Bidding for this lot will end on Wednesday, March 26th. The auction will begin at 10:30AM PDT and lots are sold sequentially via live auctioneer; tune in to the live streaming broadcast on auction day to follow the pace. Note other lots in the auction may close on Thursday, March 27th or Friday, March 28th.

Qui-Gon Jinn's (Liam Neeson) lightsaber hilt with a blade from George Lucas' Star Wars: The Phantom Menace. The Jedi Master wielded his signature green lightsaber throughout the film, including when he dueled with Sith apprentice Darth Maul (Ray Park) on Tatooine and in Naboo's Theed Palace. Qui-Gon's lightsaber was subsequently used by Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) to avenge his master.

Many variations of lightsabers were designed for the film by design director Doug Chiang, with each Jedi having a uniquely crafted lightsaber designed to reflect their personality. Neeson personally picked this design for his character.

This version of Qui-Gon's lightsaber hilt was created for action shots requiring Neeson to swing it. It is cast from resin with ribbed detailing running from the handgrip, a red static activator switch on one side, and a black and silver-color paint finish. The hilt is cast around a threaded steel rod protruding through the projection plate for affixing a blade.

Also included is an aluminum lightsaber blade with four metal Allen head screws inset along its body for mounting to a hilt. The materials used for lightsaber blades progressed throughout production of the Star Wars prequels. The Phantom Menace's blades were constructed from aluminum, but this caused problems for the actors and stunt performers as the blades were easily bent and damaged.

The blade is painted green for digitally overlaying its signature glow in post-production and shrink-wrapped with plastic. The hilt exhibits bending, flaking paint in multiple places, and staining on the rod from production use, while the blade exhibits scuff marks throughout. Dimensions: (largest) 38.25" x 1.5" x 1.5" (97.25 cm x 4 cm x 4 cm)

Estimate: $20,000 - 40,000