The Star Wars galaxy would have been very different had Qui-Gon Jinn won his duel against Darth Maul in Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace and lived. At first glance, Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace feels rather disconnected from the rest of the Star Wars prequel trilogy. In fact, some have proposed alternate viewing orders — variants of the so-called "Machete Order" — that skip the film entirely. But these arguments fail to understand the significance of Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn and the importance of the final duel at the end of the movie.
The music for the Qui-Gon Jinn versus Darth Maul scene is called "Duel of the Fates," and that's with good reason. As Star Wars: The Clone Wars co-creator Dave Filoni explained when discussing secrets of the Star Wars prequel trilogy, this is the battle for Anakin Skywalker's future. "[Qui-Gon] is fighting for Anakin," Filoni noted. "That's why it's the Duel of the Fates; the fate of this child, and depending on how this fight goes, [Anakin's] life is going to be dramatically different." Qui-Gon Jinn died, and though Darth Maul was swiftly defeated by Obi-Wan Kenobi, Anakin's fate was sealed nonetheless.
All this naturally raises a single intriguing question; how would events have played out if Qui-Gon Jinn had triumphed in his duel with Darth Maul in Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace, killing the Sith Apprentice? Anakin's story would have been very different; and, because he's so important to the fate of the galaxy, the effects would have rippled out through history. The last few years have given Star Wars fans a deeper understanding of Qui-Gon Jinn, and it's now possible to make an informed guess as to what would have happened.
Qui-Gon Would Have Trained Anakin — But Not As A Jedi
There's a reason Qui-Gon Jinn wasn't seated on the Jedi Council; it's because he felt the Council was fundamentally flawed — too tied to the status quo and unaware of the will of the Force. Qui-Gon was one of the few Jedi who had studied the ancient Jedi prophecies, and when he recognized some of these coming to pass, he correctly deduced the Chosen One would soon be born. When Qui-Gon discovered Anakin Skywalker on Tatooine, conceived by the Force itself, he immediately knew what he was dealing with. Qui-Gon was determined to teach Anakin, whether the Council liked it or not.
As seen in Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace, initially the Jedi decided Anakin should not be trained. Qui-Gon made it abundantly clear he disagreed with their decision, and he intended to disobey it. Although he was unwilling to push the issue until after the Battle of Naboo, Qui-Gon told Anakin to watch everything he did, and reassured him he would understand the Jedi teachings "with time and training."
Had Qui-Gon lived, he would have insisted on training the Chosen One, even if it meant leaving the Jedi Order to do so. Qui-Gon's training would have been very different from that provided by the other Jedi, simply because he had a better understanding of the balance of the Force and the prophecies Anakin was destined to fulfill. The Jedi understood "the balance of the Force" to refer to the absolute defeat of the dark side, but Qui-Gon believed darkness and light were both necessary for balance. Anakin would have grown to understand his destiny far better had he been trained by Qui-Gon instead of by the Jedi.
Qui-Gon Would Have Been The Father-Figure Anakin Needed
Anakin Skywalker's greatest need was for a father-figure. Qui-Gon Jinn understood the difference between love and attachment; this allowed him to understand Anakin's needs, which were even more intense given he had left his mother behind on Tatooine. In the main Star Wars timeline, this gap was never filled. Obi-Wan was still grieving for his master when he took on Anakin as an apprentice, and he initially trained him only to honor Qui-Gon. Palpatine took advantage of this, worming his way into Anakin's life and becoming the father-figure the boy craved.
Had Qui-Gon lived, however, he would have become the father-figure Anakin so desperately needed. The bond between Qui-Gon and Anakin would have been far greater than simply master and apprentice; they'd practically have been father and son. And this would have protected Anakin from Palpatine's influence, not least because Qui-Gon would likely have taken his new student far away from the city-planet Coruscant, the distrust of the Jedi Council, and the politics of the Republic.
Obi-Wan Would Have Truly Been A Big Brother To Anakin
Anakin's apprenticeship to Obi-Wan may have had a rocky start in the main Star Wars timeline, but the two became incredibly close to one another; as Obi-Wan fumed in Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith, they were like brothers. The two wouldn't have spent as much time together had Qui-Gon lived — Obi-Wan would have remained with the Jedi, while Qui-Gon would have left the order — but this brotherly relationship between Obi-Wan and Anakin would have remained nonetheless. It would probably have been purer, lacking the power dynamic between a Master and an Apprentice.
Oddly enough, though, it's likely that Obi-Wan would have been a lesser man without his time as Anakin's master. Every Jedi Master is shaped by their Padawan, and in Obi-Wan's case, his relationship with the headstrong Anakin taught him the wisdom of compromise. This would become Obi-Wan's greatest strength, so much so that by the Clone Wars he was sometimes referred to as "Obi-Wan the Negotiator." Obi-Wan's star is unlikely to have shone as brightly in a timeline where Qui-Gon lived.
