Qui-Gon “Taken” Jinn was one of the major characters introduced by the Prequel trilogy.  He was a complicated guy, although we don’t really get to see a ton of that on screen. He was Dooku’s apprentice, and he had a rebellious streak in him.  But he was wise and kind, and he instructed Obi-Wan and, briefly, Anakin.  Qui-Gon was a strong presence throughout The Phantom Menace, and as a viewer, you always felt like things were under control when he was around.  He was the first Jedi in generations to confront a Sith, and he and Obi-Wan teamed up to attempt to take Darth Maul down.  Unfortunately, it was Qui-Gon who was the first Jedi in generations to be killed by a Sith. His lightsaber was used by Obi-Wan, in turn, to slay (nah, just kidding) Maul.

But before we knew all that, we just wanted an action figure of Qui-Gon Jinn.  This one is right on par with the Obi-Wan figure we recently reviewed.  The sculpting on the figure is fairly simplistic.  Sure, the Jedi didn’t have particularly flamboyant clothing, but better sculpts of the time (such as the Sneak Preview Mace Windu) had made sure to include texture into the clothing.  This has none.  It’s almost like the last prototype was slightly melted, obscuring any tiny details in the figure.  The head sculpt isn’t the worst I’ve seen, but it’s no Liam Neeson.  The neck is on a swivel, and the long hair inhibits the range of motion just a bit.  While the swivel thighs aren’t enough to give any meaningful articulation to the lower body, Qui-Gon does have articulation at the elbows and wrists, so you have some options with lightsaber action.  He can grip the saber with either hand, or he can perform a rudimentary THWG.  Personally, it’s not that effective.  He tends to hold the blade so close to his body that he risks slicing his nose right off.  So while he can participate in the “duel of the fates” setup, he doesn’t really look like he’s trying very hard.  Maybe that’s why he died.  Besides the talkie chip, he comes with the aforementioned lightsaber.  The green blade is flare-less, and the hilt is a bit thick and wonky. 

This figure, like the Obi-Wan Kenobi (Jedi Duel) figure is basically worthless, other than nostalgia.  While Hasbro has redone Qui-Gon in TLC (and repacked in TVC), that figure still has room for improvement.  Nevertheless, it puts this one to shame.  All three Episode I figures from the “duel of the fates” have had there day in the sun, and they were retired many years ago.  Nice for the sake of memories, but they don’t belong in a modern display.  4/10.