Posted in: Disney+, Star Wars, streaming, TV | Tagged: disney, liam neeson, Obi Wan Kenobi, qui gon jinn, star wars, the phantom menace

Star Wars: Obi-Wan Kenobi – Liam Neeson on That Qui-Gon Jinn Return

Published Tue, 28 Jun 2022 07:19:12 -0500

by Tom Chang

Last updated Tue, 28 Jun 2022 07:43:00 -0500

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A friendly face from Ben's (Ewan McGregor) past was the final surprise in the Disney+ series Star Wars: Obi-Wan Kenobi in Liam Neeson's Qui-Gon Jinn, his former Jedi master. The final shot of the limited series saw the two reunite on Tatooine to train again. The last time we physically saw McGregor and Neeson share the screen in the "Star Wars" universe was 1999's The Phantom Menace, which saw Qui-Gon fall at the hands of Darth Maul (Ray Park). With his dying breath, he bequeaths to his padawan his vow to teach Anakin (Jake Lloyd) the ways of the Force which Obi-Wan agrees. Neeson spoke with The Hollywood Reporter about his live-action return to the character.

Star Wars Actor Liam Neeson Defends Phantom Menace, Defends Ahmed Best — Liam Neeson as Qui-Gon Jinn in Star Wars: The Phantom Menace (1999). Image courtesy of Lucasfilm

"I certainly didn't want anyone else playing Qui-Gon Jinn, and I wanted to show my respect for George [Lucas] and that mythical world that he created," Neeson said. "Plus, Ewan [McGregor] is a pal, and I loved working with him during 'The Phantom Menace' 25 years ago." The actor would reprise the role via voiceover on Star Wars animated projects including the upcoming anthology series Tales of the Jedi set to premiere in late 2022. He along with McGregor also contributed voiceovers for the live-action final film in "The Skywalker Saga" in The Rise of Skywalker (2019).

As far as why Force ghosts even exist, it's been explained in 2015's Revenge of the Sith as Yoda (Frank Oz) explained to Obi-Wan of Qui-Gon's new abilities from the other side. Dave Filoni's animated The Clone Wars went further to Yoda's journey into learning the ability in the spiritual realm prior to the events of Sith. In an interview with Andy Cohen on his SiriusXM channel Radio Andy in 2020, Neeson said, "I like [Phantom Menace]. I am proud of it and proud to have been a part of it. I got to be a Jedi. I got to play with those wonderful lightsabers and stuff. It was terrific, Andy, it really was." The actor also spoke fondly of co-stars McGregor and Ahmed Best, who played Jar Jar Binks. You can check out our interview with Neeson here.

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