Obi-Wan Kenobi series: Why fans are hopeful Qui-Gon Jinn will appear

The cast of the Obi-Wan Kenobi series has been officially revealed, but fans are hopeful that one unannounced character can still make a return. No, we’re not talking about Jar Jar Binks. (That got debunked last week). We’re talking about Kenobi’s master himself, Qui-Gon Jinn.

What’s got fans hopeful is a new excerpt from the book Skywalker: A Family At War by Kristin Baver (you can read our review for it here) that briefly mentions an interesting fact about the two Jedi. Now, technically, A Family At War is a biography-style recounting of the history of the Skywalker family. But of course, both Obi-Wan Kenobi and Qui-Gon Jinn play such an enormous role in this saga that they have to be included.

In the passage, first shared by @NumidianPrime on Twitter, it outlines how Qui-Gon Jinn was able to communicate with Obi-Wan even after his death. Here’s the passage, and see if you can find the link that’s making fans hopeful for Qui-Gon’s return:

"Before he and Yoda had parted ways, the old Jedi revealed that Obi-Wan’s beloved master Qui-Gon Jinn had returned from the netherworld of the Force, manifesting his conscious mind even after death. It took 10 years, but eventually Obi-Wan was able to commune with his dearest friend, resurrected within the cosmic Force."

Is Qui-Gon Jinn in the Obi-Wan Kenobi series?

The part of the excerpt that makes fans hopeful for a Qui-Gon return is the fact that it took 10 years for Obi-Wan to finally communicate. As it was noted in the original tweet (and to much chatter on Reddit as well), the Obi-Wan series is said to take place 10 years after Revenge of the Sith. This means this revelation fits perfectly into the timeline of the upcoming Disney+ series.

Qui-Gon’s involvement in the series (as a Force ghost, at least) could provide some much-needed guidance to Obi-Wan in the wake of the Empire. The Jedi are mostly killed or in hiding if they survived. And his dearest friend and padawan, Anakin, is currently behind one of the most sinister regimes in all of the galaxy. On top of that, he’s got Anakin’s son, Luke, to keep an eye on. And even the strongest Jedi like Obi-Wan would probably need some assistance during such a tumultuous time.

Earlier this year, Qui-Gon Jinn actor Liam Neeson did reveal that he wouldn’t mind returning to the role. When asked by Collider if he’d like to have a cameo in Obi-Wan, he gave them a solid, “Sure, I’d be up for that, yeah.” It might not be the #1 thing on his to-do list, but it definitely sounds like he’s down to do it.

The series is currently filming right now. But if Lucasfilm can keep the Mark Hamill cameo on The Mandalorian a secret, we may never find out about a possible Qui-Gon/Liam Neeson cameo until the series airs.