Qui-Ga Jinn

Qui-Ga Jinn is a red-haired, human female Jedi Master From the Alternate Timeline. As female version of Qui-Gon Jinn, she trained under the Jedi that would later become Count Dooku. She wore a dark-black robe over her tunic and wielded a yellow-bladed lightsaber. She was the teacher and master of Jedi Knight Jek Tarrun. She would eventually play a role in the Battle of Naboo, while taking in Anakin Skywalker as her next Padawan. She would meet her end on Naboo, during a duel with Darth Maula.

Early Life
Qui-Ga Jinn was a female Human born on Coruscant. As a Padawan in the Jedi Order, she was trained by Jedi Master Dooku in the ways of the Force. Jinn went on to become a Jedi Master in her own right, one who developed an independent attitude towards the Jedi Order. She was seen as a maverick Jedi, one who would disobey the Jedi Code if she felt it was the right decision. Jinn took on a Padawan of her own, Jek Tarrun, who believed that Jinn could have been a member of the Jedi Council if she followed the Code. Jinn and Tarrun then spent a year on Mandalore during its civil war, protecting the Duchess Satine Kryze from insurgents and their bounty hunters. Jinn had at least some contact with her old Master after taking on Tarrun, and spoke highly of his Padawan to Dooku.

Sometime during her life, Jinn began discovering the secrets to manifesting her consciousness after death. She traveled to a planet strong with the Force, a world that legend said was the birthplace of life and the origin of midi-chlorians. There, she learned from five Force Priestesses who had retained their own consciousness after death. She learned that, when a living thing died, its life passed through the Living Force and into the Cosmic Force to become one with the Force. As the Living Force and Cosmic Force existed in tandem, it became possible to retain one's consciousness and physically manifest themselves after death. Jinn was considered worthy of the knowledge of eternal life, and secretly began her training to fully unlock its mysteries. She also learned from a Shaman of the Whillsthat achieving eternal consciousness required absolute selflessness.

Failed Negotiations
Ten years prior to the outbreak of the Clone Wars, the Trade Federation blockaded and planned to invade Naboo in retaliation for the Galactic Republic's taxation of trade routes in outlying star systems. Unknown to the Republic, the Federation was controlled by the Sith Lord Darth Sidious—secretly Naboo's Senator Palpatine—who engineered the conflict so he could be elected Supreme Chancellor. Then, Supreme Chancellor Finis Valorum dispatched Jinn and Tarrun to Naboo, tasking them with resolving the situation through diplomatic means.

Upon arriving at the Trade Federation command ship, Jinn and Tarrun were escorted into a conference room, where they were told that Viceroy Nute Gunray would greet them. As the Jedi were waiting, the Federation leaders contacted Darth Sidious, informing him that the Chancellor's ambassadors were Jedi Knights. Sidious ordered their execution, while Jinn could sense the fear that the Neimoidians felt. This let Jinn know that this was not a normal trade dispute. These suspicions were confirmed when the Federation flooded the conference room with poison gas in an attempt to kill the Jedi, but the two were able to hold their breath long enough for the Federation to open the doors and inadvertently give the Jedi a chance to escape. They fought off the battle droids waiting outside the door and fled through the corridors, where they made their way into the ventilation system.

Moving through the ventilation shafts, the Jedi made their way into the ship's hangar, where they saw the Federation army preparing to mount an invasion of the planet. The Jedi stowed away aboard separate ships, which made their way to the planet's surface, and planned to warn the Naboo that the invasion was coming. Once on the surface, ventured through a forest to rendezvous with Tarrun. It was there that the Jedi Master encountered a Gungan named Jar Jar Binks, who latched onto him in the chaos of the Federation invasion. This nearly got them both killed, as they fell to the ground just in time to avoid being run over by a Federation troop carrier. Binks swore a life debt (falsely) to Jinn for saving him, as Jinn tried to get rid of the Gungan. She finally rendezvoused with Tarrun and planned to find shelter, which Binks offered to give them in the Gungan city beneath the ocean. The Gungan momentarily changed his mind, as he had been exiled and would be punished for returning, but Jinn and Tarrun convinced him to take them to the city to avoid the approaching Federation forces.

