The Obi-Wan Kenobi series brought back several actors from the Star Wars prequels, such as Ewan McGregor and Hayden Christensen, while also including small cameos for Temuera Morrison and Liam Neeson. However, the finale broke one big George Lucas rule from the prequels. Needless to say, it was a bold move in the first place to insert an adventure for these characters in-between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope. Even director Deborah Chow was concerned about bringing Princess Leia back, among other Canon concerns. And while some of Obi-Wan Kenobi’s decisions went over poorly with the audience, other aspects were praised.
One of Obi-Wan Kenobi’s more controversial decisions was allowing Liam Neeson to reprise his role as Qui-Gon Jinn. Despite Qui-Gon’s premature death at the hands of Darth Maul in The Phantom Menace, Liam Neeson appears in the finale for the first time as a fully-fledged, corporeal Force ghost. And while many were happy to see Neeson step into the role of Qui-Gon again, others couldn’t help but feel his addition was unnecessary. Yoda already mentioned Qui-Gon wanting to train Obi-Wan at the end of Revenge of the Sith, but the Obi-Wan Kenobi series makes it seem as though Qui-Gon only followed up on that ten years later.
George Lucas Chose Not To Show Qui-Gon Jinn’s Force Ghost
As it turns out, George Lucas actually intentionally left out Qui-Gon Jinn’s Force ghost from Revenge of the Sith. In The Art of Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith, Lucas even states, “We never see the ghost of Qui-Gon; he’s not that accomplished.” While Qui-Gon Jinn was meant to be the first Jedi who learned to return from the Netherworld of the Force, his training was incomplete. Like Obi-Wan in A New Hope, Lucas believed Qui-Gon could only speak through the Force after death, but couldn’t physically manifest himself. Instead, the corporeal Force ghost was something later perfected by Obi-Wan and Yoda in the original trilogy.
By including Qui-Gon’s Force ghost at the end of Obi-Wan Kenobi, the Disney+ TV opens the door to too many confusing canon questions. For example, if he appeared to Obi-Wan on Tatooine, then why wasn’t Qui-Gon at the party on Endor in Return of the Jedi? The Last Jedi already established that Force ghosts don’t expire, as Yoda’s ghost appears to Luke despite having been dead for over 30 years. But Qui-Gon’s ghost seems to disappear after his appearance in Obi-Wan Kenobi.
Each Obi-Wan Kenobi Episode Perfectly Mirrors Every Star Wars Movie
Every episode of Obi-Wan Kenobi deliberately mirrors George Lucas’ Star Wars saga – setting up a dramatic final confrontation with Darth Vader.
Has Star Wars Undone George Lucas’ Original Qui-Gon Plan?
Despite Qui-Gon’s appearance breaking Lucas’ vision for the character, there is still a good Canon explanation for how Qui-Gon became a Force ghost. As Lucas said, Qui-Gon wasn’t adept enough to form a Force ghost in Revenge of the Sith, but it’s implied he’s been working on this ability. In other words, it took Qui-Gon thirteen years from his death in The Phantom Menace to be able to commune with Yoda through the Force, and then an additional ten years for him to actually manifest himself visually. And now that he’s a Force ghost, it seems it’s still possible for Qui-Gon Jinn to appear in future Star Wars projects.
Star Wars
Star Wars is a multimedia franchise that started in 1977 by creator George Lucas. After the release of Star Wars: Episode IV- A New Hope (originally just titled Star Wars), the franchise quickly exploded, spawning multiple sequels, prequels, TV shows, video games, comics, and much more. After Disney acquired the rights to the franchise, they quickly expanded the universe on Disney+, starting with The Mandalorian.
- Created by
- George Lucas
- First Film
- Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope
- Cast
- Mark Hamill , James Earl Jones , David Prowse , Carrie Fisher , Harrison Ford , Daisy Ridley , Adam Driver , Ian McDiarmid , Ewan McGregor , Rosario Dawson , Lars Mikkelsen , Rupert Friend , Moses Ingram , Frank Oz , Pedro Pascal
- TV Show(s)
- The Mandalorian , Andor , Obi-Wan Kenobi , The Book of Boba Fett , Ahsoka , The Acolyte , Star Wars: Skeleton Crew , Lando , Star Wars: The Clone Wars , Star Wars Rebels , Star Wars: The Bad Batch , Star Wars: Resistance , Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures , Star Wars: Visions
