We all know Qui-Gon Jinn was the first Jedi to figure out how to preserve his consciousness after death, showing up as a voice in Attack of the Clones and later guiding Yoda and Obi-Wan. But when it comes to Anakin—his former apprentice—it gets a lot more complicated.
In The Clone Wars Mortis arc, we saw a moment where Qui-Gon appears to Anakin and speaks to him through the Force. But that whole event exists in a weird realm between dream, vision, and metaphor. And to make things even blurrier, Anakin’s memory of Mortis was wiped afterward. So technically, he never carried that experience forward.
However, that wasn’t the only time Anakin encountered Qui-Gon after his death on Naboo. In different corners of Star Wars canon, we get rare moments where Anakin and even Darth Vader himself interact with Qui-Gon’s lingering presence through the Force.
Anakin Heard Qui-Gon’s Voice After the Tusken Raider Massacre
One of the most brutal actions Anakin ever took as a Jedi Padawan, and one every Star Wars fan remembers, is what happened when he tried to save his mother from the Tusken Raiders.
By the time Anakin reached the camp, it was too late. Shmi Skywalker died in his arms, only able to whisper a few last words before passing away. What followed was pure rage. Anakin slaughtered every Tusken Raider in the village, men, women, and even the children. None survived.
From Attack of the Clones, we see Anakin return to the Lars homestead and confess everything to Padmé. But Padmé wasn’t the only one who heard something that day.
During his time on Tatooine, Anakin tried to calm himself through the Force, and in doing so, he heard the voice of Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn.
This moment is confirmed in the canon novel Queen’s Hope. The book gives us a rare glimpse into Anakin’s state of mind right after the massacre:
“He shrugged off his worldly concerns and reached out with the Force. He’d heard Qui-Gon’s voice in the desert, begging him to listen to his better nature, not to give in to his hatred. He hadn’t listened. At the time, he’d told himself he was imagining it, but he knew he was lying. If Qui-Gon was out there, somehow, Anakin owed him an apology. And he would always appreciate the Master’s advice.”
And finally, Anakin even said thank you to his former mentor:
“‘Thank you, Master,’ Anakin said, though he didn’t know if Qui-Gon had been responsible for anything he’d just seen or felt.”
That would be the first time Anakin reached out to Qui-Gon through the Force. However, what I want to focus on next is when Darth Vader heard Qui-Gon Jinn’s voice.
Darth Vader Sensed Qui-Gon’s Force Ghost in the Vader Canon Comic
The next time Anakin hears Qui-Gon—this time as Darth Vader—comes from the Vader Down crossover comic event. It’s not a standalone series, but rather a six-issue crossover between Vader Down #1, Star Wars (2015) (issues 13, 14), and Darth Vader (2015) (issues 13, 14, 15).
So here’s the setup. The story takes place shortly after the destruction of the first Death Star at the end of A New Hope. Vader survives the trench run and is now actively hunting the Rebel pilot who blew up the station—Luke Skywalker. He knows the name, but not yet the full truth of their connection.
In Vader Down, we follow Vader as he heads to the planet Vrogas Vas, where Luke is believed to be. But before he can land, he’s ambushed by a squadron of X-Wings—including Luke himself. Vader holds his own, taking out many of the fighters before Luke rams his own X-Wing into Vader’s TIE. Both ships crash onto the surface.
Now grounded, Vader begins tracking Luke across the harsh terrain. Meanwhile, Commander Karbin (a rival cyborg created by the Empire) is also on the hunt. The two clash, but Karbin can’t keep up with Vader in a duel and escapes, hiding inside an ancient Jedi temple buried on the planet.
And it’s here—inside this abandoned temple—that something incredible happens.
As Vader enters, he hears a series of voices echoing through the Force:
“Anakin… I have encountered a vergence in the Force. He is the Chosen One. He will bring balance.”
“Dreams pass in time.”
“Be mindful of your thoughts, Anakin. They’ll betray you.”
“You have become the very thing you swore to destroy.”
If those lines sound familiar, they should. They’re lifted directly from The Phantom Menace, Attack of the Clones, and Revenge of the Sith—spoken by Qui-Gon Jinn, Yoda, and Obi-Wan Kenobi during Anakin’s early life.
So what does this mean?
This wasn’t a hallucination or an illusion. Vader is hearing echoes of his past, and more importantly, of Qui-Gon. These aren’t memories he should be consciously reflecting on—he’s buried that identity deep beneath the armor. And yet, in a Jedi temple, drenched in the Force, the voice of his old master breaks through.
It’s a haunting reminder that the light isn’t entirely gone, even inside Darth Vader. And once again, Qui-Gon Jinn reaches out—his influence never truly fading, even from someone who once called him “Master.”
As for the story, Vader, of course, kills off Karbin. Luke—thanks to a timely rescue by Han and Leia aboard the Millennium Falcon—manages to escape Vader’s grasp once again.