New 'The Living Force' excerpt features Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan facing down pirates

The Living Force, John Jackson Miller's upcoming Star Wars novel, will be released on April 9. We have already gotten one excerpt from the book, which features Qui-Gon Jinn issuing a challenge to the Jedi Council, which is a big focus of the novel. However, via Entertainment Weekly, the latest excerpt showcases Qui-Gon Jinn on an adventure with his padawan, Obi-Wan Kenobi.

Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon go on an exciting adventure in The Living Force excerpt

John Jackson Miller has written many works on Star Wars in his career, both as part of the current canon and Star Wars Legends. His newest novel promises to explore the Jedi Council one year prior to the events of The Phantom Menace.

Master Qui-Gon Jinn feels that the Council has lost its way by becoming too secluded from the rest of the galaxy. He challenges the Council to come out of seclusion and remind people that the Jedi are meant to help people, not simply debate matters in an Ivory Tower.

This newest excerpt includes Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon on a mission where they encounter a pirate gang that hijacks the ship they are on. The master and his apprentice are forced to try to defuse the situation in as diplomatic and nonviolent a way as possible. Here's a little bit of the excerpt below:

Checking quickly to ensure that the Houk wasn’t asleep, Obi-Wan adopted an antic smile and addressed the passenger. “Hello there!”

Beady yellow eyes went wide. The bruiser growled—and abruptly rose to his towering height. The Houk threw off his cloak to reveal a blaster holstered to his chest.

Obi-Wan’s eyes widened. “If you wanted to be left alone, you only had to say so.”

“Quiet!” The muscular Houk turned to face the rest of the cabin and shouted, “Now!”

Two more cloaked passengers rose and shed their disguises. A scar-faced Klatooinian and a horned Devaronian reached for their weapons. The latter had his blaster in his hand first. Golden eyes and sharp fangs flashed as he shouted, “Nobody move!”

Qui-Gon saw Obi-Wan start to rise—only to pause. His Padawan looked instead to him. Qui-Gon had his hand near his lightsaber, still hidden inside his robe—but he, too, waited. He shot a look he knew his student would understand. No bloodshed. Not with so many innocents about, with nowhere to go.

The Living Force seems like it will be more about what the Jedi should be rather than the more rigid, secluded, and political version of the Jedi that we see in the prequel trilogy and Star Wars: The Clone Wars. It's also been promoted to be more of a comedy and a "buddy road trip" with the Jedi Council, which sounds like so much fun.

When we see Qui-Gon in Episode I, he is not a member of the Council and is somewhat of a maverick among the Jedi. He is able to see value in people like Anakin Skywalker and other life forms like Jar Jar Binks. This book seems like it will add greater context to Qui-Gon and the Jedi as a whole prior to the events of the prequel trilogy.

The Living Force releases on April 9, which is perfect timing given the fact that in May, The Phantom Menace will be re-released in theaters in May for its 25th anniversary. You can read the full exclusive excerpt now in Entertainment Weekly.