'A Jedi must be a fearless warrior, a guardian of justice, and a scholar in the ways of the Force. But perhaps a Jedi’s most essential duty is to pass on what they have learned. Master Yoda trained Dooku; Dooku trained Qui-Gon Jinn; and now Qui-Gon has a Padawan of his own. But while Qui-Gon has faced all manner of threats and danger as a Jedi, nothing has ever scared him like the thought of failing his apprentice.
'Obi-Wan Kenobi has deep respect for his Master, but struggles to understand him. Why must Qui-Gon so often disregard the laws that bind the Jedi? Why is Qui-Gon drawn to ancient Jedi prophecies instead of more practical concerns? And why wasn’t Obi-Wan told that Qui-Gon is considering an invitation to join the Jedi Council—knowing it would mean the end of their partnership? The simple answer scares him: Obi-Wan has failed his Master.
'When Jedi Rael Averross, another former student of Dooku, requests their assistance with a political dispute, Jinn and Kenobi travel to the royal court of Pijal for what may be their final mission together. What should be a simple assignment quickly becomes clouded by deceit, and by visions of violent disaster that take hold in Qui-Gon’s mind. As Qui-Gon’s faith in prophecy grows, Obi-Wan’s faith in him is tested—just as a threat surfaces that will demand that Master and apprentice come together as never before, or be divided forever.'
The prequel era was explored quite heavily in the Legends canon, with many books covering the early years of Obi-Wan Kenobi, and his time training with his master, Qui-Gon Jinn. So when it was relegated to Legends with the Disney acquisition fans were left waiting for the new timeline to cover the same era, to go back and tell us what really happened in that time. Star Wars: Master & Apprentice is one of the first real looks into a young Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan, as it explores a difficult time in their past, gives them both a dangerous mission, and even tells us more about the lost Jedi Knight, Dooku.
The main bulk of the story is set around a decade before the events of Star Wars: The Phantom Menace, with Obi-Wan being in his early to mid teens. At this point in time he doesn't really get on well with his master. The two of them aren't the well oiled machine we see them as in the first film, and Obi-Wan feels like his training isn't really going anywhere. Similarly, Qui-Gon is trying his best to make things work with his student, but doesn't really seem to be able to connect with him. But, this difficulty might be coming to an end, as the Jedi Council has extended an invitation to Qui-Gon to join them. If he accepted, he'd be able to give Obi-Wan over to another Jedi, allowing the two of them to part ways without either party feeling like they've failed.
However, before Qui-Gon is able to make a decision as to whether this is the right path for him, the two of them get assigned to a special mission. Their presence has been requested by the regent of the planet Pijal, a world where their future queen is still too young to take the throne, and the planets rule falls under her tutor and protector; Jedi Knight Rael Averross. Another former student of Dooku, Rael and Qui-Gon know each other well, and he specifically asks for Qui-Gon's presence to help with mounting rebel attacks and unease as the planet gets closer to signing an agreement with a powerful company that could alter Pijal's fate forever.
Star Wars: Master & Apprentice is a book that probably isn't going to heavily appeal to those who like a lot of action in their Star Wars books. If that's what you're after try Star Wars: Lords of the Sith or Star Wars Battlefront: Twilight Company instead. It's also probably not going to be a ton of fun for those odd people who hate the prequel era. But, if you like the prequel times, and enjoy learning more about the Jedi and seeing characters interact in interesting ways, this book is one that you're going to love.
The mission that Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan get sent on isn't really that important, it's more of a vehicle for them to explore their relationship and the way that they interact with each other; as well as an excuse for introducing us to an important new character for Qui-Gon's past. Up to this point we've been left to assume that Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan have always gotten on well, that Obi's training was pretty smooth, and that they'd always been the well oiled machine we see in the film. But this book adds some wrinkles to that, as we begin the story by seeing two people who just can't connect. The two of them don't know how to communicate, Obi doesn't know what his mast wants from him or how to work with him in the field. It's rough to see, and if it wasn't for the fact that we know that the two of them are still master and apprentice by the time of Episode One you'd be expecting them to part ways in this book.
Personally, I really like the idea that they were kind of a terrible match to begin with. It makes sense considering what we see in the movie with a Padawan that wants to follow rules and regulations, and a master whose whole deal seems to be 'fuck it, I'll do what I think the Force wants'. Getting to see the two of them realise that they're not perfect together, and choosing to work through that instead of giving up is a genuine delight. I also loved the fact that the Jedi knew that Obi-Wan was something of a rebel (hard to believe, I know!) and chose to put him with someone who flouts the rules and regulations and does what he wants so that the only way Obi could rebel against that would be to become the most by the book, perfect Jedi possible. The moment they both realise that they'd been played that way by the council was a delightful moment, and made their relationship click perfectly into place.
The book also explored Qui-Gon's past with the prophecies, and important part of his character, and the entire reason why Anakin is brought into the Jedi. We get to see more about the prophecies, actually hearing a few of them; and we see where they come from. The ancient holocron of prophecy is an interesting thing, and something that I'd genuinely like to see more of in future stories. The fact that Dooku was also interested in it hopefully means that it's something that could be explored with more of his backstory too. I really enjoyed getting to hear a couple of the prophecies, and seeing how they could be interpreted in different ways. The one about the birth of darkness, 'She who will be born to darkness will give birth to darkness.' is a good example of this, as Qui-Gon gave one possibility, but t could also perhaps be interpreted as referring to Shmi Sywalker, or perhaps Leia. It demonstrates how dangerous the prophecies are, and how Qui-Gon needs to be careful when holding a belief in them.
Also from Qui-Gon's past is Rael, Dooku's first apprentice, and a kind of big brother figure for Qui-Gon. Rael is one of the more interesting and unique Jedi around. Not only is his assignment to be the ruler of a planet until the true queen comes of age, but he's also messy, dirty, like to drink, has sex, and generally acts more like a scoundrel than a Jedi. He feels like the polar opposite to both Dooku and Qui-Gon, and injecting him into their past makes for some interesting new additions to their histories. What we see of him makes him one of the more unique Jedi, and there were times where I was left wondering if perhaps he was being built up as being so different and so un-Jedi-like because he was going to be set up as an antagonist. Thankfully, Gray didn't go down the more obvious path, and didn't have him turn to the dark side or anything like that. That being said, the scene in which he and Qui-Gon spar is one of the better lightsaber fights in a Star Wars book.
There are some great moments to be found in this book, with some interesting developments for the histories of characters we know quite well, as well as several new characters that are very enjoyable additions to the canon. There are several connections to other books, and the films, that feel very natural and help to flesh out the universe a little more. The final scene, which takes place further in the future at the funeral of Qui-Gon, is worth the admission alone, and fans of these characters will find it difficult not to end the book with a tear or two in their eyes.
The audio book is read really well, and Jonathan Davis does a great job at capturing the feel of the characters that we know. He does a decent Qui-Gon impression, and his young Obi-Wan is really good too. Rael is perhaps the best character here, and part of that is down to the way that Davis plays him and brings him to life.
If you like the prequel era and want to see more of the Jedi from that time, Star Wars: Master & Apprentice is a fantastic way to do that.
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