1. Is the character static______ or dynamic_______? What makes 
 you think so?
 
2. a. What type of person is the character? 
 b. What parts of the story make you feel this way about the
 character? 
 
3. In what ways has society or the environment created the
 character? 
 
4. How is this character's society different than yours? 
 (*Note Remember society is more than just one person.)
 
5. a. How does the character appear to other characters? 
 (Be specific about which characters.)
 
Which Characters? Their opinions about the chosen character.
 
______________ ____________________________________________
 
______________ ____________________________________________
 
______________ ____________________________________________
 
______________ ____________________________________________
 
______________ ____________________________________________
 
 b. Is the character aware of how he/she appears to others? Yes__ No__ Explain
 c. How self aware is the character?
 Very little 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Completely (Circle one) 
Explain your choice 
 
6. a. How does the character view his/her own world? 
 b. Is this view realistic? Yes__ No__ Why?
 
7. Would a person behave in real life like the character does in
 the story? Yes__ No__ 
 Explain in detail. 
 
8. a. What type of person is the author in your opinion, based 
upon the story or stories written. 
 b. What do you think led the author to write this way? 
 
9. Is the character complex/round _____ or simple/flat _____? 
(*Note How many things do you know about the character. Detail 
 and variety make a character complex.) Explain your choice. 
 

A Character Analysis of Qui-Gon Jinn
  By Dedalus (Paul)

Qui-Gon: Your focus determines your reality. On some Star Wars forums on the Internet, Qui-Gon, Episode One's central character and Jedi master, has been described as a "vessel" of the Force. Without questioning or unnecessary thought, he relies on feeling and intuition. Though this makes him a somewhat controversial figure, to me this single-mindedness is a virtue. He has learned to rely on the intangible powers of the Force. In this regard, he really is the purest Jedi we have seen onscreen.

Ironically, this puts him at odds with the very Jedi Council who trained him. Qui-Gon does not allow himself to be chained to the social conventions of the Old Republic, and simply follows the "will of the Force" as best he can. According to an interview with Liam Neeson in Movieline magazine, it was Qui-Gon who turned down a seat on the Jedi Council as opposed to the other way around. He is a maverick only in that he feels he can serve the Force by ignoring the mandates of the Council at times. This should cause the motives of the Council to be called into question, not Qui-Gon's. There is plenty of mythical precedence to establish this.

In an earth-bound analogy, it would not be unlike a priest or a monk questioning the Church so that he or she might better serve God. Same problem here. The Jedi Council is as mired in bureaucracy and politics as the Senate. The Episode One Visual Dictionary states this succinctly: "Through the guidance of the Galactic Senate, civilization grew and the Republic became prosperous. But the price of comfort was weakness. The institutions of government became decadent and Jedi numbers dwindled to a mere ten thousand. Now, the Force itself is unbalanced and great change seems imminent" (6). The bourgeois nature of the Republic was taking its toll on the Jedi way of life as well. This is the antithesis of the Force.

The Force is inherently dynamic, whereas institutions are static by necessity. Even a system founded on something as energetic, unbounded, and spiritual as the Force eventually stagnates and falls into the snares of dogma and formula. This is the case with the Council. They do not respond with enthusiasm when Qui-Gon brings the Chosen One before them. And this is not because of fear, as some have suggested. Even though Anakin is destined to "bring balance to the Force" as the TPM prophecy foretells, and be a kind of Jedi messiah, the Council members, including Yoda and Mace Windu, only greet him with cold stares and stern answers. They also cast suspicious glances among themselves. They have stifled themselves to the point at which anything new or dynamic is met with cynicism. They fear change, even as dictated by the Force. The status quo had successfully replaced the will of the Force and led to a bemused apathy.

As a type of intergalactic Thoreau, Qui-Gon, in contrast, follows the beat of a different drummer and performs little acts of "civil disobedience" which confound his own apprentice. "Do not defy the Council, Master, not again," Obi-Wan says.

It seems interesting to me that the status quo, though very different in the prequel trilogy than in the original trilogy, is still presented in a negative way. Though the Republic is merely decaying in Episode One as opposed to the totalitarian Empire that has arisen in Episode Four, the status quo in the former is almost more insidious than in the latter. Ambiguity seems to play a bigger role in the prequel trilogy. Certainly it does if my take on the Jedi Council is correct.

