Over the years, the Star Wars franchise has created some of the most iconic characters in pop culture. Most people know the name Luke Skywalker, Darth Vader, and even Grogu from The Mandalorian. There is a universe full of characters that has been explored throughout numerous projects ranging from video games and movies to novels and comics. However, not every important Star Wars character has had their time to shine.
One of the major Star Wars characters that has not had many projects devoted to him is Qui-Gon Jinn. He was first introduced in The Phantom Menace, but got killed off in that same film. Even with his small role in the franchise, he played a major part in shaping the future of the galaxy. Not only was he Obi-Wan Kenobi's Jedi Master, but he was also responsible for taking Anakin Skywalker off Tatooine. He has only made a couple of appearances since, including a cameo in the Disney+ series Obi-Wan Kenobi. A character who played such an instrumental role in the galaxy deserves a project focused on his life, and a video game may be the best option.
Qui-Gon Was a Major Force in the Star Wars Galaxy
Qui-Gon Jinn entered the franchise with The Phantom Menace, portrayed by Liam Neeson. He served as Obi-Wan Kenobi's Master and helped to teach him the ways of the force. Unlike his Padawan, Qui-Gon wielded a green lightsaber and had no interest in joining the Jedi Council. Instead, he wanted to forge his own path and was a strong proponent of the Living Force.
Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan were sent to deal with the Trade Federation blockade on Naboo, and chaos ensued. Eventually, the duo would arrive at Tatooine where they meet a young Anakin Skywalker. Qui-Gon quickly became convinced that Anakin was the Chosen One who would bring balance to the force, but he was rejected by the Jedi Council. However, Qui-Gon would guide the boy's actions until his demise.
Eventually, Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon would confront Darth Maul on Naboo, resulting in the death of Qui-Gon. As he died, he made Obi-Wan promise to train Anakin in the ways of the force. Anakin's training would eventually lead to the fall of the Republic and the destruction of the Jedi Order, though Qui-Gon would also go on to teach Obi-Wan how to become a force ghost on Tatooine.
Qui-Gon Jinn was one of the first Jedi to learn how to become a force ghost, and his secret would be taught to Obi-Wan, Yoda, Anakin, Luke, and even Leia. Qui-Gon played a major role in the trajectory of the galaxy, but he has barely been explored by the current Star Wars canon.
A Qui-Gon Jinn-Focused Game Could be Huge
Qui-Gon has an expansive backstory just waiting to be explored, and a video game should embrace it. His childhood and life before The Phantom Menace is still shrouded in mystery, as there have been a couple of novels that explore bits and pieces of his backstory, but none of them have put Qui-Gon as the focus. He will also be appearing in the upcoming anthology series Tales of the Jedi, but that will still leave a huge part of his story waiting to be seen.
Fans of Star Wars may know that Qui-Gon Jinn was once the Padawan of Count Dooku before his turn to the dark side. Dooku helped to shape and train Qui-Gon, eventually leading to him being considered a maverick Jedi who often disobeyed the Code. He would also become infatuated with the Jedi prophecies, and that infatuation would help guide his actions during The Phantom Menace. He would go on to conduct deeper studies into the force, and eventually take on Obi-Wan as his Padawan.
There is so much story potential in his years as both the Padawan to Dooku and the Master of Obi-Wan. So far, Star Wars has only shown viewers an evil version of Dooku. Tales of the Jedi will showcase Dooku before he turned, but it will only have three episodes to tell that story. That also leaves Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan's adventures on the table, as that has only been explored through novels. Exploring some of these events in a video game would help to expand upon them more than an anthology series ever could.
The style of a Qui-Gon Jinn game could borrow heavily from Jedi: Fallen Order, giving players control of Qui-Gon in an action-adventure title as he traverses the galaxy alongside either Master Dooku or Obi-Wan. Both choices would let players explore a Republic before the Clone Wars and get a better understanding of just who Qui-Gon was. It would also give players even more Star Wars games to check out, which is usually not a bad thing.
There is no shortage of Star Wars content on the horizon, but some characters have been seemingly left out. Qui-Gon Jinn was a major part of Obi-Wan Kenobi's life, and his actions led to a lot of change in the galactic order. Star Wars fans will get to learn more about him in Tales of the Jedi, but a video game focused on the character could be an even better way to flesh out Neeson's character. If the studio took inspiration from previous Jedi-focused titles, it could be the next big Star Wars game that fans spend hours digging into.