Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 534: Qui-Gon Jinn

QUI-GON JINN Jedi Training Gear
Power of the Jedi Collection 1
Item No.: Asst. 84445 No. 84559
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: n/a
Includes: Lightsaber, Force File
Action Feature: n/a
Retail: $6.99
Availability: Spring 2001
Appearances: n/a

Bio:  Qui-Gon Jinn is a Jedi devoted to maintaining order and justice in the galaxy. He, like most Jedi, feels it is his duty to pass on what he has learned to the next generation of Jedi. He does so by taking a Padawan to mentor. During the training process, Qui-Gon often wears his Jedi training gear for protection when sparring with his trainee.   ( Taken from the figure's Force File.)

Image: Adam Pawlus' toy shelves.

Commentary: Supposedly from a cancelled subline (and definitely from concept artwork), this Qui-Gon Jinn brought non-movie figures to the regular action figure line in a very "Batman" way.   We saw some bonus accessories with deluxe figures, and we've seen some comic and concept figures sold as such, but integrating these into the main line by combining it with movie designs and actors' likenesses was something new.  This particular figure combines Liam Nesson's head-- or at least a decent facsimile-- with a body loaded with armored detail and very limited articulation.  With six joints there really isn't a lot that die-hard figure junkies will like about it, but it's a remarkable design and it showed that Hasbro people had some interesting and marketable ideas to expand the universe after the first prequel was released.   I'd love to see more original concepts like this in the line, as it does seem to seem not entirely removed from the spirit of Star Wars.  Now if I saw Pod Racing Obi-Wan Kenobi, that'd be a different matter entirely.  The figure's outfit is unique to this figure, and while there is an armored Obi-Wan as well, they don't seem to go together too incredibly well. This figure is probably best kept for collectors or for kids looking for something truly different, after all it's not like most Jedi go through a large number of costume changes.

Collector's Notes: This figure has never been reissued, and it's worth noting it is pretty cool as a toy.  There's so little buzz surrounding this figure it's almost not funny, so if you want one you better start trading or looking to eBay.

Day 534: October 22, 2007