Despite Qui-Gon Jinn meeting his demise in his first appearance in the Star Wars franchise, Liam Neeson has returned as the Jedi Master several times.

In 1999, Star Wars finally returned to the big screen after 16 years for the first film in George Lucas’ prequel trilogy, Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace. The film took place 32 years before the beginning of the original Star Wars trilogy and featured Obi-Wan Kenobi’s first meeting with a young Anakin Skywalker.

As well as introducing Ewan McGregor as the younger Obi-Wan and Jake Lloyd as Anakin, the film starred Liam Neeson as new Jedi Qui-Gon Jinn, Obi-Wan’s master. It was Qui-Gon who first brought Anakin to the Jedi Order with the intention of training him, but he met his doom by the blade of the sinister Darth Maul before the film’s end.

Despite Qui-Gon’s early demise, the character has sporadically returned in various forms as the Star Wars franchise continued, either as a vision or as a manifestation of his spirit through the Force.

In fact, Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith would reveal that it was Qui-Gon Jinn who first discovered the method by which Jedi could preserve their consciousness after death. His return appearances have spanned TV series and subsequent Star Wars films, with Liam Neeson consistently returning to bring the character back to screens.

Qui-Gon’s Return Appearances in Star Wars Films

Towards the end of The Phantom Menace, Qui-Gon Jinn met his end in a lightsaber duel with Darth Maul. Following his death, Qui-Gon was cremated in a funeral ceremony on Naboo, marking a departure from the original trilogy in which Jedi had always faded away upon death.

This discrepancy would be explained in Revenge of the Sith, but Qui-Gon’s survival in the Force was first hinted at in the very next film, Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones.

It was in this film that Anakin reunited with his mother on Tatooine. Shmi Skywalker had been kidnapped and abused by Tusken Raiders, and she then died in her son’s arms.

Enraged, Anakin drew his lightsaber and slaughtered the Tuskens. As he did so, Qui-Gon Jinn could be heard calling out to him through the Force. The voice heard is Neeson’s, though it is taken from archival recordings from the production of The Phantom Menace.

Liam Neeson almost had a slightly more substantial voice cameo in Revenge of the Sith. Prior to Yoda’s revelation that he had made contact with Qui-Gon, a deleted scene saw the elder Jedi Master meditating as Qui-Gon’s voice came to him. Unfortunately, the scene was cut before Neeson could record his dialogue.

However, Neeson did eventually return to lend his voice to a new Star Wars film when Disney’s sequel trilogy came to an end in Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker.

In a climactic scene, Rey formed a connection through the Force to the Jedi of the past. Various Jedi from previous films and TV series were heard, including Qui-Gon, who told Rey: “Every Jedi who ever lived lives in you… We stand behind you, Rey.”

Qui-Gon Jinn in Star Wars TV Series

Liam Neeson has reprised the role of Qui-Gon Jinn multiple times for the small screen. The first instance of this was in the animated series Star Wars: The Clone Wars, in Season 3’s Mortis arc. This storyline saw Obi-Wan, Anakin and Ahsoka Tano journey to the strange world of Mortis, a conduit through which the entirety of the Force flowed.

In the episode “Overlords,” during this arc, Obi-Wan was confronted with a manifestation of Qui-Gon, who talked to him about Anakin’s significance as the Chosen One of Jedi prophecy.

Two episodes later, in “Ghosts of Mortis,” Anakin also experienced a vision of Qui-Gon. It is never made clear whether Qui-Gon genuinely appeared on Mortis or if these were visions, though the Season 6 episode “Voices” implied Anakin and Obi-Wan truly spoke to Qui-Gon Jinn.

“Voices” would mark Neeson’s next appearance in The Clone Wars. The episode featured Qui-Gon contacting Yoda from beyond the grave, speaking to the Jedi Grand Master as a disembodied voice.

This time around, it was made clear that Qui-Gon himself truly was speaking to Yoda to reveal to him the path to immortality, as referenced in Revenge of the Sith. In a later episode in this storyline, “Destiny,” Qui-Gon is briefly seen in a vision, though Neeson’s voice is not heard.

More recently, Liam Neeson brought Qui-Gon Jinn back to live action as a fully formed Force ghost in Obi-Wan Kenobi. In this series, which followed Ewan McGregor’s Obi-Wan between the events of Star Wars Episode III and Episode IV, Obi-Wan repeatedly tried to contact his old master to no avail.

Only at the series’ end, when Obi-Wan’s faith in himself and the Jedi had been restored did Qui-Gon finally appear to his old apprentice. He led Obi-Wan away into the deserts of Tatooine to continue his training. Shortly after this, Neeson again voiced Qui-Gon in animation in Tales of the Jedi.

The episode “The Sith Lord” took place during the events of The Phantom Menace and Neeson made a cameo as Qui-Gon Jinn. An earlier episode of the series, “Justice,” featured a much younger Qui-Gon who was voiced by Neeson’s son, Micheál Richardson.