Okay, technically I’ve finished doing SWPAW now, but I wanted to top it off with a tribute to Liam Neeson’s acting. You get a rough outline of Qui-Gon in the movie script, but the little details are what actually bring him to life, AND IT’S DONE SO GODDAMN WELL.
Okay, first up you’ve got a great blink-and-you’ll-miss-it Oh Look What An Unfortunate Happenstance shrug/expression (otherwise known as the ¯_(ツ)_/¯) after the dice toss goes in his favour, which only went in his favour because he manipulated it to do so. I like to call this a Magnificent Bastard moment, as should you.
Moving on!
Everything you need to know about Qui-Gon’s relationship with the Council is summed up when you see the difference in his and Obi-Wan’s body language – Obi-Wan bows respectfully, but Qui-Gon barely nods his head. In the same scene, you see a whole ton of emotions on his face as he basically trades in Obi-Wan for Anakin – uncertainty, guilt (complete with quick glance at his apprentice), then determination. You can literally see his devotion to duty override all his other emotions and it’s great.
Annnnnd then you have the face-touch, which I’ve already written about, but it’s so lovely as one of the most parental moments we see in this six-part story about parents. And apparently, though I still have no source for this, it was Liam’s idea!
Okay, all done.
