Rey (Star Wars)

Last updated

Rey
Star Wars character
Rey Star Wars.png
Daisy Ridley as Rey  [lower-alpha 1]
First appearance The Force Awakens (2015)
Created by
Portrayed by Daisy Ridley
Cailey Fleming (child)  [lower-alpha 2]
Josefine Jackson (child)  [lower-alpha 3]
Voiced by
In-universe information
AliasRey Skywalker  [lower-alpha 6]
SpeciesHuman
Occupation
Affiliation Resistance
Jedi Order
Family
Dyad Ben Solo   [9]
Master Luke Skywalker
Leia Organa
Homeworld Jakku

Rey is a character in the Star Wars franchise and the main protagonist of the sequel film trilogy. She was created by Lawrence Kasdan, J. J. Abrams, and Michael Arndt for The Force Awakens (2015), the first installment of the trilogy, and is primarily portrayed by Daisy Ridley. [10] [11] [12] [13] She also appears in the film's sequels, The Last Jedi (2017) and The Rise of Skywalker (2019), and related Star Wars media.

Contents

Rey is introduced as a scavenger who was abandoned on the planet Jakku when she was a child. She becomes involved in the Resistance's conflict with the First Order. Powerfully Force-sensitive, Rey trains to be a Jedi under siblings Luke Skywalker and Leia Organa, and faces adversaries such as Kylo Ren, Supreme Leader Snoke and the resurrected Emperor Palpatine—who is revealed to be her grandfather in The Rise of Skywalker. Despite being enemies, Rey and Kylo Ren share a connection called a 'Force dyad' [14] and eventually become romantically involved with one another. [15] [16] [17] Following Palpatine's final defeat and her own resurrection, Rey adopts the name Rey Skywalker to honor her mentors and their family legacy and renounce her lineage. As the last remaining Jedi, she makes it her mission to rebuild the Jedi Order. [7] [18]

Development

Creation and casting

Screenwriter Michael Arndt said that he found Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy's offer to write Episode VII daunting in mid-2012, but he became interested when it was explained to him that the tale was about the origin story of a female Jedi and he met with George Lucas. [19] The character was known as Kira in the early stages of production, and Arndt described her as a "loner, hothead, gear-head, badass". [20] Arndt said that he struggled with introducing the young woman as the main character in his story while keeping her from being overshadowed after her early meeting with Luke Skywalker, whose role in the film was eventually minimized. [19] Ridley recalled that director and writer J. J. Abrams originally intended to name the character "Keera" [ sic ], but during filming in Abu Dhabi, Abrams revealed to Ridley that he was thinking of going with "Rey". [21]

On creating a female lead for the new trilogy, Abrams stated that from his initial discussions with writer Lawrence Kasdan, he was excited at the concept of having a woman at the center of the story. He said that "We always wanted to write Rey as the central character" and that other female representation in the story was also important. [10] Kennedy stated that, "Rey is the new generation's Luke Skywalker." [22] Rey's background as a scavenger was part of the developers attempting to portray her as "the ultimate outsider and the ultimate disenfranchised person", due to their belief that a person of that nature would likely experience a prolonged journey compared to other types of people. [23]

Daisy Ridley was largely unknown before being cast for the role of Rey. Ridley said that she auditioned many times for the role over the course of seven months and had to keep her casting a secret for three months. [24] She was announced as part of the cast at the end of April 2014. She only had experience with small parts in TV shows. Her inexperience and lack of exposure were a crucial part of what convinced Abrams to give Ridley the role, as the previous installments had featured relatively unknown talent that would not experience heightened degrees of scrutiny. [25] Abrams stated that Ridley "was so funny and had a great spark", as well as having her act out an emotional scene, proclaiming that "she nailed it on the first take." Abrams went on to praise Ridley, saying, "She was born with this gift to be in a moment and make it her own. She simultaneously works from the inside out and the outside in." [26] Kennedy proclaimed, "Daisy had a physicality and a self-confidence that was so important to the character we were looking for. She epitomizes that optimism where anything is possible." [26] Director Dusan Lazarevic, who was present at the casting of Ridley for a role in British drama series Silent Witness , in addition to praising her acting range, stated, "She showed a combination of vulnerability and strength which gave her a complexity, and there was an intelligence in her eyes that was an indicator she could play quite a complicated part." [25] Cailey Fleming was additionally cast to portray a young Rey. [1]

Although Ridley said she was "riddled with doubts and insecurities", she said that Rey's hopefulness is what she related to most: it "was something driving me through the auditions—even though it felt so insanely out of anything that I could've imagined." [27] Ridley recalled her shooting experience as starting off bumpy, with Abrams telling her that her first few takes were "wooden". [28] But Ridley and Abrams had an "incredibly collaborative" process creating Rey; Ridley recalled that the character "changed from when we first began, she became softer. And I think that's probably me, because Americans tend not to understand me, so it helped, slowing down the speech and everything just made it softer than I am." [27] Ridley has said that Rey will have "some impact in a girl power-y way", adding that the character "doesn't have to be one thing to embody a woman in a film. It just so happens she's a woman but she transcends gender. She's going to speak to men and women." [29] In an interview with Elle , Ridley said, "She's so strong. She's cool and smart and she can look after herself," adding, "Young girls can look at her and know that they can wear trousers if they want to. That they don't have to show off their bodies." [26]

