The Jedi Order’s golden age is one of the many facets in the Star Wars saga that the prequel trilogy gave fans the chance to see for themselves for the first time. Decades after the original trilogy showed us a decimated Order that had been reduced to two great masters in hiding -- Obi-Wan Kenobi, Yoda -- and a neophyte in Luke Skywalker, The Phantom Menace promised from its very first trailer to show what the Order was like prior to its fall. In addition to seeing Obi-Wan grow from Padawan to Knight to Master, watching a warrior Yoda oversee the Council, and witnessing Anakin Skywalker’s path from slave to Jedi to Sith, the prequels introduced many new Jedi characters, with a particular focus given to the members of the Jedi Council. One of the main new characters, however, was not a member of the Council, and in fact provided a helpful contrast against those Masters and the rest of the Order in general -- Qui-Gon Jinn. An independent, confident, and open-minded individual, Qui-Gon is perhaps the best example from the Star Wars universe of the maverick character type.
While the first definition of the word “maverick” in The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language focuses on the word’s roots in the Wild West -- an American cattleman named Samuel Maverick became well-known in the 1800s for not branding the calves in his herd1 -- the subsequent meanings are related to the word’s contemporary use in describing both fictional characters and real people. The second definition is: “one that refuses to abide by the dictates of or resists adherence to a group.”2 While Qui-Gon is not the full-fledged rebel or loner this definition appears to imply, he is certainly shown to be in a certain level of conflict with the Council and Order during The Phantom Menace.
Qui-Gon is unconcerned about ever becoming a member of the Jedi Council, despite the fact that it is shown to be a great honor, which only the most powerful and well-regarded Masters in the Order eventually achieve. The Council apparently demands a high level of abidance from those who sit on it, and while that is an understandable demand for any organization to make of its leaders, Qui-Gon has chosen not to put the Code above doing what he believes is right or above his efforts to listen to and follow the Will of the Force. His Padawan, Obi-Wan, tells him directly, “If you followed the Code, you’d already be on the Council,” but Qui-Gon’s relaxed response (“You still have much to learn”) shows that in his mind there are more important things in a Jedi’s life than strictly following the rules. In fact, this specific conversation between the Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan focused on the former’s determination that Anakin would be trained to become a Jedi, despite what the Code or the Council had to say about his being "too old." He later insists on training the boy himself, though the rules forbid him from taking on more than one Padawan at a time, and the Council insists that only they could properly determine whether Obi-Wan was truly ready to become a Knight. In this case, the conventions of the Order were less important than his belief that Anakin was the Chosen One of prophecy, and Qui-Gon exhibits his apparently long-standing trait of not playing by the rules more than once in the saga's opening chapter.
Although Qui-Gon does not choose to place a large personal emphasis on the Code, his lack of rule-following does not imply a lack of ethics or morality on his part. Indeed it is quite clear that Qui-Gon possesses a very strong moral center in conjunction with a high level of self-confidence and assuredness. One of the contemporary, popular uses of the term “maverick” tends to focus on politicians and suggests that not only do mavericks refuse to adhere to certain groups -- be they the political parties, government entities, or even the nations the politicians are affiliated with -- but that they do so for higher, noble reasons. The label “maverick” can imply, rightly or wrongly, that the person in question has chosen to take a surprising, unpopular, or risky stand because their personal or professional ethics will not allow them to continue to follow the rules or to do what is expected of them; breaking from the rules and expectations becomes the right and moral thing to do.3
As mentioned, Qui-Gon was willing to bend or break the rules of the Order in The Phantom Menace because his conviction that Anakin was the Chosen One had to be stood up for, even in the face of a skeptical and disapproving Council. Certain parts of the Code could be considered more of a consolidating of “best practices” or a formalizing or the usual occurrences than a statement of “right versus wrong,” but whatever the advantages of doing things a certain way (and after at least a millennium's worth of success, the Code must have many), these rules do not necessarily speak on morality, or do not seem to do so in a way that Qui-Gon could find compelling in the face of the other issues he and the Order are forced to deal with in Episode I. In a manner similar to the way current maverick politicians are perceived to act, Qui-Gon is able to look beyond the Code to bring himself closer to the Force (and therefore, closer to the true nature of what the Order perhaps ought to be about at its core). The fact that Qui-Gon is able to attain immortality in Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith -- a feat that no other Jedi had previously achieved in the history of the Order -- speaks to the idea that Qui-Gon’s approach was correct in many ways.
