trained Anakin to resist the dark side. Jedi Knights #10 suggests he’d have been far more important than that, though, undermining every one of Darth Sidious’ plans. It seems likely, therefore, that Darth Maul was always going to target Qui-Gon early on in his assassination campaign. The Jedi Master was simply too dangerous to be left alive.

The irony, of course, is that Qui-Gon’s refusal to embrace the darkness ultimately meant he learned how to become a Force Ghost. Matt Stover’s novelization of Revenge of the Sith features a delightful expansion of that film, with a scene in which Qui-Gon discusses how he achieved immortality. “The ultimate goal of the Sith, yet they can never achieve it. It comes only by the release of self, not the exaltation of self. It comes through compassion, not greed. Love is the answer to the darkness.” Qui-Gon chose a higher path, and lived on after death as a result.

There’s a sense in which Qui-Gon’s death, then, became the undoing of the Sith. He was the one who taught others how to become a Force Ghost, and in so doing ensured that the light of the Jedi could never be extinguished. Because of Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan was able to continue influencing Luke Skywalker even after his own death – guiding Luke to make the fateful shot that destroyed the Death Star, then leading him to Yoda and the Jedi training Luke needed. When Qui-Gon died, Palpatine’s fate was sealed.

Star Wars: Jedi Knights #10 is on sale now from Marvel Comics.

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