Composer John Williams said he loved Ridley's presence in the film, and found composing her musical theme an interesting challenge. He said her mature and thoughtful motif suggests a strong female adventurer infused with the Force. [30] He added that the "musical grammar" of her theme is not heroic, but conveys "an adventurous tone that needs to illustrate empathy." [31]

Characterization

Rey is introduced as a 19-year-old woman in The Force Awakens. [32] She is stubborn, headstrong, brave, optimistic, and maintains fierce loyalty to her friends. Matthew Yglesias of Vox wrote, "Rey is considerably less callow than Luke". [33] Ridley says of the character, "It's not because Rey is strong that she's amazing. It's all the complexities of a human. It's because she is a well-drawn person who is struggling with things and you're with her." [34]

Rey is highly Force-sensitive, which is revealed when she is presented with the lightsaber first owned by Anakin Skywalker, then his son Luke. [35] Without training, she is able to use the Force and defeat the powerful (albeit injured) Kylo Ren in a duel. [36]

On the mirror-invoking vision Rey experiences in The Last Jedi, writer and director Rian Johnson said that it represents the character learning that she has to connect with herself. [37]

In The Last Jedi, Rey also discovers she has a connection in the Force with Kylo Ren, in which Rian Johnson claims that it was used as a way to make Rey engage with him and get the two characters to talk without fighting each other, to further develop their relationship. [38] Johnson explains that Rey seeing Kylo shirtless during one of these connections shows the increasing intimacy between them during their interactions. [38] In The Rise of Skywalker, it is revealed that this connection makes them two halves of a "dyad" in the Force, and the co-writer of the film, Chris Terrio, explains this relationship as being "sort of soulmate[s] in the Force" [39] and “twins of fate, twins of destiny.” [40] Both Johnson and director J.J. Abrams described their relationship as a romance. [38] [41] [16] [15] [42]

Appearances

Films

The Force Awakens

Rey is first introduced in The Force Awakens (2015) as a young adult who survives by scavenging machine parts on the desert planet Jakku. After rescuing the droid BB-8, she encounters Finn, a former stormtrooper. When Rey and Finn are attacked by the First Order, they steal the Millennium Falcon and escape the planet. The smugglers Han Solo and Chewbacca capture the Falcon in their freighter ship and assert they are its rightful owners. When vengeful mercenaries arrive on the freighter, Rey and the others escape in the Falcon. Impressed with Rey's piloting skill, Han offers her a job on the Falcon. Rey declines his offer, stating that she has to return to Jakku. The group then journeys to Maz Kanata's castle to deliver BB-8 to the Resistance. There, Rey visits a basement vault and discovers a lightsaber that once belonged to the Jedi Master Luke Skywalker. Upon touching it, she experiences a powerful vision. She sees the First Order enforcer Kylo Ren; her younger self abandoned on Jakku; and Luke with the droid R2-D2. Maz tells her that whoever abandoned her will never return, and her only option is to seek out strength in the Force. Feeling overwhelmed, Rey rejects the lightsaber and flees into the forest.

The First Order arrives and attacks Maz's castle. Ren—who is Han's son—captures Rey and takes her to Starkiller Base. There, he uses the Force to probe her mind for a map that BB-8 showed her. He discovers that Rey feels like Han is the father she never had. Rey resists his efforts and reads his emotions, exposing his fear that he will never be as powerful as his grandfather, Darth Vader. Ren reports to his master, Supreme Leader Snoke, who commands that Rey be brought before him. Meanwhile, Rey compels a stormtrooper guard to free her using a Jedi mind trick. She eventually reunites with Finn, Han, and Chewbacca, who have come to disable the shield protecting the base. Han confronts Ren, and Rey watches in horror as Ren kills his father.

As Rey and Finn try to escape the base, Ren appears and ignites his lightsaber. After he seriously injures Finn and disarms him of Luke's lightsaber, Rey uses the Force to retrieve the weapon and duels Ren herself. Initially overpowered, she eventually wounds Ren and flees in the Falcon. The Resistance destroys Starkiller Base, and Rey returns to the Resistance headquarters with Chewbacca and Finn, who is unconscious. While the Resistance celebrates their victory, Rey mourns Han's death with General Leia Organa. Rey decides to seek out Luke, using information about his location provided by BB-8 and R2-D2. When she finds him on the planet Ahch-To, she offers the Jedi Master his lightsaber.

