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A prominent Star Wars actor has explained why he returned to cameo in the Obi-Wan Kenobi finale after decades away from appearing in live-action. Spoilers for Obi-Wan Kenobi episode 6 follow.
In the closing moments of the Obi-Wan Kenobi finale, Ewan McGregor’s Obi-Wan Kenobi finally came face-to-face with the Force Ghost of his former master Qui-Gon Jinn (Liam Neeson) – who was killed by Darth Maul in 1999’s The Phantom Menace.
On the reasons behind his return, Neeson told The Hollywood Reporter, "I certainly didn’t want anyone else playing Qui-Gon Jinn, and I wanted to show my respect for George [Lucas] and that mythical world that he created."
Neeson added, "Plus, Ewan [McGregor] is a pal, and I loved working with him during The Phantom Menace 25 years ago."
While we haven’t seen Qui Gon-Jinn in live-action for some time, though his presence was keenly felt elsewhere in the franchise. He was one of several voices who helped motivate Rey in her fight against Palpatine in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, while Neeson reprised his role as Qui-Gon Jinn in a handful of episodes of animated spinoff The Clone Wars.
At Star Wars Celebration, it was confirmed he would also appear in the upcoming animated show Tales of the Jedi. He’ll voice the Jedi Master in one episode. His son, Micheál Richardson, voices a younger Qui-Gon Jinn.
For more from the Obi-Wan Kenobi finale, here are the biggest reactions to a certain prequel callback – while fans are debating whether one Return of the Jedi moment now has its roots in the Disney Plus series.
