Is anyone really ever dead in the galaxy far, far away? If it’s not Darth Maul returning with spider legs, it’s Boba Fett crawling out of the Sarlacc or Fennec Shand surviving a gunshot to the torso. Deborah Chow’s Obi-Wan Kenobi is no different, and while the Grand Inquisitor’s role in Rebels means we’re convinced he’s not kicked the bucket, he’s not the only fan-favourite poised for a return.
During this week’s Part III, fans got more of Vivien Lyra Blair’s adorable Young Leia, got to meet Indira Varma’s Tala, and were teased with the mother of all showdowns when our titular Jedi was finally reunited with Anakin Skywalker – some 10 years after Obi-Wan left his Padawan as a lump of coal on Mustafar.
However, did you spot a clever nod to another ghost from Obi-Wan’s past?
Who is Quinlan Vos?
As Leia and Obi-Wan attempted to escape the Empire through the tunnels of Mapuzo, Tala explained how this Jedi sanctuary is the gateway to “the Path”, which leads them to a new life on the planet Jabiim. With names of those who’ve visited before etched on the wall, a shocked Obi-Wan says, “Quinlan was here?” It’s a reference to Quinlan Vos, who is something of a big deal in Star Wars canon, but was presumed dead by most in the bloody aftermath of Order 66.
Appearing as another wayward Jedi in the Star Wars: Republic and Star Wars: Jedi comics, Vos is a hot-headed Kiffar male who is known to stray a little too close to the Dark Side. Vos lost his way in the canonised 2015 novel, Dark Disciple. Here, he tried to get inside Count Dooku’s inner circle but was lured to the Dark Side when he fell in love with the Sith assassin Asajj Ventress. Her murder saw him turn back to the side of good, and it’s actually Obi-Wan who tried to persuade the Jedi Council to reinstate Vos.
Obi-Wan and Quinlan have their own history, and as well as chasing Ziro the Hutt, they also battled Cad Bane in the animated The Clone Wars series. This isn’t the first time Star Wars has given Quinlan the nod in live-action. As well as a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it cameo in The Phantom Menace, he canonically trained Aayla Secura (the blue Twi’lek we saw cut down by Order 66 in Revenge of the Sith). Episode 3 also made a mention that “Master Vos has moved his troops to Boz Pity”.
The 2008 novel Order 66: A Republic Commando Novel gave Vos a post-Order 66 survival arc when he evaded troops on Kashyyyk and was reunited with lover Khaleen Hentz and their child. Even if it’s largely not considered canon these days, it’s a neat way to bring Vos back. A potential problem of Vos appearing at all comes from Charles Soule’s Darth Vader comics. The final issue featured the charred Anakin Skywalker cutting down Force visions of Yoda, Mace Windu, Vos and more inside a Jedi Temple dreamscape. They all had one thing in common… they were all dead. Strange that Vos would be the odd one out, but we’re sure the franchise can work around that one too.
How can Quinlan Vos return?
How Vos fits into Obi-Wan Kenobi remains to be seen, but eagle-eyed fans have suggested the pair might not cross paths at all. Instead, Quinlan Vos’ return could be saved for The Mandalorian season 3. When Obi-Wan read Quinlan’s message of “Only when the eyes are closed can you truly see,” Leia asked: “See what?” If you read the closed captions, Obi-Wan’s response of “the Way” capitalises the “W”. It’s just like the Mandalorian do for Mando’s favourite catchphrase: “This is the Way.”
The mention of closing your eyes could have something to do with Vos’ psychometric powers and abilities to read someone’s memories through objects they’ve touched, or it simply could be a way for Obi-Wan to hone his waning Jedi powers and reconnect with the Force to help him defeat Vader. Also, with it looking like Vos survived Order 66, could he have been the mysterious Jedi saviour who snatched Grogu from the Jedi temple? Even though Obi-Wan Kenobi’s timeline of 19 years before The Mandalorian doesn’t quite match up, an aged Vos could be saved for the sister series.
Now that young Leia is in the clutches of Reva and Obi-Wan has been (literally) dragged across the coals by his former apprentice, he desperately needs the help of Vos and others. Obi-Wan has spent most of the first three episodes trying to reach out to Qui-Gon Jinn through the Force, and remembering that Yoda said Obi-Wan’s former master had found the path to immortality, we guess Liam Neeson’s Force ghost will be saying “hello there” before the final credits.
As for Quinlan Vos, it remains to be seen what new identity he’s forged and who will be playing the wayward Jedi in the ever-expanding Outer Rim of returning Star Wars characters.
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