Rey is featured in Star Wars: Before the Awakening (2015) by Greg Rucka, an anthology book for young readers that focuses on the lives of Poe, Rey and Finn before the events of The Force Awakens. [43] Rey's Survival Guide (2015) by Jason Fry is a first-person account from Rey's perspective about herself and her home planet, Jakku. [44] Rey is also a point of view character in the 2015 novelization of The Force Awakens by Alan Dean Foster. [45]

Absence in merchandising

When The Force Awakens was released, fans noticed a lack of licensed toys featuring Rey, despite her being the film's main protagonist. [46] For example, Hasbro released a version of Monopoly based on The Force Awakens that did not feature Rey. After receiving criticism, Hasbro stated that they did not include Rey to avoid revealing spoilers, and would be including Rey in future toy releases. [47] Paul Southern, the head of Lucasfilm Licensing, said that they wanted to protect the secrets that "the Force awakens in Rey" and that her character carries a lightsaber. [48] He said that demand for Rey products was underestimated. [49] [50] Abrams said, "I will say that it seems preposterous and wrong that the main character of the movie is not well represented in what is clearly a huge piece of the Star Wars world in terms of merchandising." [12] Regarding Rey's relative absence in Star Wars merchandising, CBBC presenter and voice actor Christopher Johnson stated: "It still baffles me to this day that some toy manufacturers don't think that girls want to play with 'superhero' toys and that boys aren't interested in female characters." [51]

The Last Jedi

The Last Jedi (2017) picks up directly where the previous film left off. Rey presents Luke with his lightsaber, but Luke dismissively throws it aside. Luke eventually agrees to teach Rey the ways of the Force. Rey demonstrates immense raw strength and a clear temptation toward the dark side of the Force that reminds Luke of Kylo Ren, who was once his nephew and student, Ben Solo. All the while, Rey feels a sudden connection through the Force with Ren, who tells her that Luke tried to kill him while he was the Jedi master's student (Luke later tells her that he was tempted to kill Ben after seeing a vision of the pain and suffering he would cause, but relented). In one of their conversations, Rey and Ren touch hands, and through this Rey swears that she is able to feel conflict within Ren, and becomes determined to turn him back to the light side. Rey asks Luke once more to come with her and rejoin the Resistance, but he declines. So, Rey, Chewbacca, and R2-D2 leave without him, and Rey goes to meet Ren in the Mega-class Star Dreadnought Supremacy.

Ren takes Rey prisoner and brings her before Snoke. Snoke tells her that he created the Force connection between her and Ren as a trap to reach Luke. Snoke tortures and taunts Rey, showing her the attack on the Resistance transports, and eventually orders Ren to kill her. Ren instead kills Snoke, and he and Rey fight Snoke's guards side by side. After the duo win, Ren asks Rey to join him and create a new order separate from the legacies of Snoke and Luke. While attempting to get her to join him, Ren gets Rey to admit that her parents abandoned her. Despite the revelation, Rey hesitates but ultimately refuses to join him in the dark side. She uses the Force to summon Luke's lightsaber, but then Ren does the same, resulting in a standoff that ends up breaking the lightsaber. Shortly afterwards, Resistance leader Vice Admiral Holdo rams the MC85 Star Cruiser Raddus into Snoke's flagship, separating Rey from Ren. Rey subsequently uses Snoke's escape craft to flee the Mega-Destroyer as later stated by General Hux.

Rey is later revealed to have made her way back to the Millennium Falcon, aiding the Resistance in fighting the First Order's troops during the Battle of Crait. Despite their valiant efforts, the Resistance loses the battle, and Rey focuses her efforts on finding the surviving Resistance fighters to help evacuate them. Eventually, she finds the Resistance fighters behind a dead-end, and uses the Force to move the rocky barrier aside, clearing the path for them to board the Falcon. Rey reunites with Finn and Leia and meets Poe Dameron for the first time aboard the Falcon. Rey feels Luke's death through the Force, and reassures Leia that he met his end with "peace and purpose". As she holds the leftovers of Luke's lightsaber, Rey asks Leia how they can rebuild the Resistance from what remains, and Leia, gesturing towards Rey, says that they now have all they need. Unbeknownst to Leia, that includes the fact that Rey stole the sacred Jedi texts from Luke before Yoda's Force spirit burned the tree cave they were in. [52]

The Rise of Skywalker

A wax figure of Rey at the Madame Tussauds museum in London Rey Palpatine at Madame Tussauds London.jpg
A wax figure of Rey at the Madame Tussauds museum in London

The Rise of Skywalker (2019) is set one year after the events of The Last Jedi. Rey is continuing her Jedi training at the Resistance base under the tutelage of Leia. The Resistance discovers that Emperor Palpatine has been resurrected and is manipulating events from the Sith world Exegol. His followers—known as the Sith Eternal—have constructed a fleet of Star Destroyers called the Final Order. Rey and her companions search for a Sith wayfinder, which can lead them to Exegol. They locate a clue to the location of the wayfinder with the help of Lando Calrissian. Meanwhile, Rey continues communicating with Ren. Through this correspondence, Ren learns where Rey is and pursues her. She confronts him, inadvertently causing Chewbacca to be taken aboard a First Order transport. Attempting to save the Wookiee, Rey accidentally destroys the transport with Force lightning, seemingly killing him. She is stricken, and reveals to Finn that she has seen visions of herself sitting on the Sith throne.

