In 1999, we finally got Star Wars, Episode I: The Phantom Menace. The Saga Begins. We were introduced to several of our major characters: Anakin Skywalker, Obi Wan Kenobi, C-3PO and R2-D2, and a certain Mr. Palpatine.

And there were other characters who were instrumental in how the story as a whole would play out. Padme Amidala, Shmi Skywalker, Mace Windu, and certain Jedi Master named Qui Gon Jinn, played wonderfully by Liam Neeson.

It was Qui Gon Jinn who was responsible from rescuing Anakin Skywalker from obscurity, and helping fate along by introducing him to young Obi Wan Kenobi. But alas, poor Qui Gon died at the hands of the vicious Sith apprentice, Darth Maul. He fell in battle, and died in his Padawan's arms.

And his body remained, until it was finally burned at his funeral.

The questions began almost immediately--I know my friends and I were curious while sitting in the theater. Why didn't Qui Gon's body disappear? Until then the only other Jedi we'd ever seen die, Obi Wan and Yoda, disappeared and became one with the Force. Even Darth Vader, after returning from the Dark Side at the end of RotJ, became a blue Force-ghost. This very website used to state in the FAQs that, though it did not occur on screen, Vader's body did disappear after he died--Luke only burned the suit (it still does say so in the databank). In those same FAQs, it was stated that the answer to the question of why Qui Gon didn't disappear would be answered later in the PT.

Ok. I'll wait.

Along came Episode II, and no explanation. Jedi are dying, but, there's no indication really if their bodies are disappearing or not, but it seems..no, not so much. We do get Qui Gon's voice yelling at Anakin, who evidently doesn't here him though Yoda does, but, that's about it. Well, surely then, the question of the non-disappearing Qui Gon would be answered in Episode III. Yoda and Obi Wan learn how to become one with the Force in Ep. III, and our questions will be answered then and there.

Along came Episode III and...and...and...No explanation. Why didn't Qui Gon's body disappear? It's gonna be explained in Episode III. Ok, I've seen Episode III....why didn't Qui Gon's body disappear?

Okay, so he came back from the nether-regions of the Force (wherever they are) and somehow post-mortem learned how to retain his individual consciousness within the living Force. Or...something. Not that any of that is explained anywhere. So...fine. That's when/what he learned how to do. But I'm still not satisfied with the gloss they pulled off at the end of Episode III to provide a pseudo-fill-in-the-gap solution. It just leads to more questions:

1. Ok, this isn't new, but still...why didn't Qui Gon's body disappear? It could have disappeared and caused Obi Wan to gape in awe and wonder, tell it to Yoda who would have no explanation and set up a big mystery for the Jedi as to what was going on. It would have tied nicely with Qui Gon's voice being in Episode II, and Yoda beginning to piece together just what might be going on, given Qui Gon's disappearance at death, and help him find his way to being able to commune with him by Episode III. This could have been a very interesting track to take.

2. Since it didn't disappear but yet he still retained his consciousness in the Force, why did any of them disappear? Clearly the whole body disappearing thing isn't necessary to retain consciousness in the Force, cause Qui Gon didn't do it.

3. If disappearing was some new trick picked up by Yoda and Obi later, how did they learn how to do this and what exactly does the disappearing body mean? What's the significance? What is the difference between their deaths and that of Qui Gon to account for this (this again goes back to the starting question of why Qui Gon didn't disappear)?

4. Yoda told Obi Wan that he would teach him how to commune with Qui Gon. So, that ability had to be taught. If so, why was Luke able to commune with Obi Wan after his death with no training whatsoever? The kid could barely hold a lightsaber but had no problem "communing" with Kenobi. And where Anakin apparently didn't hear Qui Gon in AotC (or maybe he did and just ignored it, we really don't know), Luke had no problem hearing Obi telling him to use the Force in that trench. So, why did Obi Wan have to be taught how to do it and Luke didn't? Why couldn't Qui Gon just come to Obi the same way Obi did to Luke?

5. Based on the comic and novelization, I'm assuming Qui Gon only communed with Yoda as a voice. Did he ever actually appear as a blue Force ghost? Was he able to? If not, why not?

Some of this I can speculate about. For example, number 5, lets assume that Qui Gon didn't appear visibly as a ghost and that he couldn't. Maybe it has something to do with his body not disappearing. Obi Wan, Yoda, and Anakin, then, can appear visibly because their bodies, too--not just their consciousness--merged with the Force. They therefore could take a visible form that Luke could see.

Maybe....

But we don't know that Qui Gon couldn't appear as a ghost. And Obi Wan didn't do it until Episode V. In Episode IV, he was just a voice. Further, in Episode V, Yoda tells Luke: "Through the Force, things you will see. Other places. The Future. The past. Old friends long gone." Old friends like Qui Gon perhaps?

Who knows? There is room to speculate. I have theories, I'm sure lots of other people do as well. The point is that the questions are out there and they are many and multiplying. And one disappointment I do have from RotS (that in 8 times seeing it did not lessen) is that some of these questions, at least, should have and could have been answered. We were told they would be, and they weren't. I'll accept reasonable speculative explanations, and might take one question out at a time with speculations of my own. But I still wanted the movie itself to finally answer the question......

Why didn't Qui Gon disappear?