New Star Wars book reveals a huge 'Kenobi' series cameo

As far as we know, Obi-Wan Kenobi will be the tale of an exiled Jedi in hiding on Tatooine, with some form of Darth Vader influence hanging heavy in the air. Unfortunately, when it comes to the story, that’s about all we know.

While there’s plenty of speculation about what the recent cast announcements mean for the show, there’s no clear path for Obi-Wan to take. However, a recently published Star Wars book could contain our first hint at what’s to come in the new show — and it’s exactly what fans have been asking for since 1999.

The Theory — Star Wars: Skywalker — A Family at War is a canon novel providing a sort of oral history of the Skywalker family from Shmi Skywalker all the way to Rey taking on the family name. Along the way, it reveals a dearth of new Star Wars content, tying together missing parts of the canon and adding a concise through-line. Though a lot of the events summarized in the book are well-known adventures depicted in canon, the new additions add some interesting wrinkles to this well-known story.

As pointed out by Redditor u/ScoutTheTrooper, a line in the new book seems to hint at a reunion between a Jedi and his master. The line reads:

“Before he and Yoda 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.”

Ten years ... a decade seems like a lifetime, but also, it sounds like the bare minimum amount of time between Revenge of the Sith and the timeline of the Obi-Wan Kenobi series. So, are we about to see Obi-Wan’s old mentor again?

Return of the Jedi — Qui-Gon appearing as a Force ghost before Yoda was depicted in The Clone Wars, and he even appeared on Mortis to guide Kenobi and Anakin. Of course, Obi-Wan would work to train to see his master again, but there’s one key part of this excerpt that has massive implications: it took 10 years for Obi-Wan to make contact.

That places this moment directly within the timeline for the Obi-Wan Kenobi spinoff. That means we could see Qui-Gon Jinn in live-action again. While Liam Neeson didn’t provide the voice for Qui-Gon’s appearance in Clone Wars, he may lend his talents to Obi-Wan Kenobi.

The question remains, though. What would a Force ghost Qui-Gon tell Obi-Wan? Knowing Qui-Gon’s eternal wisdom, it will probably be something profound that will lead Obi-Wan on a journey that could end with a young Luke Skywalker, or could clue him into the true fate of his padawan Anakin. Considering Hayden Christensen is set to appear, an Anakin confrontation, whether real or spectral, seems inevitable.

But while Christensen’s appearance has already been announced, there’s no news that Liam Neeson would return. This could mean Qui-Gon would play a role similar to Ahsoka’s in The Mandalorian — a surprise reveal halfway through the show in a small but crucial role.

It’s only a single line in a long book, but this could tip the hand of Obi-Wan Kenobi before it even starts production.

Star Wars: Skywalker — A Family at War is now available for purchase.