I’ve been thinking about Qui-Gon a lot lately (through various things like creator commentary, some fic that managed to make me really adore him, fandom reactions, my eternally conflicted M&A feelings, etc.) and honestly I keep coming back to how we have so little of the character that almost anything anyone says on him is pretty much pure projection. You can say some nice things about him in TPM, but you can also say some less than flattering things about him in TPM.
Like, the idea that Qui-Gon shows more compassion than Obi-Wan for calling Jar Jar a “pathetic creature”? This is the same guy who said, “The ability to speak does not make one intelligent.” and was condescending right to Jar Jar’s face. No, Qui-Gon was not kinder to him than Obi-Wan was. (And the “pathetic lifeform” thing is clearly not serious, imo. Especially considering, in The Clone Wars, it’s Obi-Wan who is shown to be the one who does things like making a special effort to avoid the attacking creatures on Ryloth.)
You know who else wasn’t kind to Jar Jar? Padme makes her disdain for him BLATANTLY clear, right to his face, on Rodia. But that never seems to comeup, either because it’s TCW or because she’s not a Jedi. It’s a thing that a lot of characters do, including on TCW.
You know who is pretty damn nice to Jar Jar, though? Mace Windu. He’s obviously annoyed at some points, but he treats Jar Jar with respect and kindness, far more than Qui-Gon ever did.
And Qui-Gon as the most compassionate Jedi? Again, no, because what he did to Obi-Wan in the Council Chamber wasn’t cruel, but it was really uncaring of how that would affect Obi-Wan. It was focused entirely on Anakin, like Anakin was the only person who mattered. His kindness to Anakin was very sweet! But he was kind of a dick to Obi-Wan, even if I think that Obi-Wan understood why and wasn’t that hurt by it and Qui-Gon trusted that.
Then you have M&A where Qui-Gon never really talks to Obi-Wan. He thinks all these things about Obi-Wan, but never actually says them. And when Obi-Wan questions him, Qui-Gon gets real defensive and snippy. And that’s setting aside that he had a chance to actually help shape the Jedi in the ways he thought would be better and then he said no after the Jedi Council specifically asked him to be part of it because he had different opinions. That’s part of the book, that’s canon.
He’s not a bad person! He cares very much. I think Obi-Wan understood why Qui-Gon did what he did. But we really don’t see much of who he is beyond the movie and M&A and neither of them ever show us Qui-Gon being particularly compassionate or caring above and beyond what you can find Obi-Wan or Yoda or Mace or any of the other Jedi doing.
And, as much as this was inspired by Dave’s comments, I’m actually really :/ about his whole thing about how Anakin not having a dad was a “failing” as if nuclear families are the only kind of love that are important, as if a supportive, caring community means nothing. As if we don’t see Jedi taking care with their younglings. As if children without father figures are incomplete somehow?
Like, I usually love Dave, but everything he said about TPM only works on the surface and pretty much everything he says is contradicted by the movie itself or George’s commentary–like George has specifically said if Anakin had been found by the Jedi earlier, he would have been fine, that’s not “only Qui-Gon could have kept him from falling”.
I get wanting to defend the prequels and their place in the story and their connection to the themes, but I really disagree with his entire take on that movie, based on the content of the movie (Qui-Gon being a dick to Jar Jar, to Obi-Wan, etc.) and George’s commentary on the movies.
Again, Qui-Gon is not a bad character, but he’s a very blank character, you can project pretty much whatever you want onto him, that’s what’s so frustrating, because there’s just not enough either way, and what little we have in canon really contradicts that whole theory.
ETA: Okay, I’m going to add some George Lucas quotes to this to better show what I mean, because this was originally meant to be just an informal thing but I think it would help to be a little more serious about it:
Qui-Gon Jinn commentary from The Phantom Menace:
“So here we’re having Qui-Gon wanting to skip the early training and jump right to taking him on as his Padawan learner, which is controversial, and ultimately, the source of much of the problems that develop later on.” –George Lucas, The Phantom Menace commentary
That… is really not what Dave said about Qui-Gon.
“The fact that everything must change and that things come and go through [Anakin’s] life and that he can’t hold onto things, which is a basic Jedi philosophy that he isn’t willing to accept emotionally and the reason that is because he was raised by his mother rather than the Jedi. If he’d have been taken in his first year and started to study to be a Jedi, he wouldn’t have this particular connection as strong as it is and he’d have been trained to love people but not to become attached to them.” –George Lucas, Attack of the Clones commentary
Basically, if Anakin had been found earlier, he would have been fine, he would have been trained to love people, as per George Lucas’ words. Ie, YES THE JEDI DO LOVE PEOPLE.
The only time I’ve seen George talk about Anakin’s fate is when it’s specifically about Anakin’s choice in it, not outside influences making choices for him:
“It’s fear of losing somebody he loves, which is the flipside of greed. Greed, in terms of the Emperor, it’s the greed for power, absolute power, over everything. With Anakin, really it’s the power to save the one he loves, but it’s basically going against the Fates and what is natural.“ –George Lucas, Revenge of the Sith commentary
Because Star Wars is about choice just as much as it’s about family. And that family shouldn’t have to be a nuclear family to have a loving, supportive community. As if Plo Koon didn’t love and support Ahsoka. As if we don’t see Obi-Wan reaching out to Anakin over and over again in care, concern, and support, in the movies, in The Clone Wars, in the comics, in the novels, etc. As if we didn’t see a whole gaggle of Jedi ready to jump up and teach Ahsoka because they cared about her. As if we didn’t see Jedi after Jedi after Jedi sacrificing themselves in Order 66 to save their Padawans.
Dave Filoni, you read Kanan: The Last Padawan where Depa sacrifices her life for Caleb or watch the Order 66 scene in Jedi: Fallen Order where Jaro Tapal sacrifices himself for Cal AND YOU TRY TO TELL ME JEDI DIDN’T LOVE.
