Star Wars Actor Fibbed About Cameo in Obi-Wan Kenobi Finale

Warning: this story contains spoilers for the Obi-Wan Kenobi finale. “Well, took you long enough.” So says Obi-Wan’s (Ewan McGregor) old Jedi Master, Qui-Gon Jinn (Liam Neeson), appearing as a Force ghost in the final moments of Obi-Wan Kenobi “Part VI.” Returning to live-action Star Wars for the first time since Episode I: The Phantom Menace in 1999, Neeson’s Qui-Gon cameo comes just two months after the Taken actor revealed he was willing to reprise his role in the galaxy far, far away — but only on the big screen. 

“Oh, I think so, yeah, yeah, yeah, I think so … if it was a film,” Neeson told ComicBook in April when asked about a potential Star Wars return. “Yeah, I’m a bit of a snob when it comes to TV, I must admit. I just like the big screen, you know?” 

Neeson, who was promoting his new movie Memory, recalled his “terrific experience” shooting the first episode of George Lucas’ Star Wars prequel trilogy in London, adding, “I can’t believe it’s 24 years since we made The Phantom Menace. I just cannot believe where the time has gone.” 

The Qui-Gon actor made similar comments in his first interview since Wednesday’s Obi-Wan finale, revealing why he made the surprise cameo after more than two decades. (Neeson previously voiced Qui-Gon in episodes of the animated series Star Wars: The Clone Wars.)  

“I certainly didn’t want anyone else playing Qui-Gon Jinn, and I wanted to show my respect for George and that mythical world that he created,” Neeson told The Hollywood Reporter. “Plus, Ewan is a pal, and I loved working with him during The Phantom Menace 25 years ago.”

Neeson will again voice the character in Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi, an original animated anthology series streaming on Disney+. 

Star Wars fans have been waiting for Qui-Gon’s live-action return since Episode III: Revenge of the Sith in 2005. The final chapter of the prequel trilogy ends with Yoda (Frank Oz) revealing Obi-Wan’s old Master returned from the netherworld of the Force to teach him the path to immortality. As the guardian of a young Luke Skywalker (Grant Feely), Obi-Wan would train during his solitude on Tatooine, mastering how to join the Force in death.

Starring Ewan McGregor, Moses Ingram, Rupert Friend, Joel Edgerton, Bonnie Piesse, Indira Varma, Sung Kang, Grant Feely as young Luke Skywalker, Vivien Lyra Blair as young Leia Organa, and Hayden Christensen as Darth Vader, all six episodes of Star Wars: Obi-Wan Kenobi are now streaming on Disney+.