Star Wars: How Powerful Was Qui-Gon Jinn?

[Music] outspoken maverick Teacher of obi-wan kenobe keeper of the Wills and finder of the chosen one how powerful was qui-gon jinn like many who made up his master apprentice lineage why Gong Jin was a human male taxonomically referred to as Homo sapiens humans were the most common species in the galaxy and were often considered the standard by which the biology physiology and culture of other races were compared though their attributes often varied from person to person humans were specifically noted for their hardiness and adaptability as noted by the Jedi versed the essential guide to the force and the major characters birth years post on Star Wars blogs calm Jin was born in the year 92 BBY making him exactly 60 years old at the time of his death while the Phantom Menace novelization does specify that the Maverick was passed his physical prime various other works have made special note of his advanced physical capabilities at 6 feet 4 inches or 1.9 3 meters tall qui-gon jinn was as imposing as he was powerful sharp blue eyes said atop a pointed jawline gave him the appearance of someone who could look directly through you while a thick set of hands and broad shoulders reinforced his strong athletic build those latter traits in particular are especially notable since strength is Jin's most frequently acclaimed attribute during the Torres Civil War he was able to completely shatter the blaster resistant blade of governor Kryon with a single swing as well ascend his former apprentice Thanatos flying with a single kick fast forward 23 years to TPN and qui-gon was still able to match Darth Maul's strength despite the latter's comparative youth the force behind the Mavericks punches were such that Maul could literally feel the blows shudder throughout his body with every exchange well I do attribute this feat mainly to Jin's physical augmentation he would have needed an at least semi comparable baseline physique to pull something like that off like most Ataru specialist Flygon also possessed exceptional levels of speed and balance speed blitzing criminals on a fairly regular basis and maintaining his footing on the loose Tatooine sands during his first engagement with Maul his manual dexterity was also quite prodigious not only has Jin only been disarmed once which was in a group engagement I might add but he was able to transition between attack and defense sequences purely by instinct while his apprentice eventually outstripped him in regards to durability Jin could still take one hell of a beating before going down tanking the physical strikes leveled against him by zan Atossa and Darth Maul alike however qui-gon jinns physicality was not without its major shortcomings due to his advanced age his agility while still serviceable was no longer compatible with the flamboyant nature of conventional form for blade work forcing him to adjust his lightsaber technique to accommodate Jin's degradation carried over to his stamina his short bout with Maul in the hot desert leaving him visibly exhausted and fatigued being one of if not the major contributing factor to his death of the Sith apprentices hands on Naboo however he still maintained a good level of physical ability despite his age and was able to keep pace with the much fitter Darth Maul for about 80 percent of the duel of faith only starting to tire towards the very end at the end of the day I would say that the most accurate frame of reference for qui-gon jinns physical capabilities would be the character of Darth Bane from the dark vain trilogy particularly its final installment Dynasty of evil ghin may not be quite as muscular a beast as bane but his basic physical attributes are very similar he was an offensive giant who is capable of overpowering all but the most formidable of combatants with consummate ease and while definitely past his prime his still formidable strength coupled with his highly advanced Xterra T and pain threshold made him a powerful foe while there is more than enough information available on qui-gon jinn to dive straight into his capabilities I will be examining the ideals that were prevalent in his era and his personal mentality regarding combat for the sake of completion ISM with the 5th orders seeming destruction and the ruse on reformations demilitarizing the Galactic Republic for the next thousand years the Jedi Order of Jin's time could largely be considered an era of academics at that time the focus was on engagements with blaster wielding assailants not duels projectile defense was the prevailing training method Jedi initiate swert ought as opposed to the more militaristic training they received in days gone by that being said these circumstances were also something of a blessing in disguise since there were no more Sith to wage war against the Jedi were also given ample time to perfect their martial arts techniques in a sparring arena which in turn led to the development of new and innovative styles that could be used in those rare situations where blade to blade combat was necessary furthermore while many