Rey and the others travel to Kijimi, unaware that the First Order is following them. They seek out the droid-smith Babu Frik, who extracts the location of the wayfinder from C-3PO's memory. Rey senses Chewbacca is alive and aboard a nearby First Order ship, and the group mounts a rescue mission. Rey enters Ren's quarters on the ship, and has visions of her parents being killed. Ren informs her that she is Palpatine's granddaughter, and that her parents lived in anonymity to protect her. Palpatine's assassin Ochi found the couple and murdered them, but never found Rey. Ren also reveals that the connection he shares with Rey is a dyad in the Force. Ren urges her to join him so they can overthrow Palpatine and rule together, but Rey refuses and departs.

Rey finds the wayfinder in the remains of the second Death Star on the moon Kef Bir. [53] Ren arrives, destroys the wayfinder, and duels with Rey. Leia calls to Ren through the Force, and Rey impales him while he is distracted. Rey then uses the Force to heal him and confesses that she wanted to take his hand earlier, but the hand of Ben Solo, not Kylo Ren. Rey leaves Ren and departs aboard his ship. Disturbed by her Sith lineage, she travels to Ahch-To, intending to live in exile. Luke appears as a Force spirit and encourages her to face Palpatine. He gives her Leia's lightsaber and his X-wing, and she departs for Exegol using the wayfinder from Ren's ship.

Rey transmits her coordinates to the Resistance, allowing them to attack the Sith Eternal forces. She confronts Palpatine, who demands that she kill him out of anger, which will allow him to possess her body. Ren arrives and joins Rey; he has rejected the dark side and has once again become Ben Solo. Palpatine absorbs the life energy of both Rey and Ben, and casts Ren off a high ledge. Weakened, Rey hears the voices of past Jedi, who restore her strength. Palpatine assaults her with Force lightning, but Rey reflects it back at him using Luke and Leia's lightsabers. Palpatine's lightning kills him and Rey collapses, seemingly dead. Ben returns and uses the Force to revive Rey, but the effort drains him; Rey kisses him before he vanishes into the Force. After reuniting with her friends at the Resistance base, Rey travels to Tatooine and buries the Skywalker lightsabers near Luke's childhood home. As she inspects her new yellow lightsaber, a passerby asks for her name. Noticing the Force spirits of Luke and Leia nearby, she responds, "Rey Skywalker".

The novelization of The Rise of Skywalker reveals that Rey's father was a nonidentical clone of Palpatine. [54] The novel Star Wars: Resistance Reborn depicts Rey in the lead-up to the film, [55] while an issue of the comic book series Star Wars Adventures will feature a story set after the events of the film featuring Rey, Finn, and Poe continuing to fight the remnants of the First Order. [56]

Untitled Rey film (TBD)

On April 7, 2023, it was announced at Star Wars Celebration 2023 that Ridley will reprise the character in an upcoming film directed by Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy. The film is set to take place fifteen years after the events of The Rise of Skywalker and it will focus on Rey rebuilding the Jedi Order. The film's release date is yet to be confirmed. [57]

Television

Forces of Destiny (2017)

Rey stars in the micro-series Star Wars Forces of Destiny , voiced by Daisy Ridley. [2]

Star Wars Rebels (2018)

Rey makes a brief cameo as a disembodied voice in the television series Star Wars Rebels, in the season 4 episode "A World Between Worlds". [4] In the episode, set 16 years before her birth and 35 years before The Force Awakens, the young Padawan Ezra Bridger briefly hears some of her lines from the film (specifically her speaking to the unconscious Finn at the end) in the World Between Worlds, a dimension that exists outside of time and space. [4] [58]

The Lego Star Wars Holiday Special (2020)

Rey is the protagonist of The Lego Star Wars Holiday Special , set the Life Day after the events of The Rise of Skywalker. [59] [60] [61] In the film, Rey finds a crystal that enables her to time travel with BB-8. She encounters numerous characters including Luke Skywalker, Yoda, and The Mandalorian. However, she unwittingly has Palpatine and Darth Vader follow them. [62]

Video games

The character of Rey appears in the video games Disney Infinity 3.0 (2015), Lego Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2016), and Star Wars: Battlefront II (2017), all voiced by Ridley, [63] [3] as well as in the strategy video game Star Wars: Force Arena (2017). [64] Helen Sadler voiced the character in Lego Star Wars: The Resistance Rises , the alpha version of Star Wars Battlefront II, [5] and Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga . [6] The character was also introduced as an outfit in the game Fortnite . [65]

