Star Wars series Obi-Wan Kenobi reached its final episode this week on Disney Plus, with Ewan McGregor’s Jedi Master facing off with his former pupil Anakin (Hayden Christensen) in a climactic rematch.
But amidst all the action and angst, the series also snuck in two key cameos for well-known actors to help tie the various Star Wars eras together, alongside the already-returning McGregor, Christensen, Jimmy Smits (aka Bail Organa), Joel Edgerton (Owen Lars) and Bonnie Piesse (Beru Lars).
Look away now if you haven’t seen the episode, as we’re about to delve into spoiler territory.
The first of the cameos comes after Obi-Wan and Darth Vader’s battle, which sees Obi-Wan victorious and finally acknowledging that his former padawan is gone forever. Later, Vader rants about his plans to capture Kenobi once more to a familiar presence – a holo-projected version of Emperor Palpatine, once more played by Star Wars prequel (and sequel) star Ian McDiarmid.
“You seem agitated, my friend,” Palpatine tells Vader. “I wonder if your thoughts are clear on this, Lord Vader.
“Perhaps your feelings for your old master have left you weakened. If your past cannot be overcome…”
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At this point, Vader gets the message and gives up hunting Kenobi. He picked up on the subtle clues being laid out there. And he’s not the only one to get a fuzzy blue reunion with their Master.
Later, after tackling his inner demons, meeting the young Luke and finding a new accord with Owen (as well as moving out of a cave), Obi-Wan begins his journey home… only to spot the figure of his old master Qui-Gon (aka The Phantom Menace star Liam Neeson) as a Force ghost standing in the Tatooine desert.
“Well, took you long enough,” Qui-Gon tells him, revealing that he’s actually been beside Obi-Wan this entire time, just unseen.
“I was always here, Obi-Wan,” Qui-Gon tells his former pupil. “You just were not ready to see.
“Come on,” he adds. “We’ve got a ways to go.” He then turns and walks away, fading into nothing.
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Altogether, both cameos help tie this series into the larger Star Wars story – though it’s Neeson’s appearance that is likely to excite fans more, with the actor reprising his role on-screen for the first time since 1999’s Episode I.
McDiarmid, of course, played the role of the Emperor more recently in 2019’s Rise of Skywalker, in which – somehow – Palpatine returned.
Sure, he did a little voice line in Rise of Skywalker himself, but this is a big comeback for Neeson. And who knows? Maybe his line that they have “a ways to go” hints that this could just be the start. The cast of Obi-Wan Kenobi seem keen on a season two, and perhaps Force Ghost Qui-Gon Jinn could be a part of that.
Still, if this brief cameo is all we get, we’re sure fans will be happy anyway. And now Qui-Gon has the chance to ask Reva (Moses Ingram) how she picked up that trick of “surviving a lightsaber to the gut” so adroitly…
Obi-Wan Kenobi is now streaming on Disney Plus – sign up for Disney Plus for £7.99 a month or £79.90 a year.
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