The maverick Jedi

AFTER A DODDERY old man, a callow youth and an ageing green frog-thing, Qui-gon Jinn is the first time in the saga we see a Jedi Knight in his prime. Played with gravitas set to maximum by Liam Neeson, Jinn is a grounding tonic in a film often derided for its frippery, and his “noble end” is keenly felt.

Schooled in the ways of the Jedi by his master Count Dooku, Jinn’s notion of the Force is perhaps best conceptualised as living in the moment: “Remember: your focus determines your reality.” Yet, skilled with a lightsaber, he takes out battledroids with ease and balletically takes on Darth Maul in two memorable skirmishes. And he is also dangerous. Jinn is a maverick, a loose cannon operating independently from the Jedi Council and training young Anakin against Master Yoda’s wishes, inadvertently inventing Darth Vader in the process. He also became the first Jedi to learn to retain his consciousness after death (legend has it he was taught by five Force priestesses) and passes on the gift to Yoda and Obi-wan.