Reception

General

The character and Ridley's portrayal have received critical acclaim. Joe Morgenstern of The Wall Street Journal proclaims that Rey is "a woman warrior with the stylish ferocity of a kung-fu star," praising "the verve [Ridley] must have been born with plus the skill she must have acquired as a young actress coming up in England," and stating, "It's hard to imagine what the movie—and the sequels to come—might have been if they'd cast the wrong person, but here Daisy Ridley is in all her unassuming glory, and all's right with the galaxy." [66] Adam Howard of MSNBC states that "one of the most pleasant surprises of the film has been the strength of its lead female character," adding that some have likened Rey to a "new feminist icon". [67]

Megan Garber of The Atlantic writes that Rey "proves herself to be, in extremely short order, extremely adept as a fighter". [68] Emily Rome of HitFix describes Rey as "more 'strong female character' than strongly written", saying "the speed with which Rey mastered Jedi mind tricks and lightsaber fighting with zero training is the stuff of fan fiction. Rey is geek feminist wish-fulfillment". [69] Rome says Rey is "everything we wanted in a Star Wars female character," praising her for being a character that is "independent, skilled, scrappy, tough, and doesn't need saving." [69]

Twitter users have debated whether Rey is a Mary Sue (an unrealistically perfect, idealized character) on the basis of Rey's seemingly natural skills as a mechanic, a fighter, a pilot, and a user of "The Force", which draw admiration from the film's other main characters. [70] Screenwriter Max Landis posted a series of tweets in 2015 derisively referring to The Force Awakens as "a fanfic movie with a Mary Sue as the main character". [70] [71] Tasha Robinson of The Verge writes that Rey "keeps falling into standard-issue damsel-in-distress situations, then capably rescuing herself [...] She's a fantasy wish-fulfillment character with outsized skills, an inhuman reaction time, and a clever answer to every question — but so are the other major Star Wars heroes." [72] Robinson suggests viewers enjoy Rey's "Mary Sue flawlessness", saying, "We wouldn't be worrying about Rey's excessive coolness if she were Ray, standard-issue white male hero". [70] [72]

Other outlets, including Ridley herself, have argued that the term Mary Sue carries an inherent gender bias, [73] and that the male characters from the original trilogy did not face comparable criticism. [74] Media critic Caroline Framke argues that Rey's abilities are not necessarily any more impressive than those of the character of Luke Skywalker, and that fans' instinctive criticism of characters like Rey reflects a double standard in that seemingly perfect male heroes are rarely so criticized. [70] J. J. Abrams stated that "the people who are getting freaked out are the people who are accustomed to [male] privilege, and this is not oppression, this is about fairness." He elaborated, "You can probably look at the first [Star Wars] movie that George [Lucas] did and say that Leia was too outspoken, or she was too tough. Anyone who wants to find a problem with anything can find the problem. The internet seems to be made for that." [75] Adrienne Tyler of Screen Rant argued that Rey's abilities are explained in The Rise of Skywalker as resulting from the pair forming a dyad in the Force, sharing the same fighting capabilities. [76]

Rey's unique hairstyle attracted attention before and after The Force Awakens was released, [77] being compared to Leia's hairdo from the original film, with debate over whether it would become as popular. [78] Rey has also been compared to the titular character from the Hayao Miyazaki anime film Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984). [79]

Richard Roeper described Ridley's portrayal of Rey as "a breakout performance", continuing by calling the character "tough and resourceful and smart and brave". [80] Ridley was nominated for a 2016 Saturn Award for Best Actress for her portrayal. [81] The first Reel Women in Technology Award for a fictional character was awarded to the character Rey. [82]

Some fans criticized Rey's trilogy-wide character arc as insufficient. Fan fiction author Ricca said that tension that was built in the first two films never gets resolved in the last film. She wanted a moment at the end of The Rise of Skywalker in which Rey reacts to and reflects on everything that has happened to her. [83]

Some critics and fans have noted a visual resemblance between Rey's character design to that of Bastila Shan from the video game Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic , and that her character arc shares thematic similarities with that of Bastila's. [84] [85] [86] [87]

Parentage

The question of Rey's parentage was a significant point of discussion for the series, and spawned numerous fan theories. [88] [89] The most popular theories were that she is the daughter of Luke Skywalker or Han Solo, or is Obi-Wan Kenobi's granddaughter (because of a scene where Rey hears Kenobi's echoed voice following a vision in The Force Awakens). [88] [90] [91] The view that she is Luke's daughter was especially prominent, with fans and critics highlighting their story arc similarities, Star Wars being a Skywalker saga, Rey having a strong attachment to Luke's lightsaber, and being exceptionally strong with the Force without any training. [90] [91] [92] Some fan theories about Rey's parentage pointed to "Rey's Theme" featured in John Williams' score of The Force Awakens, as the theme shared similarities with the themes for Darth Vader and Luke. [93]

Abrams stated that he intentionally withheld Rey's last name and background in The Force Awakens. [94] He said that he felt that the origin of Kylo Ren was the only thing that could be revealed in his film and that he knew "quite a bit" about Rey's origin but would give courtesy to The Last Jedi director Rian Johnson by not saying any more. [95] [96]

