It is one of the most iconic scenes in Star Wars cinematic history, one embedded in the consciousness of a generation of fans: the climactic duel in The Phantom Menace where Darth Maul kills Qui-Gon Jinn.
It was a shocking moment, and left a young Obi-Wan Kenobi devastated and having to put an end to Darth Maul’s villainous attack himself (or so we thought!). But what does Liam Neeson, the actor who played Qui-Gon, think of his death, 26 years later?
It turns out, he thought it was “a bit namby-pamby” and unbefitting of a Jedi Master.
Let’s run through what actually happens in the scene. After an epic battle, Maul appears to tire Qui-Gon out before striking him under the chin with the hilt of his lightsaber, which in turn creates an opening for a fatal blow to the midrift. It was something of a cheap shot, but it proved effective.
The way the fight went down was the subject of Neeson’s ridicule. In an interview with GQ to promote the launch of The Naked Gun, Neeson said:
“I felt my death was a bit namby-pamby. I’m supposed to be a Master Jedi, you know?” he said. “My character fell for that, ‘Oh, I’m going for your face, no, I’m not, I’m going for your stomach.’ ‘Oh, you got me!’ Oh, please. Hardly a Master Jedi.”
With a smirk, Neeson added that overall, his experience working on The Phantom Menace “was great,” and he recounted a fun anecdote where he realized he would be upstaged by the entirely CGI character Watto in any scene the pair appeared in.
He also said legendary Star Wars creator George Lucas “doesn’t like directing.” “He told me that,” Neeson added. “Editing suite afterwards, yeah that’s when he starts enjoying the process. But actually directing actors, he told me he doesn’t like it at all.”
Is Neeson done with Star Wars after reprising the role with just a single line voice cameo in 2022’s Obi-Wan Kenobi TV show? It certainly sounds like it. “I think it’s over,” he said.
Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at [email protected] or confidentially at [email protected].
