Star Wars: Liam Neeson's Qui-Gon Jinn Has A Secret Love Only Real Fans Know About
As Star Wars fans familiar with Anakin Skywalker's (Hayden Christensen) forbidden marriage to Padmé Amidala (Natalie Portman) are well aware, Jedi are prohibited from close attachments. The Jedi Code effectively states that Jedi cannot become romantically involved with another person lest they tarnish their devotion to the light side of the Force. Of course, Anakin is far from the only Jedi to forgo this rule in favor of a partner. As it turns out, even Qui-Gon Jinn (Liam Neeson) has carried out a secret — albeit brief — romance with another Jedi.
A children's novel titled "Jedi Apprentice: The Ties That Bind" details the romance between Qui-Gon and a Jedi named Tahl. The book's plot revolves around Tahl's mission on the planet Apsolon. Qui-Gon decides to travel there alongside Obi-Wan Kenobi after he witnesses a vision of her suffering. When they find her, Qui-Gon tells her about his premonition. Because the Force seems to be presaging her death, he admits he has feelings for her.
Rather than shoot him down, Tahl reveals she feels the same way. At that point, they decide if she should survive, they'll do what they can to maintain a relationship. Unfortunately, Qui-Gon's vision comes to pass in the book's sequel, and Tahl dies by its end, terminating what was a doomed romance from the start.
Qui-Gon and Tahl shared an upbringing at the Jedi academy
A Star Wars encyclopedia and some flashbacks in the Jedi Apprentice book series recount how Qui-Gon Jinn and Tahl first met as children. Tahl started training alongside Qui-Gonn at the academy located in the Jedi Temple on Coruscant when she was 6 years old. The friendship they quickly developed eventually culminated in a duel that attracted an audience of Jedi Masters interested in its outcome.
From this point on, Qui-Gon and Tahl are closely linked. After they both attained the rank of Jedi Master, they would undertake missions for the Jedi High Council together with some regularity. Since Jedi are explicitly encouraged to reject their own feelings for a possible love interest, it's unclear precisely when Qui-Gon and Tahl developed their mutual interest in one another. Based on the fact that their bond dates back to childhood, however, it's reasonable to assume that their shared love for each other that they confess in "Jedi Apprentice: The Ties That Bind" was suppressed for decades before finally seeing the light of day.