The Rise of Skywalker capped off the Star Wars sequel trilogy last year, sending the Star Wars universe off in a new direction as the focus moves to Disney+ shows such as The Mandalorian . The final episode of the Star Wars sequel trilogy, Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker , has been out for months, but new information is starting to emerge now that the hype has died down.
The Rise of Skywalker received mixed reactions from audiences on its release, with many fans in uproar about certain decisions such as Rey's last name and Kylo Ren's redemption. Even lead star John Boyega wasn't satisfied with how the Star Wars trilogy handled the narrative of his character, Finn. Many criticisms seem to stem back to certain pay-offs in the final film not being set up in the earlier installments. But it seems that many of the decisions weren't clear behind-the-scenes either.
NEWS
Appearing as a guest on the Jimmy Kimmel show, Daisy Ridley has revealed more details about Rey's parentage in The Rise of Skywalker . Ridley revealed that having Rey be a descendant of Obi-Wan was initially planned, saying:
"At the beginning [Lucasfilm] were toying with an Obi-Wan connection. There were different versions and at one point she was no one."
According to Ridley, the decisions around which bloodline Rey was a part of changed frequently during pre-production and filming.
It came to Episode IX & JJ pitched me the film and they were like 'Oh yeah, Palpatine’s grandaddy' and I was like 'Awesome' and then two weeks later he was like 'Oh we're not sure...' So it kept changing. So even as we were filming I wasn’t sure what the answer was going to be.
Ridley's full interview on Jimmy Kimmel Live! can be watched below:
Rey could have been a Kenobi?! #StarWars #DaisyRidley @JoshGad pic.twitter.com/b9S8TAfD76
WHAT THIS MEANS
The idea that Rey could've once been a descendant of Obi-Wan Kenobi was one of the popular theories prior to the sequel trilogy's release. Fans were curious about which famous family Rey could be a part of thanks to her strong connection to the force. But many audiences were divided when they found out that Rey was a descendant of Emperor Palpatine. How The Rise of Skywalker could have changed if the creatives had taken the Obi-Wan route will be left to speculation now.
It seems that audience concerns over Rey's parentage were definitely valid as even the director, JJ Abrams, didn't know who she was. Many fans were critical over the story decisions in The Last Jedi and Rise of Skywalker as it seemed two different directors, Abrams and Rian Johnson, were taking the trilogy in different directions. As it turns out, even the creatives at Lucasfilm didn't have a solid plan .