Jedi Masters shifted their teaching methods towards dealing with shooters there were still some amongst their ranks who were dedicated to physical combat one of these Jedi just so happened to be master Dooku who was regarded as one of the finest lightsaber masters of his era and Quiggins former master realizing the limitations of over specialization Dooku placed a strong emphasis on swordsmanship when training all his apprentices this leads me to conclude that Jin in accordance with the Canon was a dedicated lightsaber duelist focusing on the physical side of Jedi training addressing his reputation specifically practically every source that has featured qui Gon Jinn has credited him amongst the orders best in order to keep things concise I will be focusing my examination on what I consider to be the most poignant of the Mavericks accolades as noted by the TPM novelization Jin was regarded by his 400 year old lightsaber instructor as his finest student and hailed as one of the most capable field agents of his era his skills and expertise were such that even the acclaimed Jedi battle master unknown bandura labelled him the superior swordsman this reputation even carried over into the Order of the Sith Lords though they never actually engaged in combat both Darth Sidious and his master Darth Plagueis expressed weariness upon learning that qui-gon had been the Jedi Master valorum had sent to Naboo believing that Gunray and his Trade Federation allies would stand no chance against him if a battle were to unfold speaking of Sidious Darth Maul mused that he had never been so greatly challenged by another force wielder since his duel with his master on a remote world think about that verse second during his training of obi-wan Kenobi he engaged the powerful Dark Jedi Thanatos on several occasions and bested him at every turn despite his former students familiarity with the Mavericks tendencies qui-gon jinns most well-known displays were his goals with the Sith apprentice Darth Maul in the Phantom Menace film while he ultimately retreated during their bout on Tatooine Jin still acquitted himself extremely well halting mauls attempts to ambush him and meeting the fists erratic giulia offensives with apparent ease several days later jin and maul would face off again in the feed plasma refinery of Naboo during the fight qui-gon was able to go toe-to-toe with Maul for a lengthy period of time even after he been separated from Kenobi though not depicted in the film The Phantom Menace novelization depicts a scene where Maul uses the time he was trapped between the plasma barriers to bandage several burns and scars marked by chars in his clothing indicating that the Jedi Master had indeed penetrated his defenses and scored several light cuts furthermore while Jin was ultimately killed at the tail end of the duel it is worth noting that much of his defeat owed itself to a combination of Maul capitalizing on Quiggins mounting fatigue and catching him off guard rather than just a superior application of skill this isn't to say that I doubt the 5th supremacy over the Maverick it's just that the gap between them isn't nearly as wide as some would have you believe moving into the more technical side of things Jin's lightsaber technique was a sophisticated expression of martial innovation developed and refined through decades of experience as elaborated in the fight sabre article his primary technique was Ataru the fourth form of classical lightsaber combat also known as the way of the hawk bat Ataru was a fast paced style that employed elaborate flourishing swordplay reinforced by force assisted acrobatics and physical combat techniques to outmaneuver and overpower opponents as an Ataru master Jin was a momentum based offensive fighter who reinforced lightsaber combat with integrated physical combat techniques however despite these adherence 'as his core application of the style differed sharply from conventional methods while it has never been explicitly stated it doesn't take much critical thinking to deduce that Jin completely retooled form for developing his own unique method Ataru is known to lack power in his close yet practically every source that has described qui-gon jinns fighting style has made special note of his strength rather than his speed this is corroborated further by the depictions of the Jedi Masters technique in the Phantom Menace film in stark contrast to the much more energetic obi-wan Kenobi qui-gon was very grounded and strength oriented in his moves the reasoning behind this retooling of Ataru was twofold the first was the limitations of the Jedi Masters physique Jin as mentioned is passed his physical prime which made the acrobatic move sets of traditional Ataru harder to pull off as such it follows that he would scale back the more exhaustive elements of the style in order to better accommodate his physical shortcomings as well as shift his focus over to strength in order to take advantage of his well-developed muscle mass the second reasoning was the influences of Dooku on his style as noted by lightsabers a guide to the