In The Last Jedi, Rey is coaxed by Kylo Ren into admitting that her parents were "nobodies". Emily VanDerWerff of Vox equated this scene with Luke finding out that Darth Vader is his father, which was his greatest nightmare. [97] To VanDerWerff, "Rey's greatest nightmare is being no one." She added that while Kylo Ren "has every reason to be lying" about this, to her mind it is a good thing that "Rey is the child of nobody of particular importance to the story so far." [97] Josh Spiegel of The Hollywood Reporter stated that although some fans might be disappointed by Ren's revelation, it "fits in perfectly" with the film's through line that one can be "both exceptionally gifted in the Force and also not a Skywalker" because "the spirit of the Jedi extends ... to anyone with a gift and the power to believe." [98] Conversely, Casey Cipriani of Bustle opined that while Ren might be right about Rey's parents, he is unreliable and "we have to take what he says with a grain of salt and look elsewhere [within the story] for hints of Rey's lineage." [92]

Before the release of The Rise of Skywalker, Abrams said that "there's more to the story than you've seen," [99] though, according to Ridley, the facts presented in The Last Jedi would not change. [100] Rey being revealed as a Palpatine in The Rise of Skywalker received a mixed reception. Joanna Robinson of Vanity Fair interprets the twist as a rebuttal to the themes presented in Episode VIII, calling it "a blow to those fans who eagerly devoured [Rian] Johnson's message that anyone from anywhere can be a Force-wielding hero." [101] Contrarily, Ryan Britt of Fatherly writes that the revelation may be resonant for those with a "Dark Side-inclined family," because Rey decides not to play Palpatine's "stupid game", and "when Palpatine's face melts off and the dark side disappears into the ether, a lot of emotional family bullshit goes with it." [102] Inverse similarly argues that the end of the film sees Rey reject "any power her grandfather held over her" and "bury the past", in a completion of the hero's journey. [103]

Following the release of The Rise of Skywalker, Daisy Ridley revealed that the identity of Rey's parents had been in constant flux over the course of the production of the sequel trilogy. According to Ridley, during the early production of the trilogy, Lucasfilm had been "toying with an Obi-Wan connection" before settling on the idea of her character being no one. [104] J. J. Abrams then pitched the idea of Palpatine being Rey's grandfather to Ridley during pre-production on Episode IX, although this aspect of her character "kept changing" even into production. [104] James Hunt of Screen Rant argues that the idea of an Obi-Wan connection "would've been an equally bad decision," because it would still mean the character "is powerful because of her lineage, rather than Rey simply being powerful because the Force chose her. It [would have continued] the focus on nostalgia and trying to connect everything, rather than letting Rey be wholly new." [105] Kathleen Kennedy later clarified that "there were a lot of ideas being thrown around" but that Obi-Wan having offspring "was pretty much off the table". [106]

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015)
  2. ↑ Episodes VII, IX  [1]
  3. ↑ Episode IX
  4. ↑ Ridley voiced Rey in Disney Infinity 3.0 , Lego Star Wars: The Force Awakens , Star Wars Forces of Destiny , [2] Star Wars Battlefront II , [3] and archive audio in Star Wars Rebels . [4]
  5. ↑ Sadler voiced Rey in Lego Star Wars: The Resistance Rises , Star Wars Battlefront II (alpha version), [5] and Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga . [6]
  6. ↑ Adopted name  [7]
  7. ↑ The novelization of The Rise of Skywalker reveals that Palpatine's son was a failed clone of himself.  [8]

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Luke Skywalker is a fictional character in the Star Wars franchise created by George Lucas. He is the protagonist of the original film trilogy and also appears in the sequel trilogy. Raised as a farmer on the planet Tatooine, Luke joins the Rebel Alliance and becomes a pivotal figure in the struggle against the Galactic Empire. He trains as a Jedi under Obi-Wan Kenobi and Yoda, and eventually confronts his father, the Sith Lord Darth Vader. Years later, Luke trains his nephew Ben Solo and mentors the scavenger Rey. Luke is the twin brother of Leia Organa. The character is portrayed by Mark Hamill in six films and two television series. Luke also appears in animated series, novels, comics, and video games.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Skywalker family</span> Fictional family in the Star Wars series

The Skywalker family is a fictional legendary human family in the Star Wars franchise. Within the series' fictional universe, the Skywalkers are presented as a bloodline with strong inherent capabilities related to the Force and sometimes lightsaber skills. Luke Skywalker, his twin sister Princess Leia Organa, and their father Darth Vader are central characters in the original Star Wars film trilogy. Darth Vader, in his previous identity as Anakin Skywalker, is a lead character in the prequel film trilogy and so is his wife and the twins' mother Padmé Amidala; while his mother Shmi is a minor character in the first and second films respectively. Leia and Han Solo's son, Ben Solo, renamed himself Kylo Ren and is the main antagonist in the sequel film trilogy, while they and Luke serve as supporting characters. Shmi, Padmé, and Han are the only members who are not Force-sensitive. The Skywalker bloodline, alongside the Palpatine bloodline, are the two bloodlines that are the strongest with the Force.

