Liam Neeson shows off Qui-Gon Jinn’s lightsaber from The Phantom Menace in a new video with James Corden. Released in 1999, George Lucas’ first Star Wars prequel divided fans but still did huge business at the box office, grossing just over $1 billion worldwide.
Set decades before the action of the original Star Wars, The Phantom Menace brought back familiar heroes like Obi-Wan Kenobi and Yoda while introducing new Jedi warriors, including Neeson’s Qui-Gon Jinn. A central character in the first prequel film, Qui-Gon sadly did not last beyond The Phantom Menace as he famously died during an epic lightsaber duel with the villainous Darth Maul. Now over 20 years after playing the Jedi in Phantom Menace, Neeson has expressed interest in playing Qui-Gon Jinn again in the upcoming Disney+ series Obi-Wan Kenobi, which will bring back Ewan McGregor as the wise old hermit in a story set after the events of the prequel trilogy.
Given that Qui-Gon Jinn is dead it’s hard to see him returning for Obi-Wan Kenobi as anything other than a Force Ghost, which means he won’t be needing his lightsaber. But if for some reason Qui-Gon does require the use of a lightsaber on the show, Neeson has his old one handy, as he showed Corden last night on The Late Late Show. See video of Neeson showing off his mounted Phantom Menace laser sword in the space below:
Neeson says in the clip that his lightsaber has been to Tatooine many many times, a possible reminder to Disney+ that he’s ready to return to that planet himself. Lately however, the lightsaber appears to have been hanging out in Neeson’s house, mounted to a piece of wood with a plaque amusingly commemorating the original title of the first prequel film, which was called Star Wars "The Beginning" before Lucas came up with the Phantom Menace name. Neeson also points out the large red button on the side of the lightsaber that activates it, assuring fans that Jedi do not in fact use the Force to turn on their lightsabers.
While it’s amusing to see that Neeson still has his old lightsaber around as a keepsake, the fact is the actor has made it plain he doesn’t really keep up with the Star Wars universe, revealing in an interview last year that he doesn’t know much about what went on with the sequel trilogy. Nevertheless, the star appears keen to pick up a lightsaber again and continue the story of Qui-Gon on Obi-Wan Kenobi. No doubt a lot of fans would be happy to see Neeson somehow return as his The Phantom Menace character, and perhaps that can happen in a flashback. Though Star Wars is known for resurrecting dead characters, bringing back Qui-Gon for real seems like a very long shot. Of course, there was a time when bringing back Palpatine or Boba Fett also seemed unlikely, and both those characters were nonetheless miraculously raised from the dead.