The third and final definition of “maverick” from The American Heritage Dictionary uses the word as an adjective: “being independent in thought and action or exhibiting such independence.”4 Again, Qui-Gon’s actions throughout Episode I fit well with these ideas. Aside from his solitary support of Anakin, he is equally steadfast and alone in his immediate belief that the Sith have returned after his encounter with Darth Maul on Tatooine. We also see indicators of independent behavior in Qui-Gon’s teaching methods with both Obi-Wan and Anakin. The official Star Wars website says in its biography of Qui-Gon that he is “[a] venerable if maverick Jedi Master...a student of the living Force. Unlike other Jedi Masters who often lose themselves in...the unifying Force, Qui-Gon Jinn lived for the moment...”5 His first lines in Episode I show him disagreeing with Yoda’s instructions to Obi-Wan regarding his Padawan's focus on the future versus the present. Later, he begins teaching Anakin even before the boy is brought before the Council, encouraging him to trust his instincts and use them to his advantage. After the Council fails to reach a decision on Anakin’s training, Qui-Gon still manages to impart a lesson to his ward about the importance of quieting his mind to listen to the Will of the Force.
Qui-Gon also displays his independent streak throughout his handling of the series of crises he encounters as a result of his mission to negotiate with the Trade Federation following its invasion of the planet Naboo. He saves and takes on the Gungan Jar Jar Binks as a member of the group, agrees to seek refuge on Tatooine and venture out into the lawless planet to secure needed supplies, entrusts the entire group’s ability to leave Tatooine with a young child he has only just met, and engages in high-stakes gambling to win the child’s freedom. After his previously mentioned dealings with the Council on Coruscant, he finds himself back on Naboo, supporting Queen Amidala’s risky plan to re-take control of the planet. In the end, Qui-Gon enters a potentially deadly battle with Darth Maul, and at a critical juncture during the fight, chooses to meditate and quietly listen to and channel the Force in what wound up being some of the last moments of his life. After being fatally wounded, he uses his last breaths to reiterate his belief that Anakin is the Chosen One, and to ensure that Obi-Wan will take it upon himself to train him as a Jedi. The ability to improvise and quickly adapt to rapidly changing situations is a trait assigned to people, both fictional and real, who are called mavericks for the way they deal with military or battle situations.6 Qui-Gon’s circumstances in Episode I may not be nearly as grave as some of those individuals, but he does show a penchant for finding ways to deal with what comes to him.
Qui-Gon Jinn’s maverick personality helps define the prequel-era Jedi Order by standing apart from it, offering the audience an alternate vision of what makes a great Jedi, and highlighting some of the issues that played a factor in the Order’s fall. Though his time on screen is limited, his impact is felt throughout the Star Wars saga.
Works Cited and Notes:
1 Wright, Mike. What They Didn’t Teach You About the Wild West. Presidio Press: Novato, CA. 2000, pg. 91.
2 “maverick,” The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. <dictionary.reference.com/search?q=maverick>
3 Contemporary examples of this perception of “mavericks” in American politics include Senators John McCain and Joseph Lieberman. Internet searches of either name and the term “maverick” produce a wide variety of results.
4 The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language.
5 “Qui-Gon Jinn,” The Official Star Wars Website Databank.
<www.starwars.com/databank/character/quigonjinn>
6 One fictional example is Captain James T. Kirk of Star Trek. StarTrek.com says of Kirk: “[T]he tall tales of his exploits…are numerous...[He was] the first captain to bring his starship back relatively in tact after a five-year mission...[He] gained a reputation as an independent whose success couldn’t be argued even though he often bucked the system.”
<www.startrek.com/startrek/view/series/TOS/character/1112496.html>
