Star Wars revealed the real reason Qui-Gon Jinn was so defiant toward the Jedi Council when it came to training Anakin Skywalker. In Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, Qui-Gon believed that Anakin was the Chosen One. The Chosen One was referenced in an ancient prophecy – a prophecy that, while alluded to in The Phantom Menace, wouldn’t be properly explored until Claudia Gray’s novel Master & Apprentice, published in 2019. In that story, the true text of the prophecy was revealed: “A Chosen One shall come, born of no father, and through him will ultimate balance in the Force be restored.”
This prophetic text made it much clearer why Qui-Gon was so convinced that Anakin Skywalker was the Chosen One, especially after learning about his history on Tatooine. Naturally, Qui-Gon would want to ensure that the Chosen One was well-trained – but the Council was reluctant, due to Anakin’s advanced age. In The Phantom Menace, Anakin was nine years old, older than any other Jedi Order inductee that had come before. But Master & Apprentice also revealed that there was another reason Qui-Gon was so determined to train Anakin, why he was so sure that he would thrive under the correct tutelage: an old friend of his had proven it could be done before.
