Daisy Ridley reveals Rey almost had a connection to Obi-Wan

One of the most contentious aspects of The Rise of Skywalker has to be the reveal of Rey’s lineage. Now, Daisy Ridley revealed that this was not always the plan.

While the Star Wars sequel trilogy started out strong with The Force Awakens in 2015, the subsequent episodes found themselves mired with angry fans, especially those who called out the apparent lack of planning between the three films. After the trilogy wrapped up last year with The Rise of Skywalker, some of the actors gave up a few tidbits about the course of the films. Now, one of the stars has given some more insight into one of the most controversial aspects.

Actress Daisy Ridley, who portrayed Rey in the Star Wars sequel trilogy, has mainly been quiet in the nine months since the release of Episode IX. That changed on Tuesday when Ridley revealed some new details on her character in an interview on Jimmy Kimmel Live:

Guest host Josh Gad, a well known Star Wars fan, asked Ridley about the revelation of her character’s lineage as a Palpatine, a seemingly clear departure from Episode VIII in which Rey was revealed to be ‘a nobody’. Ridley replied that the Palpatine plotline was not always set in stone, and that there were some other ideas tossed around:

"At the beginning, there was toying with an Obi-Wan connection, and then, there were like different versions, and then it really went to that she was no one, and then it came to Episode IX and JJ [director JJ Abrams] pitched me the film, and was like “oh yeah, Palpatine’s granddaddy.”"

Back before Episode IX released, there were many guesses about Rey’s true lineage, with her potential as a Kenobi becoming one of the most popular theories. Ridley’s revelation seems to confirm what many people have been assuming for a while. That is, that the lack of a cohesive plan throughout the three films, as well as conflicting visions from different directors, ultimately led to Rey becoming a Palpatine at the last minute.

The fact that Ridley is commenting on the production is somewhat surprising given the harsh way that she was treated online by fans in response to the films, eventually leading her to delete her social media accounts entirely. In spite of the poor treatment by fans, it is nice that Ridley is willing to talk so openly about the differences that occurred between the three films.

Despite Ridley’s statement, some people closely involved with the production have said that the idea of bringing Palpatine back had dated all the way back to The Force Awakens. Lucasfilm story group executive Pablo Hidalgo has stated that two key concepts of Episode IX, Palpatine’s return and Rey being a symbolic Skywalker, both originated in 2014, long before production on The Rise of Skywalker began.

While some people liked the theory of Rey being a nobody, the retcon from Episodes VIII to IX seemed to anger many fans. Ridley also said in the interview that the likelihood of her returning to play Rey was minimal, and that The Rise of Skywalker was “tied up with a bow”. That being the case, while we may get some more stories and miniseries with Rey, it is unlikely that any more information on her lineage will come to light.

What is your opinion on Ridley’s interview? Are you happy with Rey’s parentage, or do you wish that the filmmakers had gone in another direction? Let us know in the comments below.