“Star Wars” fans are excited to see Ewan McGregor reprise the role of everyone’s favorite Jedi master in the upcoming “Obi-Wan Kenobi” limited series helmed by director Deborah Chow. While the show also includes the return of McGregor’s prequels co-star Hayden Christensen as Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader, fans have long assumed that Liam Neeson would return as Qui-Gon Jinn, Obi-Wan’s own master that was struck down by Darth Maul in “Star Wars: The Phantom Menace.” Sure, Qui-Gon Jinn is dead, but that’s what Force Ghost appearances are for. And in fact, Force Ghosts don’t seem to exist until “Star Wars: Revenge Of The Sith.” At the tail end of that movie, Yoda tells Obi-Wan that Qui-Gon Jinn has learned about immortality, aka how to become a Force Ghost, and tells him that he should try and learn this technique through Qui-Gon when he is in exile on Tatooine, he will obviously have nearly 20 years to practice and learn (the pre-cursor to this moment is also teased in one of the final episodes of the original “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” series). So, yes, even George Lucas teased this up and Qui-Gon Jinn should appear, yes?
However, in a recent interview with ComicBook, while Neeson did indicate he’s still keen to play the Jedi again one day, the actor suggested he’s not really interested in doing so in a television format. It seems Neeson would be more inclined to return for a feature film, and seemingly poured cold water on the rumor he’s appearing in the “Obi-Wan Kenobi” series.
“Oh, I think so, yeah, yeah, yeah, I think so…if it was a film,” Neeson said of his hypothetical return as Qui-Gon Jinn. “Yeah, I’m a bit of a snob when it comes to TV, I must admit. I just like the big screen, you know? Qui-Gon, I can’t believe it’s 24 years since we made ‘The Phantom Menace,’ I just cannot believe where the time has gone. It was a terrific experience, shooting that film in London.”
Television has certainly grown in popularity, attracting high-profile talent, but it’s hard to see how Qui-Gon Jinn would appear anytime soon if Neeson only wants to do a film. For one, it would really only make sense for Quin-Gon Jinn to appear in the Obi-Wan storylines and those seem relegated to TV now. And secondly, it seems Disney/Lucasfilm are moving away from the Skywalker Saga timeline on the big screen which would give an even less plausible reason for that character to return.
The next Disney+ series, “Obi-Wan Kenobi,” will begin airing on May 27. Upcoming Lucasfilm series like the “Rogue One” prequel “Andor” and the third season of “The Mandalorian,” are likely premiering later this year and the “Ahsoka,” and High Republic-set show “The Acolyte” are on the 2023 horizon too.