Star Wars Best Jedi Knew Exactly When He Would Die And How

This theory is in part a result of me considering where I fall in a debate that will likely endure for as long as Star Wars media exists: which duel is the franchise’s best?

Even to the most outspoken prequel haters, the duel between Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan, and Darth Maul is always a frontrunner.

The duel is wonderfully choreographed but, I felt, that was part of the problem. I thought that—particularly after Qui-Gon dies and Darth Maul faces Obi-Wan alone—the Phantom Menace duel comes off more like a dance.

Compared to, for example, the duel between Vader and Luke in The Empire Strikes Back, the Phantom Menace was just too clean, the combatants’ moves too perfect. While Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan vs Darth Maul came off like a gorgeously choreographed movie duel, I felt, Luke vs Vader in Empire felt like two people actually trying to survive a desperate fight.

But then I remembered something that should’ve been obvious: the Force.

It made sense, I realized, that when Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan faced Darth Maul it would come off as more like a dance than a duel. It’s two Jedi and a Sith. They’re not just using they’re physical training to anticipate their opponent’s moves—they’re using the Force to predict what their enemies are going to do.

Since both sides are using the Force, it would naturally come off looking more like a dance. It also makes sense that their duel looks much different from those we see in the original trilogy, since Luke didn’t get the lifetime of training these three did.

Thinking about Jedi and Sith using the Force during duels made me consider an intriguing moment in the fight between Qui-Gon and Darth Maul.

Moments before Maul stabs Qui-Gon, there is a very interesting, almost awkward moment between them.

While Obi-Wan is separated from the others, Qui-Gon and Maul clash. At one point, Qui-Gon spins around and Maul spins his blades. Once Qui-Gon faces the Sith again, the camera focuses on the Jedi, whose face betrays some powerful emotions.

He looks distraught, he looks offended, and more than anything he looks shocked. This, I believe, is when the Force shows Qui-Gon how Darth Maul is about to kill him.

Are there other things that could explain this look on Qui-Gon’s face as he’s dueling Maul? Sure. Maybe he’s weakening. Maybe he’s frustrated at his failure to get through Maul’s defenses.

But consider how adept Qui-Gon is at controlling his emotions. That’s why when the three combatants are separated, Qui-Gon calmly lowers to the floor and meditates while Maul paces impatiently.

In other words, everything we know about Qui-Gon suggest he would never allow his expression to betray anything like frustration to Maul. He’s too good at mastering his feelings to do that, especially not during a moment when reining in his emotions is so crucial.

But if Qui-Gon had just seen his down death at Maul’s hands? Well then that’s another hand of sabacc altogether. Even the Jedi with the best poker face in the galaxy, if confronted with a literal vision of their own imminent death, might find it impossible to not let it show on their face.

You might naturally ask if I’m right in my theory, then why doesn’t Qui-Gon’s vision help him prevent Maul from killing him?

Well that’s the whole thing about seeing the future—not only might it not help to see what’s about to come, knowing the future might actually turn out to be what causes it.

Maybe Qui-Gon seeing his own death shook the Star Wars hero so much that he messed up because of it.

In fact, that could’ve been the whole point of the vision. As Freddie Prinze Jr. once famously reminded fans, it’s the Force that determines the victor.

Maybe the Force wanted Qui-Gon dead, so that it would be the younger and less experienced Obi-Wan who would go on to train Anakin.