Warning: Spoilers for Star Wars: Jedi Knights #3When the new Star Wars: Jedi Knights series was announced as a chance to follow heroes of the prequel on their adventures across the galaxy, fans rejoiced. But after seeing the newest 'untold story' of Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn, fans may reconsider.

It was assumed upon its announcement that Star Wars: Jedi Knights was a prime opportunity for a new Marvel comic series to give audiences what the films couldn't: longer, more in-depth stories following the prequel trilogy's most iconic or fan-favorite Jedi Knights, from the Padawan Obi-Wan Kenobi to the not-yet-fallen Count Dooku. What fans did not expect, however, was to see the non-violent paragon of the Jedi Order, Qui-Gon Jinn, exposed as a thoughtless killer, and as ignorant as any other second-rate Jedi.

Qui-Gon's Meeting With A Kaiju Immediately Turns Deadly

The Introduction of A Kaiju Planet Proves A Major 'Bite' Danger For Flying Spaceships

In what begins as a wild, fantasy-themed adventure bringing a Kaiju planet into the Star Wars universe, both Qui-Gon and his student Obi-Wan arrive on Planet WG4587 in search of a stranded Bail Organa. But before the duo can discover what caused the Senator to be shipwrecked, the culprit discovers them: a gigantic, dinosaur - like creature that misinterpret their shuttle as a threat, or as a flying food source, crunching it to pieces with its jaws in a split second.

The surprise catastrophe is delivered in the issue's full-page spectacle by the creative team of Marc Guggenheim, Madibek Musabekov, and Luis Guerrero, emulating the larger-than-life scale of the adventure through an issue of splash pages. So with the animal's surprise destruction of their aircraft, readers have just one image to process the result: the ship shredded, Obi-Wan's status unknown, and Qui-Gon in free fall towards the jungle below. Trouble, but for a Jedi like Qui-Gon, nothing dire.

Qui-Gon Brutally Lightsabers An Animal (For No Reason)

Star Wars: Jedi Knights #3 by Marc Guggenheim, Madibek Musabekov, Luis Guerrero

In the first baffling moment of the issue for longtime fans of the stoic, pensive, non-violent, and supremely comionate Jedi (some might even say 'ideal' Jedi Knight, given Jinn's monk-like serenity), he instantly crafts his solution. Igniting his lightsaber and plunging it into the creature's neck, Qui-Gon slices down the animal's throat to slow his descent towards the forest below. A shocking burst of violence that at once feels severe, careless, unnecessary, and out of character.

Star Wars fans can debate just how much an animal's hide, even a thick one, would provide enough 'resistance' to an ignited lightsaber to actually achieve the intended goal, but Qui-Gon lands on the forest floor unscathed... to find Obi-Wan Kenobi, who has fallen unconscious upon his landing. Within the context of the story, rendering the violence against the unwitting, dinosaur-like creature even more unnecessary. Violence which actually proves fatal to the kaiju who crossed these Jedi's paths.

Qui-Gon Upgrades From Animal Cruelty To Actual Murder

Qui-Gon Responds To Accidentally Killing An Innocent Animal With An "Uh Oh"

Qui-Gon barely has time to check Obi-Wan's condition before he discovers a new threat created by his own actions. Suddenly falling into shadow, the Jedi Master looks up to realize that the injury inflicted upon the giant creature by his lightsaber has proven serious, causing it to stumble towards them, crushing the massive trees as it bellows in agony. With the titan falling towards the Jedi, Qui-Gon has only moments to utter a clever "Oh, that's not good... That's not good at all" before fleeing the dying animal's massive body.

While the image of the bellowing Kaiju is thankfully drawn without its grievous injury, the prior splash page made sure to depict the skin of the animal's neck being opened like a zipper by Qui-Gon's blade, roaring in agony in response to the pain. The roar of the animal being cut short makes it plain: Qui-Gon's attack on the gigantic animal was not only unwarranted, but so severe, it resulted in its death moments later.

The glib nature of Qui-Gon's "Uh oh" should communicate the lighthearted nature in which these events are seemingly intended to be received by Star Wars fans. But even if the creative team intended a different narrative, or logic, which would make the instantaneous killing of a wild creature... ordinary, the idea of Qui-Gon Jinn being the one to commit the act seems misguided. And again, unfortunately, even more troubling violence follows in the remaining pages of the issue.

When The Animals Seek Justice, Qui-Gon Tries To Kill More of Them

Star Wars Doubles Down, Repeating Qui-Gon's Rush To Lethal Force Against Innocents

Having escaped the crushing weight of the slain kaijura, Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kebobi manage to find and assist Bail Organa. With his ship unable to escape the planet's gravity under its own power, Qui-Gon instructs the pilots to power up anyway, so he may channel the Force to help lift the ship off the planet's surface himself. While this underscores the power Qui-Gon could have used to defy his own gravity and spare the kaijura's life, the heroes have another problem: the rest of the kaijura's pack, having seemingly discovered their dead relative, are pursuing its killer en masse.

Understandable, certainly, but a threat that the Jedi seek to avoid by making their escape as quickly as possible. But when one kaijura manages to grab hold of the spaceship, recognizing it is related to the previous ship which killed its pack member, Qui-Gon Jinn goes from bafflingly violent to something else entirely, his response communicated through Obi-Wan's narration:

"Master Qui-Gon told the captain to fire all weapons at the kaijura. I had a brief moment of remorse at the thought of attacking an innocent creature, but the point was moot. As the ship's weapons systems had been destroyed in the crash."

Since it's impossible to assume that this sequence of events is accidental, told carelessly or thoughtlessly, the only logical conclusion is that the tale is intended to subvert the perception of Qui-Gon Jinn in general. Fans may wonder why that is the mission for this Marvel Comics series at all, but it has undeniably proven successful. With Qui-Gon's legacy revealed to be that of a far more violent (even reckless) killer than fans ever imagined, who knows how Jedi Knights will alter canon next.

Star Wars: Jedi Knights #3 is available now from Marvel Comics.