First, Rey’s parentage was a mystery. Then she was “no one.” Then she was a Palapatine. At one point she was going to be a Kenobi. Daisy Ridley lays it out:
Could you imagine if Rey was actually Obi-Wan Kenobi’s granddaughter? According to star Daisy Ridley (Rey), early on in the development of the Star Wars sequel trilogy, Lucasfilm was “toying” with making her related to Obi-Wan and Rey. That’s pretty different from where the series eventually took Rey, revealing she was the descendent of Emperor Palpatine.
Rey’s mysterious parentage sparked a lot of debate while the sequel trilogy was coming out. In The Force Awakens, it seemed like she was being setup to be someone important. Then, in The Last Jedi, we famously learned that she was “no one” and then her parents were just randos who sold her for drug money. And then in The Rise of Skywalker she’s Palpatine’s granddaughter.
If it felt like the writers were just making this up as they along, that’s because they were, as Ridley explained to Josh Gad on Jimmy Kimmel Live:
"At the beginning, there was toying with an Obi-Wan connection,” she said. “There were different versions, and then really it went to, ‘she was no one.’ And then it came to Episode IX and J.J. pitched me the film and was like, ‘Oh yeah, Palpatine’s granddaddy,’ and I was like, ‘Awesome.’ And then two weeks later he was like, ‘Well, we’re not sure.’ So it kept changing. Even after filming, I wasn’t sure what the answer was gonna be."
Man, even after filming was complete Ridley didn’t know how the plot was going to twist? No wonder it seemed to come out of nowhere.
For the record, I’m not angry over the decision to make Rey the granddaughter of Sheev Palpatine, but over how they handled it, although I think it would have been cool and much more interesting if she was related to Obi-Wan Kenobi. These are huge movies and to not have a key plot point fully figured out until you’re filming the third and final movie in the trilogy is not a good thing. Watching the movies, you could definitely feel how unfocused things were behind the scenes.
Despite everything, Rey is still a beloved character within the Star Wars canon, and should Ridley ever reprise the role in a future movie or TV show, I’m sure fans will be pleased. You shouldn’t get your hopes up, though, as Ridley likes to think Rey’s story arc is over…but she won’t say no. “I say never say never,” she teases, “but to me Rise of Skywalker was tied up with a bow.”
Up next for Daisy Ridley is her role in Annapurna Interactive’s Twelve Minutes as she takes a step away from the big screen and enters the world of video games. Twelve Minutes is an interactive thriller that tells the story of a man trapped in a time loop. So she’s sticking with science fiction.
To stay up to date on everything fantasy, science fiction, and WiC, follow our all-encompassing Facebook page and sign up for our exclusive newsletter.
Get HBO, Starz, Showtime and MORE for FREE with a no-risk, 7-day free trial of Amazon Channels
Add us as a preferred source on Google