#Is Luke Suggesting That Qui-Gon Jinn Is Also a Skywalker in Older Star Wars Book?

Though not by blood, the official Star Wars canon may have recently hinted that Qui-Gon Jinn is a Skywalker, much in the same way that Rey became one. This possibly huge revelation came directly from Luke Skywalker, by way of a book titled The Secrets of the Jedi. The book was released in November 2019 and comes from author Marc Sumerak, with all of the writings coming from Luke’s perspective, written prior to his death in The Last Jedi.

The passage in question sees Luke Skywalker musing about Obi-Wan’s former master, Qui-Gon Jinn. While Luke never interacted with Qui-Gon on screen, the Jedi was undoubtedly aware of his importance. In the writing, Luke suggests that Qui-Gon shares a deep connection with his family. The passage reads as follows.

“While he may not be a Skywalker by blood, Qui-Gon Jinn shares a deep connection to my family’s history through the Jedi Order.”

What Luke seems to be getting at is an idea that has already been explored, rather infamously, in the official Star Wars canon. At the end of The Rise of Skywalker, Rey decides to take up the Skywalker family name. Even though Rey is not a Skywalker by blood, she adopted the ways of the family and they became the family she never had. One might look at the above passage and similarly conclude that Qui-Gon Jinn could also be a Skywalker in a similar way.

This is not explicitly stated, but it is certainly something to consider. The idea that Skywalker, in the galaxy, is a name that means much more than what family you were born into. This is something that was touched on by Lucasfilm Story Group member Pablo Hidalgo. Following the release of The Rise of Skywalker, Hidalgo was discussing the Rey Skywalker reveal and what it means for the Skywalker name. The comments are relevant as it relates to the idea of Qui-Gon becoming an honorary Skywalker of sorts, should one choose that interpretation of Luke’s words.

“I like the idea that she’s going to be our Skywalker, but she’s not a Skywalker. Then, for our purposes, ‘the Skywalker’ is really a metaphor. It doesn’t have to be something that’s directly connected to blood.”

Skywalker or not, Qui-Gon Jinn is a deeply important character in the franchise. Though he only appeared in The Phantom Menace, as far as the movies go anyway, he served as Obi-Wan’s master and, more importantly, is the one who believed Anakin was the Chosen One. Without Qui-Gon’s belief in Anakin, the events of the Skywalker may not have unfolded as we know them. Does making Qui-Gon a Skywalker change our understanding of these events? Does it reshape the galaxy as we know it? Not necessarily, but it does open up a larger discussion about the new meaning behind the name as it exists in a post-sequel trilogy world. This news was previously reported by Screen Rant.

Topics: Star Wars, Phantom Menace