Qui-Gon Jinn

**Qui-Gon Jinn** was a male human Jedi Master born on Coruscant during the declining days of the Galactic Republic. Trained by Count Dooku, Jinn was considered a maverick within the Jedi Order, one who did not always follow the Jedi Code; according to his Padawan, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Jinn could have been a member of the Jedi High Council if he had followed the Code. In the years prior to his death, Jinn began studying the secrets of eternal consciousness after death, having long been a student of the Living Force.

## Bio

### Personality and traits

Though he had risen to the rank of Jedi Master, Jinn did not always agree with the structures and rules of the Jedi Order. He was known to disobey the Jedi Code if he felt he needed to, and was willing to rebuff the Jedi Council when they declined to train Skywalker. After Jinn's old master, Dooku, fell to the dark side and became the Sith Lord Darth Tyranus, Dooku told Kenobi that he wished Jinn were still alive so the late Jedi Master could have helped him with the Confederacy of Independent Systems. Kenobi rejected the idea that Jinn would have joined Dooku, but Dooku told Kenobi that Jinn knew about the corruption in the Galactic Senate and might have joined the Separatist cause—especially if he had learned that the Republic was under the control of Darth Sidious, though Dooku did not tell Kenobi that the Separatists were also under Sith control.

While other Jedi focused on meditation to try to understand the future, Jinn lived in the moment. He believed that one's focus on the future should not compromise the concentration on the present, and believed in trusting one's instincts. Even after his death and return as a spirit, Jinn was confronted with Jedi thinking only of the future; he guided Yoda through Dagobah to learn the secret of eternal consciousness, but Yoda was interested in knowing if Jinn, existing outside of normal time, could tell him the true identity of Darth Sidious. Although Jinn hinted that he knew the truth, he explained he could only guide Yoda towards greater knowledge, not provide him with the answers. Jinn's belief that Skywalker was the Chosen One looked both at the future and in the moment. Though he did believe that Skywalker's future contained a prophetic destiny, he did not dwell on the uncertainty that the Council saw in Skywalker's future training.

Qui-Gon Jinn had an empathetic nature, and had a tendency to take unfortunate life forms under his protection. It was this tendency, as well his defiance towards the Jedi Council, that often frustrated and baffled his Padawan, Obi-Wan Kenobi. When Qui-Gon saved the Gungan exile Jar Jar Binks, and Jar Jar swore a life-debt to him, his compassionate nature was such that Qui-Gon took the hapless Gungan under his wing, much to Obi-Wan's dismay. This empathy toward all life forms, including the most unfortunate and pitiful, is Qui-Gon's greatest strength.

Jinn's training to retain his identity after death led him to new philosophies, ones unknown to the Jedi Order of the time. Jinn learned that there were two sides to the Force, a Living Force channeled by the energies of all living beings, and the Cosmic Force into which it fed. It was this symbiotic relationship that allowed the Force to bind the galaxy together, and speak to living beings through the midi-chlorians.

Jinn's training to retain his identity after death led him to new philosophies, ones unknown to the Jedi Order of the time. Jinn learned that there were two sides to the Force, a Living Force channeled by the energies of all living beings, and the Cosmic Force into which it fed. It was this symbiotic relationship that allowed the Force to bind the galaxy together, and speak to living beings through the midi-chlorians.

## Powers and abilities

### Lightsaber combat

Qui-Gon Jinn, from a young age, exhibited promising talent in lightsaber combat while still a mere trainee. He proved his skills during a lightsaber tournament held in the Exhibition Day, in which he made short work of all his opponents and ultimately bested Tahl in the final round, impressing many Jedi Masters and Dooku, one of the greatest lightsaber duelists in the Order, was impressed enough to take Jinn in as his Padawan. Refining his skills under Dooku's tutelage, Jinn became one of the Order's finest duelists, and he could easily defeat many enemies and he frequently sparred with many of his skilled contemporaries: his mentor, Dooku; Mace Windu, the creator of Vaapad; and Jedi Weapon Master Anoon Bondara. He also fought Xanatos always to a draw and even once managed to defeat him, wounding him in the shoulder and disarming him of Kenobi's lightsaber. Jinn was also able to battle Darth Maul, matching Maul long enough to escape unharmed in their first duel despite growing steadily tired and putting up a fight for a while despite being heavily fatigued and disadvantaged by Maul's knowledge of Jinn's fighting style before being finally struck down.

Jinn was incredibly skilled in the fourth form of lightsaber combat, Ataru, being considered one of the greatest masters of the form among the Jedi. In combat, his bladework was wide and powerful, marked by heavy, two-handed slashes and sudden flourishes to cover his flanks. Jinn's mastery of Ataru was such that he could easily defeat blaster-wielding opponents despite the form's weakness to blaster fire. Rather than engaging in the energetic acrobatics typical of most Ataru specialists, Jinn, at least in his later years, tended to stay grounded during lightsaber duels. That being said, he remained fully capable of utilizing acrobatic attacks and maneuvers during combat. Jinn was also capable of effectively employing unarmed combat strikes into his lightsaber sequences.

