The death of Qui-Gon Jinn in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace is no doubt one of the most pivotal moments in the Skywalker saga, but I still think it was a big mistake for Star Wars. Qui-Gon’s death is perhaps one of the most analyzed moments in the Star Wars prequel trilogy, due to how influential this event was on Anakin Skywalker – particularly his eventual fall to the dark side. The Duel of the Fates is named for this reason, as it’s a duel over the fate of Anakin’s destiny – one that Qui-Gon, unfortunately, loses.

As pivotal as it is, however, I still think it was a mistake to lose a character like Qui-Gon. After all, he’s portrayed by Liam Neeson, an iconic star who brings such a fresh perspective to Qui-Gon’s character and that particular era of Star Wars. As the former Padawan of Count Dooku, Qui-Gon also has key character connections and relationships that no other character really has. While I do wholeheartedly understand the reasoning behind his death, this is why I think Star Wars should have let Qui-Gon live instead.

Qui-Gon Is Still One Of Star Wars’ Most Interesting Jedi

After 26 Years, He Still Has The Freshest Perspective On The Jedi

26 years after the release of The Phantom Menace and thus the introduction of Qui-Gon himself, he’s still one of the franchise’s most interesting Jedi to date. His perspective on the Force was, at the time, unlike anything else, and his calm willingness to bend the rules of the Jedi Code in order to do what he thought was right was very refreshing in an era where the Jedi were less lenient than ever before. As the Jedi tasked with introducing midichlorians (also known as M-count), Qui-Gon truly stood apart from the rest of the Jedi.

Unfortunately, no other Jedi introduced in this era has really set themselves apart the way Qui-Gon did, and that leaves me wondering what more we could have seen from Qui-Gon. I think Qui-Gon being this way is what helped to make Obi-Wan a more versatile (and, though he would never admit it, a more relaxed) Jedi, as the Obi-Wan we know in the latter two prequel movies and in Star Wars: The Clone Wars is vastly different from the rule-following Padawan in The Phantom Menace. I would have loved to see how Qui-Gon influenced him like that.

The Jedi Could Have Used Qui-Gon’s Voice During The Clone Wars

He Wasn’t Afraid To Face The Council

It’s no secret that the Jedi Order was very flawed even before the Clone Wars broke out, but their heavy participation in said war led even further to their eventual downfall during Order 66. Much of this had to do with them focusing on the wrong things, which were things that Qui-Gon no doubt would have voiced and advocated for without restraint. The Phantom Menace proved that Qui-Gon was not only willing to face the Jedi Council directly, but also that he was willing to defy them if necessary, and the Jedi needed more people like that during this time.

As a Jedi who yearned to help rid the galaxy of its slavery problem, as seen in Claudia Gray’s Master and Apprentice novel, Qui-Gon would have been very vocal about the wrongness of the Jedi’s actions during the war. While one voice may not have been enough to dissuade the Jedi from every bad decision they made, Qui-Gon’s would certainly have carried more weight than others. As Count Dooku’s former Padawan, it also would have been both fascinating and interesting to see how Qui-Gon reckoned with his former master’s actions – though Qui-Gon’s death played a key role in that, too.

So Much Potential Died Along With Qui-Gon Himself

There Was So Much More Left To Explore With This Character

All in all, there was so much potential in Qui-Gon’s character that I would have loved to see beyond his tenure in The Phantom Menace. Thankfully, we have gotten some bits and pieces of his life before then, in the aforementioned Master and Apprentice novel, the animated Tales of the Jedi series, and more, but I can’t help feeling sad that he wasn’t around for events as major as the Clone Wars. It could still have been the case that Qui-Gon died before Anakin’s fall to the dark side, but that it happened later on, after bonds were formed.

Of course, it’s also the case that Qui-Gon’s training of Anakin could have prevented his eventual fall altogether, but it’s difficult to say. Either way, I honestly just would have loved to see the potential we really had with Qui-Gon in The Phantom Menace go on. His character has always been a fan-favorite, and I think getting more of his perspective within the Jedi Order over time would have been really fascinating. I get why The Phantom Menace made this decision, but I still think that wasting Qui-Gon’s potential was a big mistake.