Head on over to Coffee With Kenobi where Dennis Keithly takes a look back to The Phantom Menace and the original first master, Qui-Gon Jinn.
I remember the promise of Episode One as it neared release. Not only would The Phantom Menace be the first new Star Wars movie in sixteen years, it would tell the story of a previous generation of heroes. Set in the days of the Republic, it would feature Jedi in their prime. Sure, Luke Skywalker was a cool Jedi Knight in Return of the Jedi, but he was barely trained. The thought that Jedi Masters would be gracing movie screens was exciting. The obvious expectation was that Obi-Wan Kenobi, the mentor to both Anakin and Luke Skywalker, would feature in these films. And, he did. However, it was his mentor, Qui-Gon, that was the first full-fledged Jedi of the prequels. Beyond being the first, Qui-Gon Jinn was significant for many reasons.
