Star Wars has provided fresh evidence suggesting Liam Neeson's Qui-Gon Jinn could appear in the Obi-Wan Kenobi Disney+ TV series. The Disney+ streaming service is going from strength to strength, although in truth it is mostly depending on two major franchises; Marvel and Star Wars. Lucasfilm intend to release 10 Star Wars shows over the next couple of years.
One of the most eagerly-anticipated shows is centered on Ewan McGregor's Obi-Wan Kenobi, and will be set 10 years into the Jedi Master's self-imposed exile in Tatooine; it will also featured Hayden Christensen as Darth Vader at the height of his power. There's naturally been intense speculation over just how this story fits into the overarching story of the Star Wars saga, and whether or not there will be other returning actors as well. One possibility is Liam Neeson's Qui-Gon Jinn, the Jedi Master who trained Obi-Wan but was slain in Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace; Qui-Gon learned how to preserve his consciousness after death, and he revealed himself to Yoda in Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith. Qui-Gon's spirit mentored Obi-Wan Kenobi in the time between the trilogies, teaching him how to become a Force Ghost himself, so it would make sense for his spirit to appear in some way in the Kenobi series.
Star Wars has just provided supporting evidence suggesting Qui-Gon Jinn could indeed appear in the Obi-Wan Kenobi series. Lucasfilm has published an official biography of the Skywalker family, Skywalker: A Family At War by Kristin Baver, and it includes a tangent that discusses Obi-Wan Kenobi's exile on Tatooine.
"Shortly after his arrival on Tatooine, he became known as Old Ben among the children of Mos Eisley and the sprawling surrounding settlements, an eccentric hermit of no import. Kenobi's beard and hair turned gray, the harsh environment and the stress of all he'd endured aging him rapidly. For years he remained hidden yet cautiously vigilant. He studied the Tusken Raiders and their culture, wishing to understand their brutish nature. And in the stillness he expanded his knowledge of the Force. Before he and Yoda had parted ways, the old Jedi revealed that Obi-Wan's beloved master Qui-Gon Jinn had returned from the netherworld of the Force, manifesting his conscious mind even after death. It took 10 years, but eventually Obi-Wan was able to commune with his dearest friend, resurrected within the cosmic force."
This all sounds like clear setup established Obi-Wan Kenobi's status quo in the Disney+ TV series. The most important detail is that it took Obi-Wan a full decade to learn how to communicate with Qui-Gon Jinn, simply because that would place his success at exactly the period the Kenobi series is set in - 10 years after the events of Revenge of the Sith. This raises the possibility one of the major arcs here will involve Obi-Wan finally succeeding in communing with his old master, and beginning to learn the lessons that would ultimately allow him to become a Force Ghost as well.
The account is also reminiscent of another sub-plot in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, which saw Leia attempt to encourage Rey to commune with the spirits of Jedi who had gone before her. Like Obi-Wan decades earlier, Rey found herself struggling to receive guidance from the Jedi who had passed into the netherworld, and wasn't even visited by Force Ghosts until the right moment; for Rey, that moment was during her battle with Palpatine on Exegol, and it will be interesting to see whether Qui-Gon Jinn manifests in a similar time of crisis for Obi-Wan.
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