Star Wars: Episode 1 - The Phantom Menace's 1999 video game adaptation doesn’t stick to the script of its source material as strictly as one might expect, and one prime example of the strange freedoms afforded to players is Qui-Gon Jinn’s ability to kill Shmi Skywalker. Shmi isn’t Qui-Gon’s only potential victim in Mos Espa, either, as the Jedi Knight can attack and murder almost everyone in town if the player desires to make him one of Star Wars' worst villains instead of a hero. However, killing Shmi provokes an interesting reaction from Anakin Skywalker, her 9-year-old son and infamous future Sith Lord Darth Vader.
Released in 1999 to accompany the first prequel in the Star Wars series, Star Wars: Episode 1 - The Phantom Menace was an action-adventure game for PC and PlayStation. Like similar Star Wars games that released around the time of The Phantom Menace, it received mixed reviews. Although it received praise for the story and role-playing gameplay, it was criticized for its frustrating camera angles and poor voice acting, part of which comes into play when Anakin Skywalker sees Qui-Gon Jinn kill his mother.
While in Mos Espa, a town on the desert world of Tatooine, Qui-Gon spends time with the Skywalker family as Anakin finishes building his Star Wars podracer. Unlike the movie, however, if the player gets bold enough in The Phantom Menace game, they can draw their lightsaber, walk right up to Shmi Skywalker and make a very non-canonical decision that greatly upsets the Chosen One. It's a feature that likely wouldn't appear in more modern Star Wars games, and the results are truly bizarre.
How Anakin Reacts To Qui-Gon Killing Shmi In The Phantom Menace
The weirdest thing about Star Wars: Episode 1 - The Phantom Menace game is that it not only allowed Qui-Gon to kill Shmi, but that it also specifically programmed a reaction from her 9-year-old son. When Qui-Gon strikes Shmi, Anakin immediately becomes furious, chasing after him and refusing to back down. However, because it’s a glitchy older Star Wars video game, Anakin chasing Qui-Gon looks more like his character model was somehow glued to the Jedi Knight’s back and is frantically trying to escape.
That’s not the only reaction Anakin has, though. If the player waits long enough, Anakin begins to speak, angrily accusing Qui-Gon of being a murderer and saying he refuses to help someone who would do something so horrible. It’s a little ironic given what Anakin ends up doing to the entire galaxy in the remaining Star Wars prequels, but it makes sense considering that in Star Wars: Episode 1 - The Phantom Menace, he’s only a child and is yet to embark on his journey toward becoming a Jedi Knight.