Have you ever wondered what would have happened if Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn had lived? What if he became Anakin Skywalker’s master instead of Obi-Wan Kenobi? Could he have prevented Anakin’s fall to the dark side?
What if Qui-Gon knew all along that Anakin would become Darth Vader?
Read on as we discuss these intriguing questions and theories.
Contents
Who is Qui-Gon Jinn?
Qui-Gon Jinn was a Jedi Master whose only film appearance came in Episode I: The Phantom Menace.
Originally trained as a Jedi by Count Dooku, Qui-Gon later took on Obi-Wan Kenobi as his Padawan.
Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan met Anakin Skywalker, a slave boy from Tatooine who was strong in the Force.
Qui-Gon arranged for Anakin’s freedom and took him to the Jedi Council, insisting he was the prophesied Chosen One who would bring balance to the Force.
The Council sensed darkness within the boy and claimed he was too old to begin Jedi training. Qui-Gon was considered a maverick, however, and planned to take on Anakin as his next Padawan regardless of the Council’s will on the matter.
Shortly thereafter, Darth Maul killed Qui-Gon in a duel. With his dying breath, he begged Obi-Wan to train Anakin, restating his belief that Anakin was the Chosen One.
Did Qui-Gon Know Anakin Would Become Darth Vader?
A recent fan theory surfaced that Qui-Gon knew from the very beginning that Anakin was destined to become Darth Vader, yet brought him to be trained as a Jedi anyway.
Qui-Gon understood Anakin’s great strength in the Force; and if the other Jedi sensed the darkness within the boy, surely Qui-Gon could as well.
Throughout the Star Wars saga, many characters speak of seeing into the future.
Palpatine often spoke of foreseeing events, Luke foresaw his friends running into trouble on Cloud City, and Leia left her brother’s Jedi Order when she saw her son falling to the dark side. Even Darth Maul foresaw that Anakin would wreak havoc on the Jedi Order.
These are just a few examples, but they indicate that seeing into the future is an ordinary power among the Force-sensitive. With this in mind, one might ask, why wouldn’t Qui-Gon know about Anakin’s eventual downfall?
It’s never made clear in the Star Wars films what Qui-Gon expected Anakin to become; he doesn’t define the meaning behind the prophecy of the Chosen One.
All we know is that this “Chosen One” was to bring balance to the Force, and Qui-Gon believed Anakin to be this Chosen One.
But it seems not only possible but likely that Qui-Gon knew the whole truth. Perhaps he knew that the darkness in Anakin was the only thing that could restore balance.
As noted, Qui-Gon was seen as a maverick among the Jedi. He didn’t fit the strict mold of the Jedi Order in his day, and his ways were seen as unconventional. Perhaps he saw that the Jedi Order, as it was, would have to fall and be reborn.
Perhaps he understood, better than any Jedi in his day, the need for darkness to balance the light.
Could Qui-Gon Have Saved Anakin?
There is a lot of evidence to suggest that Anakin would not have become Darth Vader had Qui-Gon lived long enough to train him.
Qui-Gon would have understood Anakin’s dark side better than any other Jedi and would have known how to handle it. Anakin would have found in Qui-Gon a kindred spirit, a father figure who could have guided him into a path that accepted the balance between light and darkness.
Beyond that, Qui-Gon may have been the only Jedi who understood the purpose of darkness–the only one who would have accepted the darkness within Anakin.
All the other Jedi feared the dark side’s power, and this fear engendered mistrust, which in turn created a strained relationship between Anakin and the other Jedi. It was, perhaps, this mutual mistrust and disrespect that made Anakin vulnerable to Palpatine’s cunning ways.
Had Anakin’s darkness been understood, it could have been tempered. It would not have been seen as an evil to conquer, but a natural balance to the light.
Qui-Gon understood, as Anakin did, the hypocrisy within the Jedi Order–that they attempted to maintain peace through the use of force, and that they were intent on destroying darkness by whatever means necessary.
We saw this when Mace Windu confronted Palpatine with the intent to kill him after learning of his Sith identity. The Jedi, who were supposed to represent the light, were using the dark side’s tactics to defeat the dark side.
In the process, the dark side won the day, and the pendulum swung from the light to the darkness as the Sith overcame the Jedi.
Had Qui-Gon lived, Anakin would not have fallen prey to Palpatine and the dark side. The balance of light and dark, which existed within them both, likely would have allowed them to uncover Palpatine’s plot much sooner, in turn greatly changing the tide of Star Wars history.
So yes; Qui-Gon could have saved Anakin and prevented his fall to the dark side; and in the process, he may have been able to save the Jedi Order as well.
Conclusion
It is possible and likely that Qui-Gon Jinn foresaw Anakin’s eventual fall to the dark side; yet, he would have understood that the darkness within him was the necessary component to bring balance to the Force.
Had Qui-Gon lived and been able to train Anakin, Anakin probably would not have become Darth Vader. Instead, he would have learned under a father figure who could have helped him learn to manage the light and the darkness within him.
Sarah Hood is a freelance content writer and editor with a love for all things Star Wars. When she’s not writing, she enjoys cooking, singing, and spending time in the great outdoors.