Star Wars Episode One The Phantom Menace (1999) — II: Upheaval Imminent
*SPOILERS*
Threats to Existing Power Structures
Qui-Gon’s arc is one of going to Naboo to facilitate negotiations between Naboo and the Trade Federation, before happening on a veiled invasion and power grab on the part of the TF. He then takes shelter with Naboo’s head of state on the nearest Outer Rim planet, Tatooine, due to issues with his transport. This chance encounter places him in a position to meet The Chosen One, a Force vergence with Dark side inclinations. At the same time, a Sith apprentice (and the coolest character in all of Star Wars) tracks and attacks him, effectively uncovering the emergence of a Jedi foe long thought extinct. So Qui-Gon’s noir role might be seen in two parts:
- Discovering the TF power grab, a threat to the Galactic Republic
- Discovering the re-emergence of the Sith, a threat to the Jedi Order
While reframing Episode I as a noir feels more intuitive and illustrates narrative potential, it ultimately feels unconvincing to me since Qui-Gon’s experience of curiosity and concern at these two troubling disruptions to crucial galactic power structures is not conveyed to us. Which is a shame since Qui-Gon’s character, if fleshed out, would have been an excellent vehicle for a noir journey of discovery and downfall. This isn’t a big deal, just means Episode I might not feel like a noir even if it has the potential to do so.
*SPOILERS FOR TALES OF THE JEDI NEXT PARAGRAPH ONLY*
Qui-Gon was a padawan of Dooku — the same Dooku we meet in the next movie who would go on to become a Sith after finding fault with the Jedi Order’s indirect support of cruelty, as illustrated in Tales of the Jedi. In other words Qui-Gon was schooled by a Jedi master who emphasized to him the flaws of the Jedi Order as an institution. So Qui-Gon certainly adhered to the Light side but not without question of the Jedi Order as stewards of the Light side. Stupendous Wave explains this is the reason why Qui-Gon was so willing to advocate for Anakin despite his Dark side inclinations.
What I’m getting at is that it feels like a missed opportunity that Episode I’s protagonist, this magnificent (light) gray area of a character, found The Chosen One and discovered the re-emergence of the Sith without his internal journey being illustrated and emphasized. A movie more concerned with telling a compelling story driven by interesting characters would have done this.
Chosen by The Force
Episode I also introduces what I see as the protagonist of the trilogy, a Force vergence named Anakin. He is born a slave who encounters Qui-Gon and is taken into Jedi training. So he essentially transitions from being subject to the power structure of legal institutional slavery in a remote part of the galaxy where law enforcement is weak, to being subject to the power structure of the Jedi Order. He begins by seeing the cruelty and moral ambiguity of life outside the rule of law, to seeing life in a hyper-disciplined and idealistic religion with institutional flaws. This transition of power structures sets up his arc for the rest of the trilogy, as he becomes a pawn in a chess match larger than himself.
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II: Upheaval Imminent
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