However, Jinn was not without his weaknesses. Dooku had sparred with him plenty of times and knew every single flaw in the Ataru form. In his elder years, Jinn's strength and physical ability began to diminish from age, and his primary edge was derived from his experience and intuition rather than from his physical attributes. His flagging stamina became a particularly notable issue due to his practice of Ataru, an incredibly tiring combat form even under ideal circumstances. Despite his mastery of Ataru, Jinn was still prey to some of the form's flaws, namely the weak defense and the lack of effectiveness in confined spaces. All these weaknesses came into play during his final duel against Darth Maul. During the duel, Jinn saw an opportunity to redirect the duel to a small melting pit room in the Naboo power core. Jinn hoped to use the confined space to prevent Maul from bringing his saberstaff to bear, giving himself the advantage. However, Maul was aware of what Jinn was attempting to accomplish, and believed that the negative effects that a small space would have on his own technique were negligible compared to the effects it would have on Jinn's. Maul allowed himself to be pushed into the melting pit room, and there, Jinn's strategy backfired as Maul had hoped it would. Closed in, forced onto the defensive, and heavily fatigued from the long duel leading up to this, Jinn was brought down. These flaws in Jinn's technique were apparent enough that Darth Maul reasoned out exactly how he could kill Jinn after less than a minute of being exposed to the Jedi Master's fighting style.

Ataru was not Jinn's only fighting style, and he had learned other forms of lightsaber combat, possibly to better handle the weaknesses of Form IV. Being apprenticed to Dooku, the greatest master of Makashi of the time, it is apparent that Jinn learned the classical dueling form of Makashi from his master and he was versed enough to effectively incorporate its maneuvers into his dueling style. Not only was Form II more effective against a single lightsaber-wielding opponent, but it was also more grounded, as demonstrated in Jinn's duels with Darth Maul. His knowledge was also great enough that he apparently taught Xanatos how to use Makashi. He seemed to have been well-trained in Shien and Soresu, as he could easily handle blaster-wielding opponents. When he and Kenobi fought Taxer Sundown's hypnotized soldiers, who were wielding training lightsabers, he displayed a level of mastery of Shii-Cho shared with Kit Fisto, albeit at a lesser degree.

At one point during his training, Jinn tried using a whip, only to find that it "tangles easily." Nonetheless, he had gained some knowledge on how to combat opponents armed with lightwhips, vibro-whips, and other whip-like weapons.

During combat, Jinn preferred to adjust his technique based on the needs of the moment, rather than focusing on an overall strategy. On Esseles, to conserve the diminishing charge in his lightsaber, he used his grappling spike launcher to snare two battle droids and yanked them off their feet.

### Force talents

A philosophical warrior, Qui-Gon Jinn believed heavily in what he referred to as the "Living Force," a method of focusing on the moment rather than contemplating the Force in all its degrees. It has been suggested that an ability such as this would have been conducive to stopping Palpatine's rise to power; as the Jedi focused on the Separatist threat to the future of the Galactic Republic, they failed to examine the moment more closely.[*source?*]

Jinn had considerable skill with telekinesis: lifting people or objects, dislodging enemies with a single Force Push, throwing objects onto a desired target, swerving a shooter's weapon hand out of range, and dismantling droids. During his mission to rescue Adi Gallia, he used a Saber Throw to dislodge a droid attached to a turbolift shaft. He also applied a meditative trance known as Serenity, granting him renewed strength and focus, as seen during the momentary break in his final duel with Darth Maul.

Jinn was exceptionally skilled in mind tricks, as was evident when he convinced Boss Nass to lend him, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Jar Jar Binks a transport to Theed. An extraordinary account of his using this power was when he persuaded a Hutt guard working for Offworld to give him access to Xanatos' private office on Bandomeer—a truly remarkable feat, as the Hutt species possessed a level of natural resistance to Force suggestion that bordered on immunity. He was able to receive Force visions, despite his preference to focus on the present rather than the future. In addition, he had some knowledge of Force healing, as displayed in his futile attempt to save Tahl moments before her death.

One of Jinn's lesser known Force powers was animal friendship. On the unknown blue planet, he controlled the mind of a draigon and rode on its back for as long as he needed until he reached his destination. Later, he took a mental hold on a kudana during his and Kenobi's mission on Rutan.

When a blind Tahl improved her other senses, Jinn was inspired to do the same. On Kegan, he used his sense of smell to help him and Adi Gallia slip out of the Gathering Circle unnoticed. He could also control his breathing for a considerable amount of time; he would be able to render himself immune to various poisons, as well as remain still and hide his life signature from probe droids.

Due to Jinn's belief in the Living Force, he studied the ability to retain his consciousness after death and managed to achieve an incomplete mastery, able to become a Force ghost after he died at the hands of Maul, but he was not able to manifest himself and could only speak to others.

### Other skills

When Dooku took Qui-Gon Jinn as his Padawan, he noted the boy's mind as "excellent," able to collect data and catalog them for a conclusion in less than a minute. This would serve Jinn well in future missions.

Jinn had a vast knowledge of the architecture of many capital ships and large transports, and understood their abilities and vulnerable points, including the engineering and structure of the Trade Federation's landing craft. Because of this knowledge, both he and Kenobi were able to sneak onto separate ships and stow away until they reached the swamps of Naboo. He also exceeded Dooku in repairs, which his then-mentor acknowledged.

While he usually let Kenobi handle driving a transport as the Padawan got older, Jinn did have some skill in piloting various speeders and every type of flying craft. He drove an Agri-Corps boat and an Offworld landspeeder during his time on Bandomeer. His first time with a swoop had been difficult, but he quickly managed to control it. He later flew a Galan starfighter while bringing Tahl back to Coruscant to recuperate after their mission on Melida/Daan. On his second mission to Telos, he navigated a gravsled to prevent Xanatos from escaping. On Rutan, he briefly took the controls of Prince Taroon's transport to land them and Kenobi safely as the nervous young Rutanian shook the ship.

Jinn's linguistic capabilities were also notable. He was fluent in many languages, including Basic, Nelvaanese, Cerean, Gran and Shyriiwook.