Qui-Gon ponders a seat on the Jedi Council in Star Wars: Master & Apprentice excerpt

From StarWars.com:

“In Star Wars: The Phantom Menace, Obi-Wan Kenobi implores his master, Qui-Gon Jinn, to temper his request that a young Anakin Skywalker be trained as a Jedi. “Don’t defy the Council, master. Not again,” he says. “I will do what I must, Obi-Wan,” Qui-Gon replies. It’s an exchange that offers great insight into their relationship — one of both friction and respect. Indeed, Qui-Gon would later acknowledge that his student is much wiser than he.

Claudia Gray’s upcoming Star Wars: Master & Apprentice, arriving April 16 in hardcover, ebook, and audiobook, will delve further into the dynamic between Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan, which has gone relatively unexplored until now. In the exclusive excerpt below, the Jedi Council summons Qui-Gon following a difficult mission and makes a surprising offer…

As ever, after a mission, Qui-Gon had been summoned to the Jedi Council’s chambers for his report. It was nighttime—later than the Council usually met, at least for ordinary business—and the darkness around them was illuminated by the cyclone of Coruscanti traffic and ships’ lights. Yet here, within this room, a sense of serenity prevailed. Qui-Gon relished the contrast.

Master Billaba leaned forward, studying her datapad with a frown on her face. “It worries me, this misunderstanding between you and your Padawan. This isn’t the first time you’ve reported such difficulties.”

Qui-Gon bowed his head slightly. “It worries me as well. Obi-Wan is strong in the Force, and eager to do his duty. The failure must be mine. Fundamentally, I fear, we are a mismatch. I’ve been unable to adapt my teaching methods to his needs, despite my best efforts.”

Yoda cocked his head. “Adapt he must as well. Cooperation is learned not through individual effort. Only together can you progress.”

Agreeing to that proposition—sensible though it was—would mean shifting some of the blame onto Obi-Wan, which Qui-Gon preferred not to do. He simply remained quiet. The Jedi Council had a habit of assuming that silence equaled agreement; Qui-Gon had found this habit useful, from time to time.

Regardless, he expected the Council to eventually ask him if he wanted them to reassign Obi-Wan’s training to another Master. He’d known before this meeting began that they might even ask the ques­tion tonight, but he still wasn’t sure what he would say. The suspense seemed worse than he would’ve anticipated, maybe because he didn’t know what he wanted to answer . . .

. . . or because the silence in the room had lasted a suspiciously long period of time. […]

Read the full excerpt at StarWars.com.