weapons of the force qui-gon incorporated much of his former masters classical fencing techniques into his technique trading out Ataru acrobatics for maca she style blade manipulations and disarmament equipped with a standard lightsaber with a green blade jin executed his saber offense by pairing off directed strength moves with dynamic sweeping blade work using pin accurate power blows to pin an opponent's blade and open them up then hacking them to pieces with a speed based attack flurry or sweep this dynamic swordplay was reinforced by his occasional integration of his force talents typically telekinetic pushes and shoves to off balance targets in regards to defense qui-gon was very minimalistic relying on deflection parries and shunt blocks to intercept strikes and using the kinetic energy raided by his opponents to deflect attacks he couldn't meet head-on further compensating for classical Ataru shortcomings he was an expert at blast deflection and highly effective against large groups even multiple Jedi upon closer examination I would describe the nature of Jin's style as being something of a mash-up of the disciplines employed by Count Dooku Anakin Skywalker and obi-wan Kenobi what he essentially does is take Dooku's fencing style tenants and apply them in conjunction with the linear strength oriented focus of Anakin while transitioning between the two extremes and a manner similar to Kenobi's this isn't to say that qui-gon applies these disciplines with the same level of skill as those three he doesn't however this general versatility does afford his style a high degree of functionality in various combat scenarios based on the information available to us as well as everything we have extrapolated I would say that the closest approximation for qui-gon jinns raw skill as a martial artist would be that of a mid to high tier Jedi Council Master such as ki-adi-mundi Kit Fisto and opal Rand cissus he was a powerful sword master with a personalized technique that was capable of undermining the vast majority of duelists without much difficulty and though not quite as refined as the true best of the best under estimating him would be a costly mistake if only one thing is consistent about qui-gon jinns character it's how much of an unorthodox thinker he is Jin's tactical and strategic mindset was based around a careful assessment of the immediate situation building his responses around these precipitated evaluations while he never took up the position of general in the Clone Wars Flygon proved his mettle as a skilled battlefield commander in the stark hyperspace war and the Naboo crisis in both instances Jin worked in conjunction with his allies while offering his own insight when and only when he felt it was appropriate his strategies in single combat were similarly voluntary rather than rely on a tactical long view he instead favored following his instincts and allowing the force to guide him and direct his actions essentially acting as a conduit for the will of the light side he often responded to the events of battle as they came rather than trying to anticipate his enemy's actions ahead of time this very serene approach made gen dangerously unpredictable particularly when one considers the ebb and flow nature of the force itself during a sparring match with zan Atossa and femur wagon employed a very clever defensive tactic wherein he disabled each combatant as they came so he could face them one at a time rather than together a strategy very similar to the one Dooku employed against Skywalker and Kenobi on the invisible hand during a later door with XANA toes after the latter's fall to the dark side Jin demonstrated his skills with psychological warfare by pointing out the dark Jedi's sloppy footwork and goading him and an attack while the success of this particular display ode itself greatly to qui gonn intimate knowledge of his former apprentices technique and tendencies it's likely that he could employ more generalized applications to off-balanced lesser flows however while assembling plans on-the-fly has served gin well in various situations it has also proven to be one of his biggest shortcomings and he has gotten in over his head on several occasions due to his lack of foresight no better example exists than the duel of fates as noted by the novelization qui gonn was not blind to the fact that Darth Maul was basically stage managing the entire fight guiding it to a location of his own choice yet he continued with his frontal assault confident that his and Kenobi's combined force would be enough to win the day this lack of forethought proved fatal as rushing after Maul without a strategy in place allowed his adversary to separate gin from Kenobi so he could target the Maverick individually and cut him down on the whole I would say that qui-gon jinns tactical and strategic prowess shared the most in common with that of the Jedi battle master Kyle Katarn he was an offensive dervish whose main area of expertise with single combat and while by no means incapable of forward thinking his responses were ultimately dictated by the