‘Star Wars’ Artist Reveals ‘Phantom Menace’ Twist That George Lucas Cut From Film

https://deadline.com/2024/11/star-wars-phantom-menace-twist-george-lucas-cut-1236165441/

Marking the 25th anniversary of Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, concept and storyboard artist Iain McCaig recently revealed an exchange between Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) and his mentor Qui-Gon Jinn (Liam Neeson) that Lucas ultimately cut at the last minute.

“It’s interesting how things evolve. For a time, the older Jedi was named Obi-Wan and the younger Jedi was named Qui-Gon,” McCaig told StarWars.com. “It was very poignant that at the end, as Obi-Wan dies and Qui-Gon defeats Darth Maul and stays with his Master as he passes away, he not only takes on his Master’s quest, but he takes on his name. Qui-Gon becomes Obi-Wan.”

He continued, “That’s why when you see Alec Guinness in A New Hope, he puts his hood down and goes, ‘Obi-Wan? Now that’s a name I’ve not heard….’ Because he’s not Obi-Wan, he’s Qui-Gon. And right at the end, George changed it.”

Although the switch-up would have ended on a more shocking reveal, it would have yielded the same outcome, with McGregor’s Obi-Wan going on to train Anakin Skywalker (Jake Lloyd, Hayden Christensen), and ultimately his son Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) in the original trilogy.