The Star Wars sequel trilogy is the third trilogy of the main Star Wars franchise, an American space opera created by George Lucas. It is produced by Lucasfilm Ltd. and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. The trilogy consists of episodes VII through IX, chronologically following the prequel trilogy and the original trilogy, serving as the final act of the "Skywalker Saga". Lucas had planned a sequel trilogy as early as 1976, but canceled it by 1981. He produced only the first six episodes, and for a time described these as comprising the complete story. The sequel trilogy concept was revived when the Walt Disney Company entered negotiations to acquire Lucasfilm in 2011. Lucas produced new story treatments, but these were largely discarded. Both the acquisition and plans to produce the trilogy were announced in late 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sith</span> Organization in the Star Wars series

The Sith are the main antagonists of many works in the fictional universe of the Star Wars franchise. They are the antithesis and ancient enemies of the Jedi. The Sith Order is depicted as an ancient cult of warriors who draw strength from the dark side of the Force and use it to seize power by any means necessary, including terrorism and mass murder; their ultimate goals are to destroy the Jedi and rule the galaxy. The various antagonistic factions in the franchise, namely the Confederacy of Independent Systems, the First Galactic Empire, the Imperial Remnant, and the First Order, all originated with the Sith. Sith, known individually as Sith Lords, are, by nature, ruthless. At any point a single individual assumes absolute authority amongst their kind and is granted the honorific Dark Lord of the Sith. Sith culture is based on perpetual treachery and betrayal. The fate of Sith Lords is, typically, to be murdered and replaced by their own apprentices. Sith teach their apprentices to revere the dark side of the Force, to give full reign to aggressive emotions such as rage and hatred, and to believe that others are expendable in the pursuit of power, it makes the Lords' demise inevitable.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Palpatine</span> Fictional character and Star Wars antagonist

Sheev Palpatine is a fictional character in the Star Wars franchise created by George Lucas. He first appeared in the 1980 film The Empire Strikes Back as The Emperor. The character is also known by his Sith name, Darth Sidious, which was first used in the novelization of the 1999 film The Phantom Menace.

<i>Star Wars: The Last Jedi</i> 2017 film by Rian Johnson

Star Wars: The Last Jedi is a 2017 American epic space opera film written and directed by Rian Johnson. Produced by Lucasfilm and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, it is the second installment of the Star Wars sequel trilogy, following The Force Awakens (2015), and the eighth episode of the nine-part "Skywalker saga". The film's ensemble cast includes Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Andy Serkis, Lupita Nyong'o, Domhnall Gleeson, Anthony Daniels, Gwendoline Christie, Kelly Marie Tran, Laura Dern, and Benicio del Toro. The Last Jedi follows Rey as she seeks the aid of Luke Skywalker in hopes of turning the tide for the Resistance in the fight against Kylo Ren and the First Order while General Leia Organa, Finn, and Poe Dameron attempt to escape a First Order attack on the dwindling Resistance fleet. The film features the first posthumous film performance by Fisher, who died in December 2016, and the film is dedicated to her memory.

<i>Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker</i> 2019 film by J. J. Abrams

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is a 2019 American epic space opera film produced, co-written, and directed by J. J. Abrams. Produced by Lucasfilm and Abrams' production company Bad Robot, and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, it is the third installment of the Star Wars sequel trilogy, following The Force Awakens (2015) and The Last Jedi (2017), and the final episode of the nine-part "Skywalker saga". Its ensemble cast includes Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Anthony Daniels, Naomi Ackie, Domhnall Gleeson, Richard E. Grant, Lupita Nyong'o, Keri Russell, Joonas Suotamo, Kelly Marie Tran, with Ian McDiarmid and Billy Dee Williams. Set one year after The Last Jedi, The Rise of Skywalker follows Rey, Finn, and Poe Dameron as they lead the Resistance's final stand against Supreme Leader Kylo Ren and the First Order, who are aided by the Sith Lord, Emperor Palpatine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kylo Ren</span> Star Wars character

Kylo Ren is a fictional character in the Star Wars franchise. He first appeared as the main antagonist of Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015), in which he is portrayed by Adam Driver. Driver reprised his role in the sequel films Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017) and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019), with the character also appearing in Star Wars Resistance (2018–2020), The Lego Star Wars Holiday Special (2020) and Lego Star Wars: Terrifying Tales (2021).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Poe Dameron</span> Fictional character in Star Wars

Poe Dameron is a fictional character in the Star Wars franchise. Introduced in the 2015 film Star Wars: The Force Awakens, he is portrayed by Oscar Isaac. Poe is an X-wing fighter pilot for the Resistance who inadvertently brings renegade stormtrooper Finn and Jakku scavenger Rey into battle against the sinister First Order. The character is featured in The Force Awakens media and merchandising as well as an eponymous comic book series. He returns in the film's sequels The Last Jedi (2017) and The Rise of Skywalker (2019), the Disney XD animated series Star Wars Resistance (2018–2020) and the Disney+ television specials The Lego Star Wars Holiday Special (2020), Terrifying Tales (2021) and Summer Vacation (2022).

