Spoiler warning: This article contains spoilers for Obi-Wan Kenobi.
Obi-Wan Kenobi rewards Star Wars fans with all kinds of Easter eggs and references. Quinlan Vos ranks among the best. Obi-Wan mentions the Jedi by name when he finds an inscription inside a safe house in Part III. Star Wars fans know Quinlan and Obi-Wan share a tumultuous relationship in canon and Legends sources, though they became close friends and allies.
Vos plays a key role in major Star Wars comic books from the prequel trilogy era, becoming in many ways the central character in the Star Wars: Republic ongoing series. His exploits introduced many unique characters, including Aalya Secura, who like him rose to prominence across every medium. Vos' mention in the new streaming series suggests fans may see him someday in live-action and his past may hint at his future.
He First Appeared In The Phantom Menace
Star Wars fans mostly know Quinlan Vos from adventures in animation, books, and comics, but his first appearance comes in live-action. He appears in the background when Anakin Skywalker confronts Sebulba in a Mos Espa market in The Phantom Menace.
Vos possessed no backstory or name at this point. He gained them when writer John Ostrander and artist Jan Durusema used this character as the basis for Quinlan Vos in their Star Wars: Republic run for Dark Horse Comics in the early 2000s.
A Maverick
Maverick Jedi feature prominently in Star Wars lore, including Anakin and Qui-Gon Jinn. Quinlan Vos certainly qualifies. He never adhered to the strict Jedi rules others did, to the point he would take naps in the Jedi Temple library on Coruscant.
Quinlan Vos possessed enough discipline in The Force to become one of the most powerful Jedi, becoming an essential and decorated warrior during the Clone Wars. He fought many battles, including some alongside Obi-Wan Kenobi.
Hunting Ziro The Hutt
Obi-Wan's fond memory of Quinlan in Part III overlooks somewhat their uneasy alliance when they hunted Ziro the Hutt together in the Clone Wars animated series. Obi-Wan's adherence to the rules bumped up against Quinlan's looser methods.
They chased Ziro, one of the most powerful Hutts at the time, across the galaxy to the planet Teth. They crossed paths with Cad Bane and fought the bounty hunter together, bringing the two closer together.
The Battle Of Kamino
Quinlan Vos also served alongside Obi-Wan in the Legends comic book storyline "The Battle of Kamino." He joined many other Jedi in defending the ocean planet from an all-out assault from Separatist forces seeking to destroy the Republic's clone processing facilities.
Vos actually obtained intelligence on the attack from a spy ring he cultivated within the Separatist alliance. His undercover status hinged heavily on his reputation as a renegade and someone who could plausibly defect from the Jedi.
Embracing The Dark Side
Vos infiltrated the Separatists all the way into Count Dooku's esteem. Vos convinced Dooku of his hatred for the Republic and the Jedi and Dooku, one of the most powerful Sith lords, trained Vos as his Dark Side Adept.
Vos played along, even revealing key Republic secrets that led to major battlefield defeats and mass casualties. He also learned key Sith secrets from holocrons and books that he relayed back to the Jedi, though at a great personal cost to himself.
Fighting Obi-Wan Kenobi
Vos' undercover mission with Count Dooku proved so convincing many Jedi believed he had betrayed the Jedi Order. Obi-Wan Kenobi did, and the two fought in a Legends storyline from the Star Wars: Republic comic book.
Vos convinced Obi-Wan of his true loyalties by helping him get away from Asajj Ventress. His helping Obi-Wan led the Jedi Order to bring him back into the fold, and he spent some time recovering from his ordeal before returning to active duty.
Dark Disciple
Vos played another secretive role in Dark Disciple, a book based on unmade Clone Wars animated series episodes. Obi-Wan sends Vos to get to know Ventress, who has walked away from Count Dooku, in order to try and get her to help take down the Sith Lord.
This eventually leads to Vos becoming Ventress' apprentice in the Dark Side. Vos agrees, training with her in the Dark Side to improve their chances to kill Count Dooku and end the conflict. Their mission ended in her death at Dooku's hands.
Meeting Han Solo
Quinlan goes on the run after Order 66 and at some point after the Empire comes to power, encounters a young Han Solo. They meet in "Ghost," a story from Star Wars Tales #11, a series that experimented with stories outside of canon before the Legends demarcation.
The story features Han Solo seeking lost Jedi treasure and encountering Vos, though he's not acknowledged by name. Solo eventually discovers the treasure he seeks is Vos' own lightsaber. This takes place around the same time as the Obi-Wan Kenobi series.
Order 66
Different sources present different takes on Vos' fate in Order 66. The Dark Horse Comics Revenge of the Sith adaptation featured him dying in the attack, as he was originally meant to in the movie, in a scene never filmed. Other comics and books suggested he survived the attack.
The new streaming series makes clear once and for all he was an Order 66 survivor. The circumstances remain a mystery, but Vos emerged from Order 66 and plays a key role in smuggling Jedi and Force-sensitives through the galaxy, away from the Empire.
Training Aayla Secura
Vos took an apprentice and Star Wars fans likely know who she is. Aalya Secura made such an impression in her comic book appearances that she quickly appeared in Attack of the Clones, Revenge of the Sith, and the Clone Wars series.
Vos' protection of children in canon echoes his empathy for them in Legends. He met Aalya as a child, helped her escape her difficult circumstances on the planet Ryloth, and trained her in the Force. She became a powerful Jedi, though she died in Order 66.