‘Obi-Wan Kenobi’ Delights Fans With The Return Of A Universally Loved Character
The sixth and final episode of Obi-Wan Kenobi delivered on fans’ expectations on many levels, from an epic lightsaber duel between the Jedi Master and his former Padawan, which left the continuity of their final confrontation on the Death Star intact, to Obi-Wan meeting 10 years old Luke Skywalker (and saying “Hello there”) to a return of Qui-Gon Jinn in the closing moments of the episode.
Although the voice of the Jedi, who was killed by Darth Maul’s sword in The Phantom Menace could be heard in Attack of the Clones and two episodes of The Clone Wars, this was chronologically the first appearance of a Force ghost in Star Wars (Qui-Gon did appear visually in the Mortis trilogy though, but this was more a Force vision than an actual Force ghost).
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When creating the shimmering blue (and quite corporal) image of the deceased Jedi Master, the special-effect gurus at Lucasfilm didn’t rely on any unused footage from The Phantom Menace, nor did they just digitally slap Liam Neeson’s face on the body of another actor.
The Irish/American actor, who earned an Oscar nomination for his titular role in Schindler’s List was actually there to reprise the role, that he had first played 23 years ago. After the premiere of the final episode of Obi-Wan Kenobi he was free to explain why he did it:
“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. Plus, Ewan [McGregor] is a pal, and I loved working with him during The Phantom Menace 25 years ago.”
What might have helped in his decision was, that Neeson unlike some other actors from the Prequel Trilogy like Jake Lloyd or Ahmed Best didn’t have to face the fan backlash after the movie had come out, but his character has always been a fan favorite. And unlike some others, he has never regretted being a part of Star Wars:
“I like [Phantom Menace],” Neeson told Andy Cohen on SiriusXM channel Radio Andy in 2020. “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.”
Neeson being protective of “his” character and not wanting to have Qui-Gon played by anybody else is kind of similar to the attitude of Frank Oz, who is also always there when it comes to playing a certain, 900-year-old alien.
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