Count Dooku's Plans In Attack Of The Clones Would've Been Different
The Clone Wars would have still broken out in this timeline, but Count Dooku's plans in Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones would have been different. He'd have wanted to get Qui-Gon Jinn and Anakin Skywalker on his side if possible, summoning them and telling them the same lies he told Obi-Wan in the main timeline. Dooku was Qui-Gon's old master, and this bond would undoubtedly have meant he was listened to, but Qui-Gon would have turned him down all the same. Qui-Gon would have recognized the dark side in Dooku, and although he believed in balance, he was also convinced his role was to oppose the dark side in all its forms. As he told his old friend Rael Aveross in Claudia Gray's novel Master & Apprentice, "I don't turn toward the light because it means someday I'll 'win' some sort of cosmic game. I turn toward it because it is the light."
That doesn't mean Qui-Gon would have joined the Jedi in the Clone Wars, however. As seen in the Star Wars: Age of Republic – Qui-Gon Jinn one-shot comic book, he believed the Jedi should never serve as soldiers. "We are used as a weapon of the Republic," he complained to Master Yoda, "and thus we are seen as such, perhaps even by ourselves." The Clone Wars were designed by Palpatine as the ultimate Jedi trap, but it is a trap Qui-Gon would have avoided had he lived. It is likely his apprentice Anakin Skywalker would have done so as well, because he'd have had a very different understanding of his role in the galaxy, and he wouldn't have been corrupted by Palpatine's influence.
Anakin's Romance With Padmé Would Have Been Very Different
In the real Star Wars timeline, the secret marriage of Anakin and Padmé ensured the contradictions running through Anakin's heart were always going to build to a head. Anakin was torn between two attachments: his attachment to the Jedi Order on the one hand, and his attachment to his beloved Padmé on the other. He lacked the emotional maturity to resolve this inner conflict, and instead tried to have it all — to live as a hypocrite among the Jedi, betraying his vows while still believing himself worthy of a seat on the Jedi Council. The Anakin who had been taught by Qui-Gon Jinn, however, would have been a very different person. For one thing, he wouldn't have belonged to the Jedi in the first place.
Anakin was infatuated with Padmé from the moment he first set eyes on her in Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace. It's reasonable to assume the Force would have brought the two together again, and love would still have blossomed between them, but this would have been a healthier Anakin, one who had been taught how to manage attachment by Qui-Gon Jinn. The Jedi of the High Republic Era hadn't forbidden romance, and it's quite possible Qui-Gon would have taken the same view had he lived — not least because he knew Anakin was the Chosen One, not a Jedi, and he understood Anakin's path would be a unique one. In this hypothetical timeline, Anakin's connection to Padmé would have given him a degree of political influence, which he would perhaps have used to try to end the Clone Wars. In this timeline, Anakin and Padmé's ideals would have been a lot more aligned, meaning they'd have been a true team.
Palpatine Would've Tried To Kill Anakin (Not Turn Him To The Dark Side)
All this means Palpatine would have had to take a very different approach to dealing with Anakin Skywalker. In the real timeline, Palpatine — egotistical to the core — believed the Chosen One was the one he had chosen as his tool to dominate the galaxy. He wouldn't have been able to harbor such delusions in a timeline where Qui-Gon lived; it would have been clear to Darth Sidious that the Chosen One was his greatest threat. Palpatine could not choose the Chosen One; rather, he could only choose to try to destroy him.
No doubt Palpatine would have tried to destroy the Chosen One through intrigue and deception, for such is the way of the Sith, but his every effort would have simply drawn the attentions of Qui-Gon and Anakin. Lacking attachment to the Jedi and the Republic, they'd have swiftly discerned the truth that both sides were being manipulated. Their connections — with Obi-Wan among the Jedi and Padmé in the Senate — would have meant they could work against the darkness lurking in the shadows. While it's impossible to say how things would have played out, Palpatine would have been a lot more vulnerable.
Qui-Gon's Death In The Phantom Menace Sealed The Galaxy's Fate
All this means Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace is indeed an essential part of the Star Wars story. Star Wars viewing orders that cut it are actually missing the pivotal moment where the future of the galaxy was decided: the duel of the fates. There would still have been war had Qui-Gon defeated Darth Maul and lived, for Palpatine had already become Chancellor and his greater plans were already in motion. But it's quite possible the Sith would never have conquered the galaxy, and the Empire would never have been established.
Sadly, Qui-Gon Jinn did not triumph in his duel with Darth Maul. Instead, he was killed, cut down before he had the chance to have anything more than a fleeting influence on Anakin's life. Trained as a Jedi but lacking a father-figure, the weaknesses in Anakin's character made him easy prey for Palpatine. And so the fate of the Star Wars galaxy was decided.