situation at hand a seasoned Jedi Master who is only exempt from the council due to his personality why GaN Jin was regarded as one of the greatest force wielders of his era distinguished by his advanced philosophical and academic understanding Jin was most closely attuned to the Living force which was among other things the source from which all practical force abilities were derived this strong attunement enabled him to interpret the will of the force with a degree of clarity that was largely unseen in his generation in regards to active combat why GaN Jin's use of the force was heavily influenced by his supreme reverence for its power rather than waste his energies blindly he only employed his powers as needed as directed by the situation at hand as previously stated Jin was capable of augmenting his physical attributes to a high degree in addition to the feats of strength and dexterity I mentioned earlier he dodged close-range blaster fire from a pair of destroyer droids and made it to the end of a long hallway before that could fully register they had missed these capabilities were reinforced by his mastery of breath control which allowed him to survive for extended periods in poisonous atmospheres or underwater by suppressing his body's natural instinct to shut down after long periods without oxygen qui-gon jinn was a gifted telekinetic his applications ranging from broad group manipulations to subtle and inventive utility skills he was able to summon up enough force power to incapacitate groups of soldiers and his kinetic output was sufficient to scatter large contingents of battle droids while not depicted in the film the TPM novelization depicts Jin violently dismantling a b-1 with force a feat that strongly implies he is capable of disemboweling of being a flesh-and-blood if he so chooses moving into less gruesome territory why Gahan was capable of using force grips to move heavy objects with ease as well as seize weapons from the grasps of unwilling subjects additionally he proved that he can reliably penetrate the telekinetic defenses of opposing force wielders while the integrity of his own passive force wall is a bit tricky to gauge as the only time his defenses have been penetrated was before his prime and against a rage and Padawan he didn't want to fight I believe it's reasonable to assume that he would only be truly vulnerable against adepts of equal or greater strength while Jin has never displayed any aptitude with the more basic force healing ability he has employed a low-grade application of the hibernation trance to slow his vitals to avoid detection by a probe droid qui-gon jinn strong attunement to the living force allowed him to develop into one of the most formidable telepaths of his generation specific applications that he is employed include mental persuasion to implant suggestions or induce sleep long-distance communication to share thoughts across vast distances force bonds to forge kinship and the beasts control ability to tame wild animals Jin's mental abilities were so advanced and refined that on one occasion he even successfully influenced a Hutt a race noted for their specific immunity to telepathy and mind tricks however Troy Darian's were beyond his ability to influence qui-gon is perhaps most famous for his ability to transcend the physical plane as a forced spirit surviving his physical death and maintaining his individuality as an entity of lightside while this power obviously has no combative applications it speaks volumes about the strength and depth of the Mavericks connection to the life force of the universe at the end of the day qui-gon jinns use of the force once again mirrors that of ki-adi-mundi Kit Fisto and opal emphasis while a powerful light Sider his notoriety stemmed primarily from the breadth of his skills rather than the magnitude as a result he was neither the quickest on the draw nor the heaviest hitter on the playing field that being said he remained a force to be reckoned with while a fantastic Star Wars character with a reputation both inside and outside the franchise qui-gon jinn is most assuredly the least popular Star Wars character in his respective lineage his time on screen is limited to one film and his appearances in the EU while extensive pale in comparison to those of his masters and apprentices however when one takes the time to truly examine the Maverick it becomes clear that his status as a legendary Jedi Master is well-earned physically he was a heavily muscled giant who while past his prime was still more than capable of overpowering the vast majority of other combatants and taking loads of punishment before going down as a martial artist jin was a highly skilled master of the lightsaber and a talented innovator who took the basics of the Ataru form and revamped them into a powerful fighting style that capitalized on his strengths and compensated for his weaknesses his form may not have been the absolute antithesis of any one given fighting method but its general versatility afforded him a wide range of functionality and various combat scenarios and made him a