Star Wars Secrets: George Lucas’s Original Plan to Swap Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon’s Names

Star Wars is one of the biggest and most popular franchises in entertainment history, and it’s brought us some of the most iconic characters ever. Jedi and Sith names like Obi-Wan Kenobi and Qui-Gon Jinn are widely recognized, even by people who don’t follow the series closely. These characters have become symbols of the Jedi Order and everything it stands for.

Iain McCaig, a well-known concept artist and designer, especially for his work on the Star Wars prequels, recently shared an interesting detail about how Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon were originally created.

The artist revealed that George Lucas originally planned for Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon to swap names. In an early concept for The Phantom Menace, the older Jedi we know as Qui-Gon was to be called “Obi-Wan,” while the younger Jedi, Obi-Wan Kenobi, would have been named “Qui-Gon.”

The idea was that the young Jedi would take on his master’s name, Obi-Wan, after his death. This would add depth to the scene in A New Hope where Obi-Wan (Alec Guinness) says, “Obi-Wan? Now that’s a name I’ve not heard in a long time,” hinting he inherited the name from his late master.

If Lucas had kept this idea, it would add complexity to Jedi traditions and show Obi-Wan as a blend of his own character and his master’s legacy. However, Lucas chose to keep their names separate, preserving a clearer storyline and lineage in Star Wars canon.

For a time, the older Jedi was named Obi-Wan, and the younger Jedi was named Qui-Gon. 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. 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

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This story was part of McCaig’s lesson on how ideas can change during the creative process. It’s interesting to see how the bond between Jedi and their masters developed from the first drafts.

The connection between Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon is one of the most popular in Star Wars. When you think about it, Qui-Gon’s final wish and Obi-Wan’s commitment to it shaped much of the storyline and led to some of the biggest events in the galaxy.

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