Breaking Down The Father-Son Relationship Between Qui-Gon Jinn And Obi-Wan Kenobi
The Obi-Wan Kenobi series premieres May 27 on Disney+ with a double episode to kick off the mysterious story of the exiled Obi-Wan Kenobi between the events of Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope. There is a chance that we might get to see Obi-Wan’s former master Qui-Gon Jinn again. We know from the finale of Revenge of the Sith that Yoda talked to Obi-Wan about how to communicate with his deceased master, who learned to preserve his living essence as a Force ghost. Given how little the movies explore Obi-Wan's relationship with his old master, let us jump into the details of what we know about the story behind the Jedi Master and his Padawan and explore the things we should know about their relationship before Obi-Wan Kenobi premieres.
Qui-Gon Chooses Obi-Wan As His Apprentice
"It worries me, this misunderstanding between you and your Padawan. This isn't the first time you've reported such difficulties."
"It worries me as well. Obi-Wan is strong in the Force, and eager to do his duty. The failure must be mine. Fundamentally, I fear we are a mismatch."
―Depa Billaba and Qui-Gon Jinn, about Obi-Wan Kenobi's training
The canon novel Star Wars: Master & Apprentice written by Claudia Gray set the beginning of Obi-Wan's relationship with his master when he was selected as Qui-Gon Jinn's Padawan at the age of twelve. Qui-Gon was known for following the ancient Jedi ways of going with one's instincts instead of relying on the Jedi Council's directions, and also for having a strong affinity for ancient Jedi prophecy research. He tried to adapt his own methods to his Padawan but ultimately failed. At a young age, Obi-Wan demonstrated his divergence from his master’s philosophy and disregard for the laws that bind the Jedi. Despite the struggles in the early days of his training, Obi-Wan still respected and tried to comprehend Qui-Gon's approaches to the Force. He even modeled his first lightsaber after his master's hilt design.
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In an interview, author Claudia Gray revealed that the inflexibility in the two’s different views was what drove the plot of the novel, and how it impacted their early days together. Throughout this journey, Obi-Wan followed the rules because he was convinced they were the right thing to do. However, he would later learn that his master’s unorthodox philosophy also offered valuable insight. Whereas for Qui-Gon, the journey focused on his self-doubt in being a good mentor figure to Obi-Wan and how his approaches could interfere with Obi-Wan’s future success as a Jedi Knight. In the end, Obi-Wan accepted his master’s distancing from the Jedi Council and modern Jedi teachings and grew to become more serious and respectful of the Jedi Council's directions.
The Phantom Menace
During the events of The Phantom Menace, Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon were sent to meet with Viceroy Nute Gunray, leader of the Trade Federation, to resolve a dispute that provoked their blockade of the planet Naboo. After a series of events in which the Jedi were forced to flee to the surface of Naboo, they encountered a peculiar Gungan named Jar Jar Binks. The Gungan’s treatment would highlight the difference in the two’s personalities. Qui-Gon focused on the best attributes in the people around him. On the other hand, Obi-Wan would find himself constantly irritated with Jar Jar’s behavior.
This movie was the first and (in a way) the last time we saw Qui-Gon Jinn in the main Star Wars timeline. Despite many missed opportunities to expand on Obi-Wan's relationship with his master in this film, Qui-Gon had a heart-to-heart conversation with Obi-Wan during the third act right before the climactic duel with Darth Maul:
"You've been a good apprentice, Obi-Wan, and you are a much wiser man than I am. I foresee you will become a great Jedi Knight."
While some interpreted this as Qui-Gon dismissing Obi-Wan in order to open up the way to train a very young Anakin Skywalker, Star Wars: Master & Apprentice revealed that Obi-Wan's journey as a Padawan was indeed completed by this point. Qui-Gon had already determined that Obi-Wan was ready to take the next step in becoming a Jedi Knight. However, fate would change everything when Qui-Gon perished in a duel against Darth Maul, leaving Obi-Wan to train Anakin Skywalker, whom he would take on as per his master's last will.
The Clone Wars: Qui-Gon's Force Ghost Manifests
"Have you done as I asked? Have you trained the boy?"
"Master Qui-Gon, how are you here?"
"I am here because you are here."
―Qui-Gon Jinn to Obi-Wan Kenobi, manifested as a Force ghost on Mortis.
During the events of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, we end up in an interesting and rather abstract narrative arc in which Obi-Wan, Anakin, and Ahsoka ended up trapped in the world of Mortis, a legendary ethereal realm within the Force. Here, the strong concentration of the Force allowed Qui-Gon to physically manifest his consciousness as a Force ghost for the first and only time. At the time, Obi-Wan thought this to be an illusion of the Force. It happened that in his study of the old Jedi ways, Qui-Gon encountered a group of mysterious Force wielders called the Whills, who taught him how to preserve his consciousness after death. However, his training was not complete. As far as we know, he was never able to manifest his ghost outside Mortis. Even though their short conversation was centered around Anakin, the interaction showed Qui-Gon's interest in continuing to guide his old Padawan in the afterlife. This could set up the ground for what we might see soon in Obi-Wan Kenobi.
Later, during the events of Revenge of the Sith, Obi-Wan learned from Yoda that his former master did become one with the Force. Yoda then taught Kenobi to communicate with his deceased master so that he may once more receive Qui-Gon mentorship and guidance.
The Apprentice And The Father
There are some assumptions we can make about the deeper meanings of Obi-Wan Kenobi's relationship with Qui-Gon Jinn. The early experiences that they had as master and apprentice reflected a deep concern from both parties around the idea of failure. Qui-Gon was concerned about his teaching methods hindering Obi-Wan's development as a Jedi, leading him to reconsider whether or not he was the best mentor figure for Obi-Wan. On the flip side, Obi-Wan was worried that he was not good enough for his master, especially since in Master & Apprentice Qui-Gon did not reveal his personal thoughts about joining the Jedi Council to Obi-Wan. We could see how these characters’ shared stories created a narrative of a family where the father and the son constantly tried to live up to what they each believed to be the expectations of the other. In the end, they were able to resolve the differences in their conflicting interpretation of the Force and the Jedi Code, and form a close personal bond of mentorship, friendship, and to some degree, parenthood.
In Disney Gallery: The Mandalorian Dave Filoni explained that the "Duel of the Fates" between Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon against Darth Maul had a deeper meaning in the Star Wars story than just a character's death. We learned that if Qui-Gon had been the one to train Anakin, he would have been the father figure the child needed. Anakin would learn to deal with his emotions and not give in to the temptation of the dark side later on in life. Qui-Gon’s nature as a father figure was what both Obi-Wan and Anakin needed in their early training. Sadly, only one of them was able to experience it. Despite the problems Obi-Wan had as Qui-Gon's Padawan, he did have the father he needed to become a much better Jedi he would have been otherwise. With Qui-Gon’s guidance, he would become one of the best in the Star Wars mythos.
What do you think will happen in Obi-Wan Kenobi? Will we see Qui-Gon again? Will we get to delve into his relationship with Obi-Wan? Will Qui-Gon bring new moral lessons for Obi-Wan?
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Source(s): Naboo News, TheForce.net, IGN, Wookieepedia, The Disney Wiki