Why do Jedi disappear?
June 30, 1999

A subject that was brought into question after viewing The Phantom Menace is what makes Jedi dissappear when they die. In the original trilogy, we saw Obi-Wan Kenobi sacrifice himself for Luke and dissappear when struck down by Darth Vader. When Yoda dies of old age, he disappears in a lump of blankets. However, when Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader dies in ROTJ, we do not see him disappear. Instead, we are shown a funeral pyre on which the armour of Darth Vader burns. In the final celebration scene, we see the ethereal spirits of all three Jedi: Ben, Yoda and Anakin. Did Anakin disappear somewhere off-camera? Additionally, in Episode I, when Qui-Gon Jinn dies he also does not disappear. His body is set up on a funeral pyre as Anakin's was. There are many discrepancies here as to why Jedi disappear or why their corpses must be burned.

Speculation on this curious topic has been circulation around the 'net, almost immediately after TPM was realeased. Why didn't Qui-Gon disappear? It was almost as if it was expected. In an interview, George Lucas said that we will find out in the coming prequels (as with everthing, it seems). Most importantly, he referred to the line that Ben says before Vader kills him: "If you strike me down, I shall become more powerful than you could possibly imagine". This is pretty self-explanitory: Obi-Wan simply becomes one with the Force. But why? Many ideas have been thrown around about this. For one, it was because Obi-Wan had attained the status of Jedi Master. This could also support the Yoda argument: since Yoda was also a Master, he also became one with the Force when he died. But what about Darth Vader? Didn't he turn back to the Light side by saving his son, and wasn't he basically a Master of the Force? The Jedi Master reason is a bit weak with respect to Vader. It can also be extended to Qui-Gon Jinn, who was also a Jedi Master that did not disappear.

Another theory, one I personally believe, is that if a Jedi is prepared to die, he becomes one with the Force. When Ben Kenobi fought Vader, he knew from the moment he set foot on the Death Star what he was meant to do. Face Vader, and allow Luke (and company) to escape. This meant sacrificing himself, and we can assume he was mentally prepared to do so. Look at the way he just stands there and smiles, right in the middle of combat, before Vader strikes him down. We can also assume that Vader had never seen that before...he pokes around in Ben's robes for at least 10 seconds! Similarly, in ROTJ Yoda is old, and dying. When he lies down, it shows us that he is giving in to death, and therefore the Force. When he finally does die he disappears exactly the same way as Ben.

Darth Vader/Anakin Skywalker, on the other hand, does not disappear at the end of ROTJ. Instead, he dies silently in his armour. People have said that maybe his body disappears off camera or in between scene changes, but I disagree. Vader was more machine than man, so what could have disappeared? What was left of his flesh? I think that Vader had to be burned to release his spirit to the Force. Or, maybe he was not ready to die? Perhaps Anakin wanted to spend more time with his son, now that he was back onto the Light side. He knew he was going to die once Luke took the helmet off, yet maybe he yearned for a normal life again. We may never know. The theory may also be applied to Qui-Gon Jinn. During the fight with Darth Maul he was run through, much to his surprise (watch his face). Some may argue the time spent behind the "shield doors" allowed Qui-Gon to meditate and prepare for death. However, I believe that the time spent meditating was just showing us how Light Jedi prepare for battle versus the impatient (and pissed off) Sith. Qui-Gon was remaining calm and passive, before the next phase in their duel. I'm willing to bet that he thought that together, himself and Obi-Wan could have taken down the Sith Lord. But of course there was no such luck. During the final death scene when he is in Obi-Wan's arms would have been the most reasonable time for him to disappear. But, much like Vader, Qui-Gon's body remained. A funeral pyre was set up and his body was cremated. In the screenplay of TPM, there were some added parts to Qui-Gon's funeral. Namely, the fact that Qui-Gon's body disappears after a few minutes of burning. This is interesting, and perhaps the same thing occured for Vader when Luke cremated his armour.

In closing, it is interesting to wonder about what exactly causes Jedi to disappear and become one with the Force. The details will be revealed in the later prequels according to George, but for now I believe that if a Light Jedi is ready to die (Dark side users are all whole different story), he will disappear and take on a spirit form.

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