Binks led the two Jedi into the Gungan city, where they were taken prisoner and brought before the Gungan leaders. Jinn attempted to persuade Boss Nass, the Gungan leader, that the Federation posed a threat to them just as much as they threatened Naboo, but Gungan prejudices against the Naboo were too strong for the Boss to care what happened on the surface. The Jedi Master used the Force to telekinetically persuade Nass to give them a bongo, an aquatic transport that the Jedi could use to reach Theed, the capital of Naboo. Nass was also persuaded to allow Binks to travel with them, as Jinn, claiming the custom of the life debt, believed the Gungan could be a guide to make it through the planet core and to the capital.

After traveling through the core and evading multiple large sea creatures, they arrived in Theed and rescued Queen Jobal Naberrie, who had been taken into Federation custody. Together, along with a number of the queen's guards and handmaidens, as well as the Queen's daughter Padme, they made their way to a hangar to take the queen's starship off of Naboo. During the escape to the hanger, Qui-Ga realized Force-Sensitivity within Padme and thought she'd make a good Jedi. They were able to board the ship after fighting through a number of battle droids, and took the vessel into orbit where they encountered the Federation blockade. They managed to escape the blockade, but the ship was damaged and needed to be set down for repairs. Jinn suggested that they land on Tatooine, a desert planet where the Hutts ruled and the Federation had no presence. Although the queen's lead guard, Panaka, objected because of the danger posed by the Hutts, the decision was made to seek refuge on Tatooine.

Discovery of the Chosen One
The ship landed on Tatooine, and the crew determined that they were in need of a new hyperdrive generator in order to make it to their final destination of Coruscant, the capital of the Republic. Jinn decided to venture out into the local settlement to find a store that would sell a generator, and brought Padme—who could learn much of the Force from Qui-Ga—and Binks along with him. They arrived at a ship owned by a Toydarian junk dealer, Watto, who had the parts they needed but would not accept Republic credits. Jinn attempted to telekinetically persuade him that credits would be acceptable, but the Toydarian was immune to his mind tricks. Jinn left empty-handed, but not before meeting Anakin Skywalker, a young boy who worked as Watto's slave.

Skywalker followed Jinn and the others, where he warned them that a sandstorm was coming and that they would need to find shelter. The boy knew the group would not make it back to their ship in time and brought them back to his home, where he introduced them to his mother, Shmi, who was also a slave. They all shared a dinner together, where Skywalker deduced that Jinn was a Jedi, having seen her lightsaber. Jinn revealed that she and the others were on an important mission for the Republic and stranded on Tatooine until they could repair their ship. Knowing that it could help them escape, Skywalker volunteered to help by racing in the Boonta Eve Classic podrace and give them the profits to repair their ship if he won. Jinn accepted the offer, though Padme was reluctant about trusting their fate to someone they barely knew was the right course.

The next day, Jinn spoke to Watto about entering Skywalker in the race with a pod that Skywalker had built in secret, and Jinn convinced Watto that it was the Jedi's pod. The two agreed that Watto would pay Skywalker's entry fee and collect all of the winnings from a potential victory, except for whatever money Jinn needed to repair his ship. If Skywalker lost, Watto would keep the queen's ship. Watto agreed to the condition, and Skywalker set out to begin getting his pod race-ready.

It was in watching Skywalker work on his pod that Jinn told Shmi she could sense the potential of a Jedi in the boy. Jinn wondered who Skywalker's father was, and was intrigued to hear Shmi had conceived her son without a father. Later that night, Jinn tested the boy's midi-chlorian count and sent the sample to Tarrun on the queen's ship, who told his master that Skywalker's midi-chlorian count was 20,000—higher than any known Jedi. Through the supposed virgin birth and the midi-chlorian count, Jinn came to believe that Skywalker was the Chosen One of Jedi prophecy, a being who would bring balance to the Force.

With the belief that Skywalker was the Chosen One, Jinn knew that Skywalker should be brought to the Jedi Temple on Coruscant so he could be trained as a Jedi. Jinn approached Watto with a new wager: if the boy was to win, Watto would free Skywalker and his mother. Watto scoffed at the idea of freeing two slaves, but he did agree to release one of them if Skywalker won. However, he left it up to chance, and threw a small multi-colored cube; if it landed on blue, Skywalker would be the slave in question. Jinn used the Force to help it land on blue, and Watto agreed that Skywalker would be freed if he won the race—but, according to Watto, the Dug racer Sebulba was sure to win.