One of the major influences on the SW saga was Joseph Campbell's now classic book on mythology, The Hero With A Thousand Faces. In it, he tells how the enemy is always in the seat of power, whereas the hero has to rise from obscurity. In TPM, the Republic and the Jedi Council are in command, and young Anakin Skywalker rises from his status as a mere slave boy on Tatooine.

There are many things, at least in this context, which are troubling about the Council. For one thing, the imagery is all wrong. The Jedi Temple is located in the middle of Coruscant, the governmental center of the galaxy. It is the seat of technology and civilization, two things that in the original trilogy are associated most strongly with the Empire. Lucas has labeled the rebels and the few remaining Jedi in the OT "Nature people," more organic than the regimented Empire. Before TPM, Jedi have always been depicted as living in swamps or deserts, which would keep them more closely in tune with the Force if it is, as I believe, a natural phenomenon. It is also ironic that Lucas would put the Council meeting room at the Temple in what looks, cliche and all, like an ivory tower. Perhaps that is no coincidence.

It is the individual rather than the system that has always made he difference in the SW galaxy. The other day I was reading an introduction that Oliver Goldman had written to his classic novel, The Lord of The Flies. In it he states that no system, be it political, social, or religious, no matter how logical or reasonably sounding, can ever replaced the ethical dictates of the individual. And Qui-Gon is nothing if not an individual.

Qui-Gon and the Jedi knights share their individualism with the knights of the European Grail legend. The search for the Holy Grail launched by the knights of the Round Table can be seen as a metaphor for the development of Western culture. When the knights begin their search, each follows his own path into the forest. Many scholars cite this as the first expression of the Western ideal of the individual. And there are more parallels. The Old Republic is an obvious stand-in for Camelot in its waning years. Both are past their prime, and both are stagnating. They are, to use T.S. Eliot's term, the Wasteland.

In The Power of Myth series, Joseph Campbell talks of the monastic version of the Grail story. In this interpretation, the Grail was brought down through the middle of the war in heaven by neutral angels. According to Campbell, "It represents that spiritual path that is between pairs of opposites, between fear and desire, between good and evil." In short, it was the balance between heaven and hell.

In TPM, Anakin as the "Chosen One" seemed to be an embodiment of the Holy Grail. He was the way in which the Force would be balanced, and through which the new, dynamic spiritual energy would be channeled to the rest of the galaxy. Confident that this restoration will take place, Qui-Gon then steps into the boots of Sir Galahad. Though there is no Jedi Siege Perilous seat, he, like Galahad, would be the "purest knight," the one allowed to find the Grail. I consider the Queen's Nubian ship to be something of a stand-in for that ship which carried Joseph of Aramathia, and later Galahad, on their respective quests, seemingly by accident. And also like Galahad, Qui-Gon doesn't live long after the prize is found.

There are many other contexts in which the interplay between the restless Qui-Gon and the orthodox-dominated Jedi Council unfolds. There is a strong Nietzschean parallel, for instance. Lucas' primary mentor was Joseph Campbell, and Nietzsche was one of Campbell's three favorite philosophers. In a quasi-parable in the classic Thus Spake Zarathrustra, Nietzsche noted the three transformations of spirit in a human being, as well as a dragon two of them confront. The first is that of youth, which is represented by a camel. The camel is subservient and obedient to the dragon. The dragon is a great beast with plates on its back, all of which are written the words "Thou shalt." It represents society in all its grandeur and decadence. It is the establishment, with all its rules and regulations. The camel of youth willingly accepts and carries whatever loads the dragon puts on its back. The second stage is that of maturity, which is represented by the lion. This is the active spirit as opposed to the passivity of the camel. The lion roars and rebels against the dragon, and in most cases, must successfully slay it. With this act comes the third and final stage, which is represented by a child. The child, as Campbell puts it in Myth, is "moving out of its own nature, like a wheel impelled from its own hub." It does not, nor does it need to, follow any societal system.