challenge to even those who knew how to deal with him as a tactician and strategist he was a dealer with a stacked deck and nothing to lose well he may have lacked skill in the fields of long-term planning and preparation he knew how to follow his instincts and adjust his strategies to suit the needs of the situation at hand with his mastery of the light side qui-gon jinn was powerful and extremely well attuned to the currents of the Living force his academic knowledge was from men and his skillset while not as flashy as others of his caliber was still well developed and possessing of several unique characteristics that made him stand out from his peers however the big question we must once again answer is this how would qui-gon jinn fare in a contest with other more well-known Star Wars characters let's set up a combat scenario the year is once again 19 BBY and the Battle of Oda POW is on the horizon General Grievous is stalking through the Droid hangar preparing to face the Republic's inevitable attack on the CIS base however in place of obi-wan Kenobi it is qui-gon jinn alive and in his Phantom Menace state that confronts him no words are exchanged as the combatants draw their lightsabers and begin to advance now then given everything we have examined everything we have extrapolated and every conclusion we have come to would Jin be able to replicate his apprentices actions and achieve victory over the cyborgs no no definitely not physically Jin may be in great shape for a man of his years but he's not exactly a full armed clawed hand cyborg alien who could move fast enough to blur out of existence and withstand shots from a laser cannon as far as martial arts training goes why GaN Jin's lightsaber technique simply isn't suited for a duel with a fighter like Grievous his personalised style may make him much less predictable than many of the Jedi Grievous has encountered but if the general can analyze and respond to Mace Windu's bot pad after a single exchange he's not going to be thrown off by Jin's strength oriented itaru for any substantial period of time furthermore if the Mavericks defenses could be surgically dissected by TPM Darth Maul's aggressive juje style then general Grievous's randomized quad bladed hey let's see what happens when I plug all seven forms into a random number generator attack sequences would overload it no question on a tactical level Quiggins inclinations to take an offensive stance and assume strategies on the fly make him especially vulnerable to Grievous since his methodology is quite literally built around taking advantage of overzealous offensives and baiting adversaries into unwinnable situations combative force abilities is an area where Jin has an automatic edge over Grievous since you know he has them but his aptitude in this area doesn't go far enough to compensate for his other shortcomings his skills with physical augmentation are matched by the general cybernetic enhancements Mind Tricks would be useless against such a strong-willed individual and while qui-gon could definitely off-balance general grievous with telekinesis his focus on utility skills coupled with his extreme reverence for the force makes the likelihood of him simply crushing the generals chest somewhere between unlikely and not at all at the end of the day qui-gon jinns inability to overcome general grievous mirrors his inability to overcome TPM Darth Maul as he would be pitted against an opponent whose skill set allows him to negate his strengths while simultaneously exploiting his weaknesses this isn't to say that Jin couldn't defeat someone of comparable skill to Grievous it's just that his unconventional skillset ultimately stacks the odds in his favor for example qui-gon would have a distinct advantage against lower-end council masters like Eddy Galia Evan Pele and yodel since the reliance on conventional light sabre sequences and rote sponsz tactics is exactly the kind of strategy he want to circumvent at the end of the day qui-gon jinn is one of those no middle ground combatants who is either guaranteed to dominate a confrontation or be dominated just as quickly against unprepared and conventional fighters he is an unpredictable force of nature that cannot be stopped but against those with an established gameplan who can deal with what he brings to the table he can get into trouble very quickly well guys I hope you enjoyed this latest installment of the how powerful was series please leave suggestions for future character explorations in the comments section below and I'll see you guys later

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Keywords: Star Wars (Film Series), Qui-Gon Jinn (Film Character), The Last Jedi, Jedi Master, How Powerful Was, Yoda (Film Character), Obi-Wan Kenobi (Film Character), Luke Skywalker (Film Character), Mace Windu (Film Character), Rey, Palpatine (Film Character), Darth Vader (Film Character), Count Dooku (Fictional Character), Darth Maul (Film Character), Anoon Bondara, Lightsaber (Fictional Object)

Id: JqHeNHErvCY

Length: 33min 11sec (1991 seconds)

Published: Sun Jun 18 2017