Every Force Ghost in Star Wars

Star Wars has introduced the idea of the Jedi, who are masters of the Force, returning after they die as Force Ghosts to help future Jedi in need. This is nothing new, as Force Ghosts showed up originally in the very first Star Wars movie, A New Hope, when Obi-Wan Kenobi died, and then his spirit returned to help Luke Skywalker in his race to the Death Star. Since that time, most of the main Jedi have returned as Force Ghosts at one time or another, and there was even a moment in Rise of Skywalker where Rey heard the voices of all the Force Ghosts, pushing her on in her battle with Palpatine.

Not including the voices Rey heard, here is a look at every Force Ghost that actually showed up on screen in the Star Wars franchise.

6) Obi-Wan Kenobi

The first Force Ghost that fans saw in Star Wars was Obi-Wan Kenobi. He was an older Jedi who was living on Tatooine and keeping a watchful eye on young Luke Skywalker, knowing that Luke was in danger if the Empire ever learned he was there. He then worked to train Luke, but that was cut short when he sacrificed himself to save Luke from Darth Vader.

His death didn’t mark the end, though. Obi-Wan Kenobi was back and talking in Luke’s ear during his attack on the Death Star. It was with Kenobi’s help that Luke blew up the Death Star, and then Obi-Wan’s Force Ghost sent Luke to Dagobah to train under the Jedi Master Yoda, who was also in hiding from the Empire.

5) Yoda

In The Empire Strikes Back, Obi-Wan Kenobi sent Luke Skywalker to train with Yoda to learn how to use the Force. Yoda was tough on Skywalker, but he helped turn the young Jedi into as close to a master as he could get in a short amount of time. However, Luke raced off the planet before finishing his training after receiving a vision to save his friends and never got to finish training.

That is because Yoda died shortly after Luke left the planet. Yoda did have a chance to talk to Obi-Wan Kenobi’s Force Ghost and mention the twist that Luke had a sister. Yoda showed up as a Force Ghost for the first time in Return of the Jedi, but The Clone Wars showed how he was able to train to make this possible. Yoda also showed up with Luke Skywalker in Star Wars: The Last Jedi.

4) Anakin Skywalker

Anakin Skywalker is, of course, Darth Vader. However, it is not clear how he learned to do this since he did not get the same training as Obi-Wan Kenobi and Yoda, who learned how to transform into a Force Ghost. However, when he saved Luke Skywalker’s life by turning on the Emperor, he received redemption and a return to the light, which made this possible.

Anakin Skywalker showed up as a Force Ghost at the end of Return of the Jedi, standing alongside Yoda and Obi-Wan Kenobi. This was Sebastian Shaw in the portrayal of Anakin, but that was changed in the special editions when George Lucas updated everything. The version now is of Hayden Christensen as Anakin, rather than Shaw.

3) Luke Skywalker

Luke Skywalker’s death in Star Wars: The Last Jedi was controversial since he was the hero of the first trilogy. However, it was the same basic overall storyline from the first trilogy where Ob-Wan Kenobi died protecting Luke, and where Yoda died after training Luke. He had the same fate as his Jedi Masters, and he did it to save the next Jedi in line.

Luke also returned as a Force Ghost to help Ray in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, just like Obi-Wan returned as a Force Ghost to help Luke before. It is Luke who convinces Rey to keep fighting for the Resistance, and then he shows up one last time at the end of the movie alongside his sister.

2) Leia Organa

It really makes little sense that Leia Organa would return as a Force Ghost in Star Wars, but that is what happened. Just like Luke, his sister Leia returned in the sequel trilogy to help lead the Resistance against the attempt to raise the Empire once again. However, she died in the movies, and this was because actress Carrie Fisher died as well.

Leia, who inherited part of the Forcer from her father, Anakin, then returned at the end of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, and stood by her brother to finish that trilogy. It made no sense, because neither Luke nor Leia tried to learn how to become Force Ghosts, but they somehow did so anyway. Regardless, it was a nice moment to say goodbye to their characters.

1) Qui-Gon Jinn

While not last chronologically, the last Force Ghost to appear in the Star Wars movies was that of Qui-Gon Jinn. That is because he appeared in the Disney+ series Obi-Wan Kenobi, which took place after Revenge of the Sith but before A New Hope. However, this appearance made even less sense than Luke and Leia appearing as Force Ghosts.

That is because Star Wars: The Clone Wars showed that Mortis was a conduit through which the entire Force flowed. In this series, Qui-Gon went to train so that he could become a Force Ghost upon his death, the same as Yoda before him. However, he never finished his training and died before he could. Despite this, he somehow returned anyway, making that failure to finish training a moot point.

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