It seems to me that Episode One is a close echo of this in certain scenes. The Council represents the dragon, its Jedi Code derivative of the "Thou shalt" plates on the dragon's back. Obi-Wan is the obedient pupil, and therefore the camel. Qui-Gon is the mature master, and as rebellious as the lion. Anakin is the natural Force user far beyond rules and boundaries, and is literally a child.

Change is very big in TPM. To quote Anakin's mother Shmi, "But you can't stop the change anymore than you can stop the suns from setting." Change is imminent. And even within in the context of TPM the Nietzschean parallel changes for all the characters. By the end of the film, the stages have become a kind of cycle. The pivotal event for this is the death of Qui-Gon at the hands of the Sith Lord Darth Maul. Up until this point, Obi-Wan has been the dutiful apprentice who answers most questions or commands with "Yes, master." But after Qui-Gon falls, Obi-Wan takes over the screen during the ensuing lightsaber battle. He has become the lion, and Darth Maul is the first "dragon" he slays, a representative of the decaying system of the Sith order.

I find it very important that Obi-Wan uses Qui-Gon's saber to kill Maul. The passing of lightsabers in SW is always symbolic of the recipient BECOMING the giver. In the OT, for example, old Ben giving Luke his father's lightsaber was a visual metaphor to demonstrate that Luke was on his way to BECOMING a Jedi like Anakin (and Ben). The same thing occurs in TPM. Obi-Wan is no longer subservient or docile after he has taken Qui-Gon's saber. When he is knighted by Yoda, he challenges the Council's authority for the first time. "Qui-Gon's defiance I sense in you, Need that you do not," Yoda tells him. Anakin, in turn, has become a Padawan learner under the authority of the Jedi Council. He is now the student, signified by his Padawan braid, and thus has become the camel.

George Lucas said early on that Liam Neeson, the actor who brought Qui-Gon Jinn to life, was the center of the movie. This interesting phraseology got me thinking even more. The notion of the "center" is very vital to myth. One of the best examples of Qui-Gon's centeredness is during the balletic three-way lightsaber duel under the palace of Theed. He, Obi-Wan, and Darth Maul are all engaged in fierce combat. In the middle of the fight, all three are separated by a series of red force fields. The fight is stopped in mid-battle, and its combatants are forced to stop and refocus. Their behavior in this scene is representative of each of the warrior's relationship to the Force. Maul paces like a wild tiger, unable to overcome the lust for revenge that consumes him. His relationship with the Force is all anger and aggression. Obi-Wan is not as bad as Maul, but he is still anxious and ready to continue. His relationship with the Force is that of a young Padawan, very serious, but also brash and impatient, and not quite so sure footed. Qui-Gon is right in the middle of them, in the center field, Maul tries to intimidate him with pacing and staring, but to no avail. Qui-Gon simply kneels, closes his eyes, and begins quietly meditating. Totally centered, totally at peace, he is able to quiet his mind, even in the middle of the fight of his life. He is at one with the Force, the pure vessel who knows neither fear nor hate. This refocusing seems incredible, but one could easily be led to the idea that he was every bit that centered WHILE THE FIGHT WAS STILL RAGING.

There is a neat visual example of Qui-Gon's place at the center in the film. Lucas goes out of his way in the annotated screenplay to point out this in the first scene in the Jedi Temple. Qui-Gon stands in a tall, stately room, Twelve Jedi sit in a semi-circle. Obi-Wan stands behind Qui-Gon in the center of the room. I can't get this image out of my head. To put a Buddhist spin on this, it is as if the Jedi Council represent the Wheel of Samsara, the perpetual cycle of becoming. Qui-Gon is at the center, symbolic of Nirvana, which is nowhere at all. It is a state of consciousness, Force consciousness, as this mythology might call it. He is the one who has found the new way, or Middle Way, of the Chosen One. And just like Guatama, the Buddha, he must go past the Yogis of his time, which are represented by the Jedi Council.

