A Thousand Stars: Episode I, Part 30

[matril]

Qui-Gon, ever full of surprises, goes ahead and claims Anakin as his Padawan. If no one else will train him, he will. Just one problem...he already has a Padawan. And no one is more shocked by Qui-Gon's declaration than Obi-Wan himself.



Ouch. A muted reaction, but you can see the pain beneath the surface. Dumped in a favor of a newer, shinier apprentice? Well, Qui-Gon mitigates it somewhat by suggesting that Obi-Wan is ready to advance to Jedi Knight, but that doesn't appease the Council and it doesn't leave Obi-Wan much happier.



This image quite effectively sums up the awkward dynamic of this trio, and all the implications it will carry into the future long after Qui-Gon's death. Hardly subtle imagery -- there's a literal line separating Obi-Wan from Qui-Gon, for heaven's sake. And Anakin is the unwitting factor that has pulled the two apart. Years later, the shadow of Qui-Gon's presence still lingers. We all pretty much know that he would have a been a more capable, experience master for Anakin. But it was not to be.

Next, more surprises...

Comments

[krpalmer]

Pointing out Obi-Wan's reaction is somehow reassuring to me; as much as everything about The Phantom Menace was found fault with (to try and distract from whether, in the end, "visceral revulsion at silly comedy relief" might wind up just plain silly itself?), there was a certain bit of indignation over "he got over Qui-Gon declaring a new apprentice too fast!" (Whether that gets to "something is only accepted when it's spelled out in dialogue, and the visuals are only examined to fetishize 'practical effects'" is another question.)

Leading up to this moment, I had been reflecting on the moment where Qui-Gon puts his hands on Anakin's shoulders. That, though, seems to come from the moment having been taken out of context in a trailer, leading me to personal theories of what the story would be... I eventually got over that, though.

[matril]

I'm reminded of something from Irvin Kershner's commentary on the ESB DVD, pointing out that even Threepio looks at Han after Leia kisses Luke. If even the protocol droid can see it, it must be pretty obvious.

There's a lot to be said for wordless expressions, and when the editing choices deliberately focus on Obi-Wan's face, then we know it's pretty darn significant. Much as I'm a word person, I've come to believe that dialogue is often one of the least interesting ways to convey information in a cinematic medium.