The huge Obi-Wan Kenobi twist that George Lucas cut from The Phantom Menace
Ewan McGregor was supposed to be Qui-Gon Jinn…
A quarter of a century later, we learned of the incredible plan of George Lucas for Obi-Wan Kenobi!
On the occasion of the 25th anniversary of The Phantom Menace, Iain McCaigdesigner and screenwriter, had permission to tell the official Star Wars website a huge anecdote about the Jedi from the prequel: Originally, Liam Neeson was to play Obi-Wan Kenobi and Ewan McGregor was to be called Qui-Gon Jinn. It was upon the death of the Master, killed by Darth Maul, that his padawan decided to take his name and become Obi-Wan…
“For a while, the oldest Jedi was named Obi-Wan Kenobi and the youngest was supposed to be Qui-Gon Jinn. It was very moving to see that at the end, as Obi-Wan dies and Qui-Gon defeated Darth Maul, he remained at his dying master’s side. He not only took up his master’s quest, but also took up his name!
And the artist clarifies : “That’s why when you see Alec Guinness in Star Wars, who pulls down his hood and says, ‘Obi-Wan? That’s a name I haven’t heard in a long time…’ It’s because he’s not Obi-Wan, he’s Qui-Gon.”
So the real Kenobi had actually died since Episode I. The idea remained in the script for a long time, “but at the last moment, before filming, George Lucas changed his mind“.
