Everything You Need To Know About Quinlan Vos
Warning: spoilers follow for Part III of "Obi-Wan Kenobi."
It doesn't take much to get a "Star Wars" fan excited. The mere mention of their favorite character — or even an allusion to a deep cut of "Star Wars" lore — is often enough to kick one's imagination into overdrive. That's definitely the case for the latest episode of "Obi-Wan Kenobi," which seems to tease a reunion with a beloved (if not lesser known) member of the Jedi order.
"Part III" of the Disney+ series takes Obi-Wan and young Leia to the planet Mapuzo, and it's there that the two hope to find safe passage to Alderaan. Mapuzo is a brand-new world within the "Star Wars" universe, but its apparently hosted a number of former Jedi (and other Force-sensitive beings) since Order 66 went into effect. Though Tala Durith (Indira Varma) tells Kenobi that many of the Jedi who pass through are rarely seen again, Obi-Wan learns that an old ally regularly helps smuggle refugees to safety on Jabiim.
This ally, whom Obi-Wan refers to just as "Quinlan," is Quinlan Vos, an off-and-on Jedi Master that Kenobi fought alongside throughout the Clone Wars. His role throughout "Star Wars" canon has endeared him to a lot of fans, but if you've yet to dive into "Star Wars: The Clone Wars" — or any of the novels from the era — this particular namedrop might not carry much weight. So who exactly is Quinlan Vos, and what could this Easter egg mean for "Kenobi" moving forward?
These are your first steps
Quinlan Vos is a Jedi Master that served in the years leading up to the fall of the Galactic Republic. Fans of the Twi'lek Jedi Aayla Secura might recognize Quinlan as her master. He's also got the super-cool power of retrocognition, meaning that he can see a person's past merely by touching an object that they once also touched. His psychometry made him an excellent pick for undercover tasks, or missions that called for a tracker. Throughout his missions (both canon and otherwise), Quinlan often flirted with the dark side, but he always came back to the light. His unorthodox methods — and his resistance to Jedi traditions — made him an interesting fit for the Order, and often drew parallels to Anakin Skywalker's own relationship with the Jedi.
Vos' origins are as unconventional as they come. He first appeared as a background character in "Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace," and later became a major fixture in the "Star Wars" comics published by Dark Horse. There, writer John Ostrander and artist Jan Duursema really brought his character to life, and he went on to appear quite often in the "Star Wars: Republic" series.
Though the Dark Horse comics were eventually phased out of canon, Vos eventually made the jump to animated series, appearing in the third season of "The Clone Wars." In "Hunt for Ziro," he teams up with Obi-Wan to apprehend the crime lord Ziro the Hutt. This arc is one of the campier storylines in the series, and it earned some ire for its out-of-character depiction of Quinlan. That said, Lucasfilm was planning another major arc for the character, one that would ring truer to his characterization in the comics.
Master and apprentice
Vos' big moment came with the canon novel "Dark Disciple," which was actually adapted from a scrapped arc meant for "The Clone Wars." The episodes would have followed Quinlan on an undercover mission to become Count Dooku's apprentice, and suss out the identity of Darth Sidious himself. In the novel, Quinlan seeks help from Asajj Ventress, a former padawan of Dooku's who has since become a Sith assassin. Ventress does agree to train Quinlan in the ways of the Sith — and not only do the two fall in love, but Quinlan also briefly succumbs to the dark side.
Obi-Wan actually serves as Quinlan's contact during the mission, and personally advocates for Quinlan's reinstatement to the Jedi Order when all is said and done. Though his mission fails spectacularly — and leads to Ventress' death as well — Quinlan is able to return to the Order and fight through the end of the Clone Wars.
Quinlan's fate after Order 66 was never outright specified, but his survival was mentioned here and there in other comics, namely Charles Soule and Giuseppe Camuncoli's "Darth Vader." He's one of a few Jedi that fans have hoped might return — and one of the Jedi that many guessed had actually saved Grogu (FKA Baby Yoda) from Order 66. Though that's yet to be confirmed, it's looking more and more plausible with his role in "Obi-Wan Kenobi." Quinlan has been helping younglings escape the Empire's reach for years, so there's definitely a chance that he helped Grogu too.
This is the way ... sort of
Now, though, it seems like another Jedi is in dire need of his services. Obi-Wan recognizes one of Quinlan's many sayings inscribed on the safe house wall: "Only when the eyes are closed can you truly see." Obi-Wan explains to Leia that the saying refers to "the Way," most likely the way of the Jedi, a path that he's definitely strayed from in the past 10 years. Kenobi is nearly entirely cut off from the Force: He's struggled to connect with his old master, Qui-Gon Jinn, and he can barely hold his own in a fight against his fallen apprentice, now Darth Vader (though, to be fair, Vader's got quite a bit going for him now, cybernetic limbs included).
If there ever were a lost Jedi, Obi-Wan certainly fits the bill. And if his first reunion with Vader is any indication, he'll need all the help he can get for the rematch. It's as good a time as any for some guidance, and with most of Obi-Wan's mentors either exiled or beyond reach, he very well may need to seek aid from an unlikelier Jedi.