Obi-Wan Kenobi Part VI Provided A Cameo 23 Years In The Making
Contains spoilers for "Obi-Wan Kenobi" Part VI
It was been nearly two decades since "Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith" and now, thanks to the Disney+ series "Obi-Wan Kenobi," Ewan McGregor is once again front-and-center playing one of the galaxy's most famous Jedi. Not only that, but Kenobi has brought a few familiar friends and foes along with him.
Most notable of these returning players is Darth Vader, aka Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen and James Earl Jones), who Kenobi has squared off against across the six-episode series. There was also chatter online that another notable villain from the past, Darth Maul (Ray Park and Peter Serafinowicz), would make an appearance. However, director Deborah Chow quickly dispelled the rumors when speaking to Total Film, saying, "As long as I've been involved, we've never had Darth Maul in any of it ..."
But "Obi-Wan Kenobi" still has plenty of surprises up its Jedi robes — even without an appearance from Maul. Vader's ferociousness in Part III caught many fans off-guard when he tries to roast Kenobi alive as revenge for his own fiery torture on Mustafar. Thankfully, the finale delivers on the show's promise of a dramatic rematch between the former allies. And Lucasfilm and Disney also managed to squeeze in a brilliant cameo from a friendly face before Part VI of "Obi-Wan Kenobi" came to an end.
Liam Neeson returns as Qui-Gon Jinn
Yes, Liam Neeson has returned to the "Star Wars" universe for a brief cameo as Obi-Wan's master, Qui-Gon Jinn. The revered Jedi dies at the end of "Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace" in a duel with Darth Maul on Naboo, making his padawan promise to train Anakin Skywalker (Jake Lloyd) in the ways of the Force before he goes. But Kenobi is a lost soul in his Disney+ series after the tragic events of "Revenge of the Sith," and he frequently calls out for Qui-Gon to offer guidance from the afterlife.
But because Obi-Wan has shut himself off from the Force, he never gets the help he wants from his master — until the end of Part VI when Kenobi takes himself off into the Tatooinian wilderness. Just as he's about to head into the cliffs, Qui-Gon appears to him as a Force ghost, saying, "Well, took you long enough." He then reassures his former padawan that he's been with him the entire time, he just wasn't ready to see. The two journey together, presumably so Qui-Gon can teach Kenobi further in the Force and how to survive in the afterlife.
It's a perfectly executed cameo, as the series shows Kenobi trying to reach out to his master at difficult moments throughout the story. Thankfully, Neeson has kept this well under wraps. He even previously told ComicBook.com that he'd only reprise his role for a movie. "Oh, I think so, yeah, yeah, yeah, I think so ... if it was a film. Yeah, I'm a bit of a snob when it comes to TV, I must admit, I just like the big screen, you know?" the actor said. It appears that he's perhaps taken a lesson or two from the Andrew Garfield school of fibbing to the press.