The race began later that day and Skywalker emerged victorious. Watto, who lost everything betting on Sebulba, freed the boy as per their agreement. Jinn took what profits she needed to repair the ship and gave the rest to Skywalker and his mother, and told them that Skywalker had been freed and could go with him to Coruscant to become a Jedi. Skywalker was unsure about leaving his mother, but he had always dreamed of becoming a Jedi and decided to leave. After Skywalker shared a tearful goodbye with Shmi, Jinn and the boy set off for the queen's ship to make their way to Coruscant.

Just before arriving at the ship, Jinn was attacked by Darth Maula, a Sith Lord and the apprentice of Darth Sidious (then Darth Snoke). The two fought across the desert floor while Skywalker rushed back to the ship to find help, and the ship made its way to Jinn's location where he was able to board it and flee Tatooine, leaving Darth Maul behind. Once on board, he introduced Skywalker to Tarrun.

With its hyperdrive repaired, the ship finally arrived on Coruscant, where the crew was greeted by Chancellor Valorum and Senator Palpatine. After arriving, Jinn went before the Jedi Council and told the Jedi Masters that she believed Darth Maula was a Sith Lord. The Council was dubious of the claim, as the Order believed they had destroyed the Sith a millennium earlier, but they committed themselves to learning Darth Maula's identity. Jinn also revealed that he had discovered Padme on Naboo and Skywalker on Tatooine, he believed Anakin to be the Chosen One and saw potential in Padme, asking that the boy and girl both be trained as a Jedi. At Jinn's request, the Council agreed to test Skywalker to determine if he was eligible for training. Tarrun was skeptical that Skywalker would pass the test given his age, as Jedi began their training as children, and worried that Jinn would defy whatever decision the Council made. Despite her Padawan's concerns, Jinn was determined to see Skywalker and Amidala become Jedi.

The Council tested Skywalker and Padme and agreed with Jinn that they were both powerful with the Force, but only accepted Padme for training. They believed that despite his power, Anakin's future was more clouded and uncertain than Padme's, and could sense danger in Skywalker's training. Nonetheless, Jinn insisted that Skywalker be trained, saying he would take the boy as his Padawan learner. Tarrun, meanwhile, could take his Jedi trials and become a Jedi Knight, as the Jedi Code forbid a Jedi from having two Padawans. And once Tarrun became a Jedi Knight, he would take Padme under his wing. The Council tabled the discussion for another time and ordered that Jinn and Tarrun return to Naboo, where Queen Naberrie was preparing to return to in order to deal with the invasion without the Senate's help. Jinn took Skywalker with him and began giving him some initial lessons about the Force.

Final Battle And Death
Upon arrival on Naboo, the Jedi travelled with the Queen to find the Gungans, who were hiding in a sacred area of the forests. There, the Naboo and Gungans formed an alliance to fight the Federation, while Naberrie revealed herself to be the same person as the handmaiden Jobal. Together with the Jedi and the Gungans, she put together a plan of attack, where the Gungans would fight the Federation army away from Theed as a diversion, allowing Naberrie, her forces, and the Jedi to get into the city with relatively little opposition. Jinn made it clear, however, that while she would protect the queen, she could not a fight a war for her.

As the Gungan army led the bulk of the Federation forces away from the city, Jinn snuck into Theed with the others and fought their way to the palace. Once in the hangar, they were again confronted by Darth Maula, who the two Jedi prepared to fight as the Naboo fought their way to the throne room to capture Viceroy Gunray. Jinn and Tarrun fought Maula in the hangar, with the Sith Lord dominating the duel, though Maula did give ground in order to lead the Jedi out of the hangar and throughout a palace generator complex. Maula separated the two Jedi by knocking Tarrun down several levels, leaving Jinn to fight the Sith Lord in single combat. As they made their way through the area, and with Tarrun unable to reach the two in time, Maula stabbed Jinn through the torso, fatally wounding her.

When Tarrun finally caught up, he and the Sith Lord engaged in a furious battle. With Tarrun grieving for his master and friend, Maula was able to disarm and knock Tarrun partly down a reactor shaft, but Tarrun jumped back out. Using Jinn's lightsaber, Tarrun sliced the blade through Maul's torso, cutting her in half and sending her down the shaft. The Padawan ran to his dying master, cradling him in his arms, and Jinn made her apprentice promise that he would train with Skywalker as a Jedi and find a teacher for Padme. With her dying breath, Jinn once again said that Skywalker was the Chosen One and would bring balance to the Force.

