Star Wars fans are known for having passionate opinions and Shang-Chi star Simu Liu is no different. On the latest episode of Hot Ones, the new Marvel hero was asked about a photo from his Instagram where he was wearing a red Sith Trooper helmet, which lead to the question of who his favorite Jedi is. The answer is probably controversial, but certainly well reasoned.
“It’s gotta be Qui-Gon Jinn,” Liu said on the show. “This whole idea of the Jedi during the Old Republic, you look at those council scenes where everyone’s so stuck-up. They’re all just like, ‘These are the rules, we don’t ever break the rules,’ and by the way, [that’s] very hypocritical too, because the Jedi are supposed to not want power. They’re like, ‘We have no thirst for power,’ and there’s literally a council that oversees everything that’s in the highest part of Coruscant.”
It’s true that... wait. He has more? OK, sure, go off king.
“I just love that Qui-Gon is a bit of a maverick,” Liu continued. “He doesn’t care. He’s like, ‘Sorry, I’m gonna train this kid.’ And ultimately, that kid is gonna grow up to become Darth Vader and overthrow the entire Republic, but still, you gotta admire the guy that can see through the hypocrisy of the Jedi Order. They think they’re the good guys—they’re like, ‘Oh yeah, we’re so good,’ but really were the instruments of their own demise, in a way.”
In fact, Liu’s nerd out was so complete he ended it by saying “Sorry, I’ve already… you get me on a Star Wars tangent and I will show you my true colors.”
That he did and the moment is just so pure and wonderful. There’s something just magical about seeing someone you might geek out if you ever met geeking out about something themselves, especially if it’s something you’re passionate about too. And Liu is without a doubt passionate about Star Wars. You can watch the clip, which is all cued up, below.
Liu’s film, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, is now on Disney+.
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