It is one of the most iconic scenes in Star Wars cinematic history, one embedded in the consciousness of a generation of fans: the climactic duel in The Phantom Menace where Darth Maul kills Qui-Gon Jinn.

It was a shocking moment, and left a young Obi-Wan Kenobi devastated and having to put an end to Darth Maul’s villainous attack himself (or so we thought!). But what does Liam Neeson, the actor who played Qui-Gon, think of his death, 26 years later?

It turns out, he thought it was “a bit namby-pamby” and unbefitting of a Jedi Master.

Let’s run through what actually happens in the scene. After an epic battle, Maul appears to tire Qui-Gon out before striking him under the chin with the hilt of his lightsaber, which in turn creates an opening for a fatal blow to the midrift. It was something of a cheap shot, but it proved effective.

The way the fight went down was the subject of Neeson’s ridicule. In an interview with GQ to promote the launch of The Naked Gun, Neeson said:

“I felt my death was a bit namby-pamby. I’m supposed to be a Master Jedi, you know?” he said. “My character fell for that, ‘Oh, I’m going for your face, no, I’m not, I’m going for your stomach.’ ‘Oh, you got me!’ Oh, please. Hardly a Master Jedi.”

With a smirk, Neeson added that overall, his experience working on The Phantom Menace “was great,” and he recounted a fun anecdote where he realized he would be upstaged by the entirely CGI character Watto in any scene the pair appeared in.

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