In the aftermath of the battle, in which the Naboo successfully captured the Viceroy and ended the Federation occupation, Tarrun was granted the rank of Jedi Knight and insisted on taking Skywalker as his apprentice. Although Mace Windu disagreed, the Council approved Tarrun's request, fulfilling Jinn's dying wish: Skywalker would be trained as a Jedi. Later, Jinn was given a Jedi funeral on Naboo, where her body was burned on a funeral pyre. The funeral was attended by a number of delegates including Queen Naberrie, the Jedi Council, and Chancellor Palpatine. It was at the funeral that Tarrun told Skywalker that the Council would allow him to be trained, and that Tarrun would be his master. Together, the two mourned the death of their fallen friend, as Tarrun vowed that Skywalker would become a Jedi.

Return As A Spirit
Though her training had been incomplete, Jinn utilized what she learned from the Force Priestesses to become one with the Force and retain her identity after her death. She had not fully learned the mystery, however, so she could not physically manifest herself, only speak as a disembodied voice. The first known time that Jinn communicated through the Force was shortly before the outbreak of the Clone Wars. Skywalker had returned to Tatooine to find his mother, about whom he had been having recurring nightmares, and discovered she had been kidnapped by Tusken Raiders. He found her in a Tusken camp, but she died only moments later. In his anger, Skywalker slaughtered all the Tuskens in the camp. Jinn, sensing the great pain and distress, called out to Skywalker through the Force, which Mace Windu could hear—but not comprehend—through his own meditations.

Despite her incomplete training, Jinn was able to physically manifest on one known occasion. Tarrun, Skywalker, and Skywalker's Padawan, Ahsoka Tano, had been lured to the planet Mortis by three beings known as the Father, Son, and Daughter. Like Jinn, these beings believed that Skywalker was the Chosen One. Jinn first appeared to Tarrun to warn him that the beings sought Skywalker and his potential as the Chosen One, to use it for their own means. When Tarrun questioned how Jinn could appear, the late Jedi Master told him that the planet acted as an amplifier, and that it was a conduit through which the Force flowed. The two spoke about Skywalker and his power, with Kenobi having the opportunity to tell Jinn that the late Jedi Master's predictions about Skywalker were true: he was stronger than any other Jedi, yet still could not find balance. Jinn warned that, if Skywalker was the Chosen One, then the boy would discover it on Mortis, and if not then the planet would prove to be very dangerous for someone so powerful. Jinn later appeared to Skywalker himself, telling Skywalker that she still believed the boy would bring balance to the Force after facing his demons.

After the three Jedi escaped Mortis, where the Father professed his belief that Skywalker was the Chosen One, Tarrun came to believe, and told the Jedi Council, that the appearance of Jinn was simply an illusion, one manifested from their memories by the beings on Mortis. Skywalker, however, was not as confident, despite Jedi teachings saying that it was impossible for a being to retain their identity after death. The report about Mortis did not change these Jedi beliefs or teachings.

It was not until the waning days of the Clone Wars that Mace Windu learned Jinn had retained her consciousness after death. Knowing Mace was destined to be a major player in bringing balance to the Force, and that it was Mace's destiny to complete the training Jinn herself did not, the late Jedi Master spoke to Windu through the Force and guided him to the war-torn world of Hypori, the first leg on Windu's trials to determine whether he was ready to learn the secrets. Jinn told Mace about his training, and how the Living Force fed into the Cosmic Force, allowing him to return after death. Mace was, at first, only interested in the truth about the Clone Wars, asking if he knew the identity of Darth Sidious, but Jinn could only guide Mace through his trials. Windu was guided by the Living Force in the form of a glowing swarm of fireflies. Later they guided Windu to the planet of the Force Priestesses, where Windu could continue his trial.

Windu completed the trials and was deemed worthy of learning the secret of eternal consciousness, as Mace would one day train the person who would help Skywalker bring balance to the Force. The Force Priestesses instructed that Jinn would guide Mace's training. After the end of the Clone Wars, Windu chose to to continue training the next generation of Jedi and passing the secret onto those he trained, but not before telling Tarrun that Jinn had returned from the netherworld of the Force and could guide his former Padawan in learning the secret.

