Most fans recall that in Obi-Wan Kenobi’s final moments, he lowered his blade and allowed his former pupil to slay him in combat. After promising to become even more powerful, Obi-Wan is gone for some time before he reappears. Fans got to see Obi-Wan return, alongside fellow mentor Yoda and the man who killed him, as a blue-tinted spirit at the end of the film, with little explanation as to how.
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The Force is the nebulous field of energy that connects everything alive. The Jedi Order seeks to snap up every kid in the galaxy with a preternatural connection to that energy and trains them under their rules. Subsequently, Jedi are the primary users of the Force, opposed almost exclusively by their ancestral enemies the Sith. They are not, however, wholly successful in their attempts to monopolize the supernatural powers that a deep connection with the Force can grant. Since others developed newfound techniques and deviations of the Force’s immense power, individual Jedi made it their mission to learn those gifts as well.
Obi-Wan’s mentor Qui-Gon Jinn was among the first Jedi to study the possibility of eternal life within the Force. Qui-Gon was considered a maverick Jedi, regularly treated with mistrust for his unusual methods and disdain for authority. The powerful rogue master spent years away from the Council studying the teachings of other beings that were wise with the Force. At some point in his journeys, before he began teaching Obi-Wan, he studied under the tutelage of the Shaman of the Whills. This mysterious figure is only mentioned in scant online resources of the Star Wars franchise. His origin is in George Lucas’s much-maligned original script for the Star Wars prequels, most of which was tossed between productions. The Shaman of the Whills remains somehow canon, however, and his teachings were important to the life of Qui-Gon Jinn.
Qui-Gon was killed by Darth Maul before he could complete his training in eternal life. Subsequently, he didn’t appear as the full Force ghost fans know of, leaving him instead with a disembodied voice for some time. Master Yoda, on the other hand, sought out the Force ghost idea with more success. Yoda embarked on a spiritual journey that brought him to some of the most important planets in the galaxy and taught him much about the ways of the Force. Yoda learned Qui-Gon’s secondhand wisdom of the Shaman, but found his own teacher in the mysterious five Force Priestesses. These powerful beings are depicted in two episodes of The Clone Wars animated series’ sixth season. There are implications that Jinn also found his way to these wise beings and that he provided his allies with their location. Yoda learned the power to keep his identity beyond death from these capable priestesses, and he was not the only one.
Though it’s never depicted on-screen, Obi-Wan Kenobi supposedly learned some secondhand version of Yoda and Qui-Gon’s teachings. Despite never seeking out either the Shaman or the priestesses, Obi-Wan learned enough to use the technique from his two Jedi Masters. The rules of this technique are vague at the best of times. It doesn’t make a ton of sense that Qui-Gon, who didn’t master the technique himself, could impart its wisdom to Yoda, who nailed it without issue. It makes even less sense that Obi-Wan could pick up all he needed from secondhand lessons. The thing that really raises questions, however, is the fact that Obi-Wan’s Padawan somehow wields this ability as well.
Anakin Skywalker didn’t seem to learn anything about eternal life from any of his teachers. Despite Palpatine’s promises of preventing death, the Sith don’t seem to have anything quite as effective as the Force ghost system. Yet, after sacrificing himself for his son, Anakin appears alongside his former allies to bid Luke farewell from beyond the grave. The lesson that can be taken from Anakin’s example, along with the example of his chain of mentors, is that the Force ghost technique is closer to a test of morality than a test of skill. Maintaining one’s identity beyond the death of one’s body doesn’t seem to be similar to using telekinesis or shooting lighting. Instead, it seems to demand total selflessness and willing self-sacrifice. The ineffable will of the Force seems to be the determining factor in whether one gets to return.
When a Jedi dies, they typically become one with the Force. Whether they get to return to influence the land of the living from within that inconceivable field of energy isn’t determined by how well they studied their textbooks, but by something more spiritual. The Force ghost technique is a fascinating part of the Star Wars mythos, and fans will have to wait and see whether the franchise will elaborate in future projects.
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