According to Simu Liu, star of Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Qui-Gon Jinn is the best Jedi in the Star Wars universe.
During an appearance on YouTube interview series Hot Ones, the topic of discussion shifted to Liu's love of Star Wars as host Sean Evans asked him who his favorite Jedi is. "It's gotta be Qui-Gon Jinn," Liu explained. "This whole idea of the Jedi during the Old Republic -- you look at those council scenes where everyone's so stuck-up. Everyone's just like, 'These are the rules, we don't ever break the rules,' [which is] very hypocritical too, because the Jedi are supposed to not want power. They're like, 'We have no thirst for power,' and there's literally a council that oversees everything that's in the highest part of Coruscant."
"I just love that Qui-Gon is a bit of a maverick," Liu continued. "He doesn't care. He's like, 'Sorry, I'm gonna train this kid.' And ultimately, that kid is gonna grow up to become Darth Vader and overthrow the entire Republic, but still, you gotta admire the guy that can see through the hypocrisy of the Jedi Order, right? They think they're the good guys -- they're like, 'Oh yeah, we're so good,' but really [they] were the instruments of their own demise, in a way."
Played by Liam Neeson, Qui-Gon Jinn was first introduced in Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace and is killed off during the climax of the film. The character has only made sporadic appearances across the franchise since, but with an Obi-Wan Kenobi Disney+ series on the horizon, fans are hoping to see the Jedi master reunite with his former padawan. Neeson previously said he would be interested in reprising the role, but as of this past June, Disney apparently hadn't yet approached him about returning to a galaxy far, far away.
As for Liu, in 2018, he famously tweeted at Marvel Studios asking for more Asian-American representation on screen before being cast in Shang-Chi in 2019. He recently joked that he hopes to use the same tactic to get a part in a Star Wars project. "I mean, if you follow me on Twitter and social media at all, you'll know that I'm a pretty massive Star Wars fan," Liu said. "I'm still holding out hope. I'm saving that tweet, though -- maybe a little bit later when this movie comes out and everything settles down a little bit, I'll fire off another one and see what happens."
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is available to purchase on Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD and is currently streaming on Disney+.
Source: YouTube