Personality and Traits
Though she had risen to the rank of Jedi Master, Jinn did not always agree with the structures and rules of the Jedi Order. She was known to disobey the Jedi Code if she felt she needed to, and was willing to rebuff the Jedi Council when they declined to train Skywalker. After Jinn's old master, Dooku, fell to the dark side and became the Sith Lord Darth Tyranus, Dooku told Tarrun that he wished Jinn were still alive so the late Jedi Master could have helped him with the Confederacy of Independent Systems. Tarrun rejected the idea that Jinn would have joined Dooku, but Dooku told Tarrun that Jinn knew about the corruption in the Galactic Senate and might have joined the Separatist cause—especially if he had learned that the Republic was under the control of Darth Sidious, though Dooku did not tell Tarrun that the Separatists were also under Sith control.

While other Jedi focused on meditation to try to understand the future, Jinn lived in the moment. She believed that one's focus on the future should not compromise the concentration on the present, and believed in trusting one's instincts. Even after her death and return as a spirit, Jinn was confronted with Jedi thinking only of the future; she guided Mace Windu through Hypori to learn the secret of eternal consciousness, but Mace was interested in knowing if Jinn, existing outside of normal time, could tell him the true identity of Darth Sidious. Although Jinn hinted that she knew the truth, she explained she could only guide Windu towards greater knowledge, not provide him with the answers. Jinn's belief that Skywalker was the Chosen One looked both at the future and in the moment. Though she did believe that Skywalker's future contained a prophetic destiny, she did not dwell on the uncertainty that the Council saw in Skywalker's future training.

Qui-Ga Jinn had an empathetic nature, and had a tendency to take unfortunate life forms under her protection. It was this tendency, as well her defiance towards the Jedi Council, that often frustrated and baffled his Padawan, Jek Tarrun. When Qui-Ga saved the Gungan exile Jar Jar Binks, and Jar Jar swore a life-debt to her (falsely), her compassionate nature was such that Qui-Ga took the helpless Gungan under her wing, much to Jek's dismay. This empathy toward all life forms, including the most unfortunate and pitiful, is Qui-Ga's greatest strength.

Jinn's training to retain her identity after death led her to new philosophies, ones unknown to the Jedi Order of the time. Jinn learned that there were two sides to the Force, a Living Force channeled by the energies of all living beings, and the Cosmic Force into which it fed. It was this symbiotic relationship that allowed the Force to bind the galaxy together, and speak to living beings through the midi-chlorians.

Powers And Abilities
Like other Jedi, Jinn was sensitive to and had an affinity for the Force. She utilized telekinesis and mind tricks on more than one occasion, using them to help further her goals during the Trade Federation's occupation of Naboo and while attempting to free Skywalker from slavery. Jinn was trained with a lightsaber, able to use his blade to defeat battle droids on Naboo. She was not, however, skilled enough to survive her second encounter with Darth Maula, as the Sith Lord out-fought the Jedi Master and mortally wounded her.

The ability to manifest consciousness after death was, for a time, a skill that other Jedi did not know. Jinn kept his training with the Force Priestesses a secret, and the Jedi Order continued to believe that death was permanent and identity could not be retained. It was not until towards the end Clone Wars that Jinn revealed herself to Mace Windu, despite her training being incomplete, and Jinn told the Jedi Master that that he too could learn to return from death through the Cosmic Force. Jinn passed these teachings on to Windu and Tarrun, who used it and the new philosophies they learned to help guide the future Skywalkers towards their destinies.

Behind the Scenes
If Qui-Ga Jinn had been made in the movies, she would have been portrayed by Sarah Michelle Gellar in Star Wars Episode I The Phantom Menace. The actor might have then reprised her role in three episodes of Star Wars: The Clone Wars—"Overlords," "Ghosts of Mortis," and "Voices"—and audio from her appearance in The Phantom Menace could briefly be heard in Star Wars Episode II Attack of the Clones. Gellar could have also lent her voice to Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith, and Gellar had hinted at his involvement in early 2005. The scene, in which Mace Windu (if he'd replaced Yoda) was set to commune with Jinn's disembodied voice, would have been cut from the film, but written for the screenplay. The scene could have then appeared in the film's novelization.

The original drafts of The Phantom Menace screenplay would have been intended to make Qui-Ga Jinn join Jek Tarrun (portrayed by Chris Isaak, had he replaced Obi-Wan Kenobi) until much later in the film, meaning that Tarrun would have been the sole participant of much of the early events, such as the failed negotiations aboard the Trade Federation flagship. The final screenplay might have described Qui-Ga Jinn as being in her 60s, far older than actor Sarah Michelle Gellar.