First Order (<i>Star Wars</i>) Fictional military power in the Star Wars franchise

The First Order is a fictional military movement and rump state in the Star Wars franchise, introduced in the 2015 film The Force Awakens. It is formed following the fall of the Galactic Empire after the events of Return of the Jedi (1983). Secretly guided by the resurrected Emperor Palpatine, the First Order aims to destroy the New Republic and rule the galaxy as an autocratic military dictatorship. Under the leadership of Supreme Leader Snoke and Kylo Ren, it is the main antagonistic faction of the sequel trilogy and is fought by the Resistance. Aside from the films, the First Order appears in various related Star Wars media.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Supreme Leader Snoke</span> Star Wars character

Supreme Leader Snoke is a fictional character in the Star Wars franchise. He was created by J. J. Abrams, Lawrence Kasdan, and Michael Arndt for the 2015 film Star Wars: The Force Awakens, in which he is introduced as the Supreme Leader of the First Order, a military junta formed from the fallen Galactic Empire. In the films, Snoke is a computer-generated character voiced and performed by Andy Serkis using motion capture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maz Kanata</span> Fictional character

Maz Kanata is a fictional character in the Star Wars franchise. Introduced in the 2015 film Star Wars: The Force Awakens, she is a computer-generated character voiced and performed through motion capture by Lupita Nyong'o. Maz, a former pirate and smuggler, is more than 1,000 years old and manages an interstellar tavern in a castle on the fictional planet Takodana. While Maz's small role in the trilogy has been criticized, Nyong'o's performance and the technical aspects of the character have been praised by critics. For her performance in The Force Awakens, Nyong'o was nominated for a Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jakku</span> Fictional desert planet in the Star Wars universe

Jakku is a fictional desert planet in the Star Wars universe, first featured in the 2015 film The Force Awakens. Remote, lawless, and inhospitable, it is the homeworld of sequel trilogy main character Rey, played by Daisy Ridley, and Aftermath character Gallius Rax, both members of the Palpatine family. The film focuses on two distinct localities, Tuanul Village and Niima Outpost, near a starship graveyard.

Finn (<i>Star Wars</i>) Star Wars character

Finn is a fictional character in the Star Wars franchise. He first appears in the 2015 film The Force Awakens as a First Order stormtrooper. Disturbed by the Order's cruelty during his first combat mission, he flees and joins forces with the Resistance pilot Poe Dameron and the scavenger Rey. He is portrayed by John Boyega, who reprises the role in The Last Jedi (2017) and The Rise of Skywalker (2019). Boyega won the BAFTA Rising Star Award for his performance in The Force Awakens.

Resistance (<i>Star Wars</i>) Fictional organisation in the Star Wars universe

TheResistance is a fictional partisan resistance movement and private paramilitary force led by General Leia Organa that opposes the First Order in the fictional universe of Star Wars. It is the main protagonistic faction of the Star Wars sequel trilogy, first introduced in the 2015 film Star Wars: The Force Awakens. It made subsequent appearances in Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017), Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019), and in related media.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">General Hux</span> Star Wars character

General Armitage Hux is a fictional character in the Star Wars franchise. First introduced in the 2015 film Star Wars: The Force Awakens, he is portrayed by Irish actor Domhnall Gleeson. He is an unpleasant military commander in a power struggle with Kylo Ren for the First Order leadership, and being exceeded only by Supreme Leader Snoke. The character first featured in The Force Awakens media and merchandising, and returned in the film's sequels, The Last Jedi (2017) and The Rise of Skywalker (2019).

<i>Star Wars: Duel of the Fates</i> Unproduced film script

Star Wars: Duel of the Fates was the original draft of the third film in the Star Wars sequel trilogy. Named after the franchise's musical composition of the same name, the script was written in 2016 by Colin Trevorrow and Derek Connolly while Trevorrow was attached as director. After Trevorrow left the project in 2017, it was replaced with a script by J. J. Abrams and Chris Terrio that became 2019's Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, although the film retained modified ideas from Duel of the Fates.

Ren (<i>Star Wars</i>) Star Wars character

Ren is a fictional character in the Star Wars franchise. Created by writer Charles Soule and artist Will Sliney, he first appeared in Marvel Comics' 2019–2020 Star Wars: The Rise of Kylo Ren comic book series. Ren became a breakout character, appearing in 2021 in the comic series Star Wars: War of the Bounty Hunters and Star Wars: Crimson Reign, and the Disney+ Halloween special Lego Star Wars: Terrifying Tales, voiced by Christian Slater. He is the masked, bodily-scarred master of the "shadow"-wielding Knights of Ren preceding Kylo Ren, allied with Qi'ra and Crimson Dawn during the reign of the Galactic Empire.

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Works cited

Further reading

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