Qui-Gon Jinn was portrayed by Liam Neeson in Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace.

This Jedi Master was known as one of the order's most formidable members, but his recklessness and his devotion to seemingly inane causes kept him from becoming a member of the twelve-being Jedi Council. Originally trained by a Master who had worked with students for 400 years, Qui-Gon was later taught by Count Dooku, and was generally regarded as one of the best pure swordsmen the order had ever seen. However, Qui-Gon was also something of a maverick, and was unable to control his inner sense of purpose. He was known to prefer the simple things, like eating food with his hands, and he was distinguished by his good manners and empathy for other beings. However, he did not hold to many of the Jedi Order's basic philosophies, and his methods were often a sharp contrast those of his contemporaries. One of these beings was the woman named Tahl, a fellow student of the Force. They were friends during their training, and both achieved the level of Jedi Knight at about the same time. Qui-Gon wore his hair long in a tacit defiance of the Jedi order's rules. His control of the living Force was deep, although his abilities with the unifying Force were not as strong.

After successfully training a Padawan apprentice, it was Qui-Gon who discovered the young boy named Xanatos, and brought him to Coruscant for training despite his age and spoiled nature. When the Council allowed Qui-Gon to take a Padawan, Qui-Gon chose Xanatos immediately. Qui-Gon either failed to - or chose not to - see Xanatos' many failings, regarding the boy's mistakes and growing anger as minor things, much the way a father would. In the end, this caused him great trouble. Shortly before Xanatos was to take the tests to determine his eligiblity to become a Jedi Knight, Master Yoda dispatched Qui-Gon and his Padawan to Telos, on an unspecific mission. While there, Qui-Gon was confronted with Xanatos' treachery in the attack on a neighboring world. Qui-Gon was forced to kill Xanatos' father, Crion, in a battle, and earned Xanatos' unending hatred from that point on. The youth fled, and Qui-Gon was left to return to Coruscant without a Padawan. He claimed that Xanatos had been killed in battle, and vowed never to take another Padawan again. He continued to interview new students, but always left without choosing an apprentice.

Years later, he was charged by Master Yoda to travel to the planet Bandomeer and assist the government there in negotiating a mining treaty. The trip put him in close quarters with young Obi-Wan Kenobi, whom he had recently passed up as a Padawan apprentice. They were then drawn into the schemes of Xanatos, who hoped to exact revenge on Qui-Gon by killing him on Bandomeer. During their missions, which suddenly became a single mission, Qui-Gon realized that he and Obi-Wan were closely meshed with the Force. During their escape from Xanatos' trap in the ionite mines, Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan became linked in the Force, something that was only meant to happen to a Master and his apprentice. After their escape, Qui-Gon realized that Obi-Wan was not to be taken lightly, and he took the boy as his Padawan learner. Together, they explored the Force for some twelve years before the Trade Federation invaded the peaceful world of Naboo. It was during this time that Qui-Gon pledged his life to the now-Jedi Master Tahl, during their mission to New Apsolon. Unfortunately, Tahl was captured by Balog and tortured until she could barely survive. Qui-Gon was able to rescue her, but the best medical care on New Apsolon was unable to save her life. For many months, Qui-Gon felt broken and out of synch with the galaxy, as his heart mourned the loss of the woman who "made him whole."

More than a decade after Tahl's death on New Apsolon, Supreme Chancellor Valorum asked that a team of Jedi be dispatched to negotiate with the Neimoidians, so Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan were sent to Naboo. There, they became entangled in the intricate web being woven by Darth Sidious. Their mission quickly changed to the protection of Queen Amidala, whom they planned to transport to Coruscant for an appeal to the Senate. Their ship sustained large amounts of damage in clearing the Trade Federation blockade, and they were forced to land on Tatooine to repair the ship. While on the planet, Qui-Gon discovered the existence of young Anakin Skywalker, a slave owned by a Toydarian merchant named Watto. A check of the boy's blood revealed an incredibly high concentration of midi-chlorians, and after learning of Shmi Skywalker's description of Anakin's conception, he believed that he had found the prophecied Chosen One. Qui-Gon managed to free Anakin when the youth won the Boonta Eve Classic podrace, but Watto would not free Shmi. Qui-Gon then arranged to have a Tobal lens delivered to her, in the hope that she could use it to trade for her freedom.

On Tatooine, Qui-Gon also discovered the existence of Darth Maul, and barely escaped from the Sith Lord. He brought Anakin before the Jedi Council, but was sternly rebuffed for his impertinence. Instead, they were all sent back to Naboo to protect Amidala in her attempt to break the Trade Federation blockade on her own. While the Queen succeeded, Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan were forced to confront Darth Maul again. In an epic battle within the Theed palace's power station, Qui-Gon was separated from Obi-Wan by the power plant's security lasers. Forced to battle the Sith Lord on his own, Qui-Gon was physically unable to compete. Darth Maul was able to stun Qui-Gon before killing the Jedi Master with a quick jab of his double-bladed lightsaber, while Obi-Wan looked on helplessly. Obi-Wan was able to defeat Darth Maul once freed from the lasers, but was too late to save his Master. Obi-Wan held Qui-Gon as he died, vowing to continue his Master's dream of training young Anakin Skywalker. Qui-Gon's body was consumed in the flames of a Naboo funeral pyre, in honor of his efforts to help free Naboo from the Trade Federation.

Looking back, many Jedi Masters who were forced into military roles during the Clone Wars felt that it was Qui-Gon's death at Naboo that ultimately led Count Dooku to leave the Jedi Order and form the Confederacy of Independent Systems. Some ten years after the Battle of Naboo, when Anakin Skywalker murdered a clan of Tusken Raiders on Tatooine after the death of his mother, Yoda seemed to hear Qui-Gon's disembodied voice on Coruscant. This contradicted the very nature of death, since a Jedi was supposed to lose their identity when they joined with the Force. Qui-Gon's voice troubled Yoda for many years, until Anakin Skywalker fell to the Dark Side of the Force and became Darth Vader. Qui-Gon's spirit reappeared to Yoda, and explained that he had learned of a way to become one with the Force yet still retain the ability to influence the physical world. The technique was discovered by a Shaman of the Whills, and Qui-Gon practiced the skill in the years leading up to, and following, his death on Naboo. Qui-Gon's spirit later explained the teachings of the Whills to Yoda and Obi-Wan, to ensure that they would be able to help Anakin fulfill his destiny as the Chosen One.

Source Abbreviations Listing - E1, RF, DR, IG1, TTB, DOH, HNN5, E2, SWDB, SOJ, IS3, SWI86, CHRN2, SWI100, LLOW, CWNOP