Many fans have sided with the Jedi Council in this controversy, citing all the harm Anakin, as Darth Vader, is destined to do, but I disagree. True, there is a long history of friction between Qui-Gon and the Council which we can only gleam from brief scenes in the film and novelization, but it seems to me that that is enough. For instance, in the dispute we see, Qui-Gon confronts the Council on two issues. First, that the Sith have returned, and second, that Anakin is the Chosen One. They do not believe him on either count. As we now know, the Sith have returned (and with a vengeance), and according to Lucas, Anakin is the Chosen One. So in the single dispute we see erupt between Qui-Gon and the Council, he is proven right on both of his issues, whereas they are proven wrong.

Another issue that has loomed large in fan discussion of Qui-Gon is his non-disappearance. Some have jumped to the conclusion that because he did not disappear when he died meant that he did not become one with the Force. As Lucas stated in the OT annotated screenplays, the case is just the contrary. The ability to disappear and then come back in spirit form is a result of NOT becoming one with the Force. One couldn't retain their personal identity after their energy had been absorbed by the energy of the universe if this wasn't the case. In the original TPM screenplay, Obi-Wan even said at his master's funeral, "He is one with the Force, Anakin ... You must let it go." In Star Wars: A New Hope, Vader seemed almost surprised when Ben vanished. He used his boot to fish around his fallen robes as though he wasn't quite sure what had happened. Vader had arguably seen hundreds, if not thousands, of Jedi die during the Purge. This was a first time.

I have a theory that if Liam does indeed make a cameo in Episode Two, it will be because Qui-Gon was so in tune, such a pure vessel of the Force in his physical incarnation that when he dies he is the first who learns the ability of coming back in spirit form and passes that talent on to Yoda or Obi-Wan. If so, this will have major implications. In ANH, for example, I'm not sure Ben would have been so quick to sacrifice himself had he not known he would still be able to communicate with and guide Luke on some level.

Qui-Gon's death was a turning point in the saga, regardless of my theory. It was the first time we, the audience, see a Jedi ruthlessly cut down without first having time to come to terms with his death. Maul takes a cheap shot, stunning Qui-Gon with his lightsaber handle, and then runs him through. It is a brief, tragic foreshadowing of what awaits us in Episode Three when Anakin turns to the Dark Side and helps Emperor Palpatine hunt down and kill the Jedi.

I like the idea that Qui-Gon couldn't survive past TPM because he was such a pure vessel. Lucas has hinted that the balance of the Force will slip even farther in the two episodes to come, and that everything will become "gray." It is no longer a galaxy for Jedi such as Qui-Gon. He couldn't survive the "dark times." And his cremation was appropriate. The consuming of a body by fire was thought to be a purifying exercise in certain tribal cultures, and signified the release of the spirit from the body. Heraclitus used fire as the symbol of the way of nature and the universe. Fire is dynamic, alive, and forever changing.

Finally, some have criticized Qui-Gon for being so in tune with the living Force, the aspect that deals with the present and the life forms living in it, while largely remaining aloof to the cosmic Force. I don't think the two are as mutually exclusive as we are led to believe. They are, after all, both part of the Force. One leads to the other. On some level, I believe Qui-Gon intuitively trusted this. He knew it. For example, he is the one who finds and allows both Jar Jar and Anakin to come along on their galactic road trip. In the short term, Jar Jar performs a vital service in TPM by acting as an intermediary between the Naboo and the Gungans. This not only helps them win back Theed as well as defeat the Trade Federation, but unites the Naboo and the Gungans to form the "symbiont circle" that Obi-Wan spoke of. In the long term, Anakin DOES bring balance to the Force, kills the Emperor, and saves the galaxy. In both cases, Qui-Gon is the cause.
For someone accused of being oblivious to destiny, he set up two of the major characters in this little space opera to fulfill theirs, both in the short and long term. He feels a natural unity with all living things. This is expressed in the film in the visual metaphor of physical contact. For example, Qui-Gon spends forty percent of the film with his hand on someone's shoulder (this statistic courtesy of the Mistress herself). Even during his death scene, he touches a tear away from Obi-Wan's cheek as he cradled him in his arms. Qui-Gon saw potential where others only saw "pathetic life forms."
Qui-Gon is not a man who naively follows whatever is in front of him. He knows that the living Force inevitably links to the cosmic Force. He lives in the present, but with the knowledge that the present shapes the future. As with the Tao, it is like a river leading to the sea.