Liam Neeson Confirmed To Return In 'Tales Of The Jedi'
Star Wars Celebration 2022 is over now and the world is processing all the reveals and information that came out of it, including a first look at the new series Tales of the Jedi, a six-episode collection of stories about the Jedi set during the waning years of the Republic. Three episodes will focus on Ahsoka Tano, and according to a sneak-peek shown to panel attendees, it will focus on Ahsoka's childhood. The other three will focus on Count Dooku before he became a Sith apprentice, and his apprentice Qui-Gon Jinn.
Furthermore, it was revealed that the same actor that played Qui-Gon, Liam Neeson, will reprise his role and voice the older version of the character. It's welcome news for fans of the late Jedi, and also interesting given a story by Varietyback in April where Neeson said he was up to playing the Jedi again, but only in a movie. Either the offer was too good to be true, or the actor doesn't consider his voice-acting as the same thing.
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With Obi-Wan Kenobi, the new show on Disney+, on its third episode, many have speculated that Qui-Gon may make an appearance again. The speculation comes from Master Yoda's words to Obi-Wan at the end of Revenge of the Sith, telling him he can help Obi-Wan learn to communicate with his old master. Those who have seen Obi-Wan also see the Jedi-in-exile try to communicate with Qui-Gon, but to no avail. With three episodes left to go, he may yet still make contact with his former master, likely to the joy of fans everywhere. If so, that would further draw into question the actor's statement, though Disney has a penchant for imposing tight-lipped restrictions on its actors to avoid spoilers.
Tales of the Jedi will seem familiar to long-time Star Wars fans, especially those who read Star Wars comics in the 90s. From 1993 to 1998, Tales of the Jedi was a comic series that focused on the distant past of the galaxy, thousands of years into the past, and the Jedi's struggles against the Sith in the Great Sith War and the Great Hyperspace War. It introduced many new characters to the Legends compendium, including fan-favorite Exar Kun and Ulic Qel-Droma.
It seems that the new series, though set in the past, will depart from just how far into the past it goes, instead, focusing on familiar characters from the cinematic and television series. Count Dooku was once a Jedi, as Yoda and other Jedi reminded Padme in Attack of the Clones, and as he reminded Obi-Wan, he was the former Master of Qui-Gon, as well as one of Yoda's pupils. It will be interesting to see perhaps his descent to the dark side of the Force. It also looks like the three episodes of Dooku's story will take place over years, since there's also a young actor slated to voice a young Qui-Gon, portrayed by Neeson's son Michael.
Ahsoka's arc is set to feature her life in three different eras, starting with her discovery and adoption into the Jedi order as a young child, her experience as Anakin's spunky apprentice during the Clone Wars, and the first on-screen representation of her fight against an Inquisitor. Fans of the Ahsoka book by E.K. Johnston will remember that fight as the climax of the book and where she gets her characteristic post-Jedi-order white-bladed lightsabers.
Though there was no indication of whether there would be more than just the six-episode release, given the news of the anthology series Star Wars: Visions, the Tales of the Jedi series may have more than one season.
Be sure to look for the new series on Disney+ later this year, set to release this fall.
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Source(s): IGN, Variety, Wookieepedia