Liam Neeson Returned as Qui-Gon in ‘Obi-Wan Kenobi’ to Pay Homage to George Lucas

 In the months leading up to the premiere of this years Obi Wan Kenobi series fans wondered if any other characters from the prequel trilogy or The Clone Wars could make an appearance in the show. The one receiving the most attention was Kenobis original master Qui Gon Jinn played by Liam Neeson given the ending of Revenge of the Sith which established that Obi Wan would learn to speak with his deceased mentor through the Force.

After several mentions of his name plus an entire seasons worth of build up Qui Gon Jinn finally appeared as a  Force ghost in the series final scene. The deceased master and his former apprentice shared a few poignant words before continuing on their journey as the series concluded. Now actor Liam Neeson who originally played the role in 1999s The Phantom Menace as well as a few episodes of The Clone Wars has spoken with Chile Detail Zero about his decision to return for Obi Wan Kenobi. While promoting his new movie Marlowe at a film festival in Spain he said:

 I was in the last episode. I am a bit of a TV snob, but I did not want anyone else to play that character  Ewan is a friend. We were in Los Angeles on green screen and Ewan as Obi Wan was on a real camel and I only had three lines of dialogue and when we rehearsed people started crying it was wonderful. Neeson also mentioned that he wanted to reprise his old part as a way of paying homage to George Lucas who he still respects greatly. Finally the actor revealed a behind the scenes tidbit that many fans will likely find amusing. His co star and friend Ewan McGregor liked to refer to Master Qui Gon as  gin and tonic. 

Its nice that Neeson still looks back fondly on his time in the Star Wars saga. His appearance however brief was a highlight of the Obi Wan Kenobi series for many fans especially those who grew up with the prequels. We have no way of knowing whether Neesons cameo in Obi Wan Kenobi will end up being his last turn as the character  but at the very least the venerable master and his apprentice got to share one last scene together.