How Qui-Gon Jinn Became The First Force Ghost

Warning: Contains spoilers for Obi-Wan Kenobi episode 6.

Qui-Gon Jinn's appearance in Obi-Wan Kenobi episode 6 solidifies him as the first official Force ghost in Star Wars, but how exactly did this happen? The exact history and mechanics of Force ghosts haven't been fully explored in Star Wars to date, whether it be in canon or Legends, but they're a staple of the franchise, nonetheless. As a result, what Qui-Gon Jinn was able to learn about the process acts as brand new information for the canon Star Wars continuity as outlined by Obi-Wan Kenobi episode 6.

While Jedi communing with people after death has been an established part of Star Wars lore since A New Hope, the prequel trilogy retroactively made Qui-Gon Jinn the first Jedi to be able to do it. Jedi being able to communicate with people after death in any form had been considered a lost art, but Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn had managed to rediscover the secrets of the technique while he was alive. After his death, Qui-Gon helped both Obi-Wan and Yoda learn how to do it, as well, and that eventually led to other Jedi being able to manifest as Force ghosts in the series.

Put simply, Qui-Gon Jinn is almost singularly responsible for making Force ghosts part of Star Wars. Despite Obi-Wan Kenobi being Qui-Gon's first appearance in recent years, he's actually been involved with the overarching Star Wars story in various ways following his death. Here's a breakdown of every appearance Qui-Gon has made following his death in The Phantom Menace, as well as how exactly he became the first Force ghost in canon.

Qui-Gon Jinn Was The First Jedi To Discover Immortality

As explained in Star Wars: The Clone Wars season 6, Qui-Gon Jinn learned the secret of becoming a Force ghost from a group of beings known as the Force Priestesses; both the original script for Revenge of the Sith and Qui-Gon's official databank entry mention him learning the ability from a shaman of the Whills (via starwars.com), and while the Whills have been mentioned in media such as Rogue One, the Force Priestesses should be taken as the canon explanation for Qui-Gon's knowledge. The Force Priestesses are connected to the metaphysical nature of the Force and represent the connection between the Living Force of mortal beings and the Cosmic Force of the universe. Through his encounter with them, Qui-Gon learned the secrets of retaining one's consciousness after death and essentially becoming immortal through the Force. Qui-Gon never completed his training before being killed by Darth Maul in The Phantom Menace, but he did eventually succeed in doing so after death, as shown in Obi-Wan Kenobi.

Qui-Gon's Post-Death Appearances Before Kenobi

Qui-Gon Jinn appearing as a Force ghost to Obi-Wan Kenobi

Qui-Gon Jinn's appearance in Obi-Wan Kenobi is certainly notable, but it wasn't the first time he appeared in Star Wars after his death. While Qui-Gon initially could only manifest his voice due to his incomplete training, in Star Wars: The Clone Wars season 3, when Anakin, Obi-Wan, and Ahsoka were lured to Mortis by the Father, Son, and Daughter, three beings who each represent different aspects of the Force, Qui-Gon was able to manifest as a Force ghost because Mortis was able to amplify the power of the Force enough to make up for his lack of training. Later on, in Star Wars: The Clone Wars season 6, Qui-Gon spoke to Yoda and guided him through the trials of the Force Priestesses so they could determine if he was also worthy of learning the secrets of retaining his consciousness after death, which Yoda ultimately succeeded in. Qui-Gon also appeared as a Force ghost in one of the short stories of From a Certain Point of View, "Master and Apprentice," and his voice, along with the voices of other Jedi, was heard in both "There Is Always Another," and during the climax of The Rise of Skywalker on Exegol. Additionally, Darth Vader heard Qui-Gon's voice when he crash-landed on Vrogas Vas following the destruction of the Death Star, and while he didn't appear as a Force ghost, Luke saw a vision of Qui-Gon in issue 20 of the 2020 run of the Star Wars comic when the imprint of Jedi Master Elzar Mann imparted knowledge onto Luke while he was trapped in the Living Sea of Gazian.

Obi-Wan Kenobi's Training With Qui-Gon Jinn

Obi-Wan Kenobi and Qui-Gon Jinn from Star Wars

At the end of Revenge of the Sith, Yoda told Obi-Wan that he would teach him how to commune with Qui-Gon Jinn following his return from the netherworld of the Force, but even after ten years had gone by following Revenge of the Sith, Obi-Wan was only able to occasionally hear his voice due to a combination of Obi-Wan's anguish and Qui-Gon's own lack of training. By the end of Obi-Wan Kenobi episode 6, however, Qui-Gon is shown to have trained enough in the Force to manifest as a Force ghost, and Obi-Wan had made enough progress in overcoming his past to properly perceive him. With that, Qui-Gon appears poised to start fully teaching Obi-Wan how to become a Force ghost after death. At the moment, the specifics of what Qui-Gon did to pass the knowledge down to Obi-Wan—whether Qui-Gon had him go through the Force Priestesses' trials as Yoda did or if he was able to do it all on his own—are unknown, but the specifics of his training will likely be explored if Obi-Wan Kenobi ends up being renewed for a second season.

Why Qui-Gon Jinn Wasn't At The Party On Endor

Anakin Skywalker, Yoda, and Obi-Wan appear as Force ghosts in Return of the Jedi.

Obi-Wan Kenobi showing that Qui-Gon Jinn was able to manifest as a Force ghost invites the question of why he wasn't at the party on Endor in Return of the Jedi, but it makes perfect sense for him not to have been there. For starters, the party on Endor was celebrating the fall of the Empire, a conflict Qui-Gon had no direct involvement with. Qui-Gon would undoubtedly be happy about the fall of the Empire, but since it had nothing to do with him, there would be no reason for him to appear for a celebration of its collapse. Not only that, but all of the Force ghosts who did appear on Endor were all people who had a personal connection to Luke, so it wouldn't have made much sense for Liam Neeson's Qui-Gon Jinn to appear when he had never met Luke before across Star Wars canon, and Luke only ever saw Qui-Gon in his vision in the Living Sea of Gazian.

More: Everything We Know About Obi-Wan Kenobi Season 2

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