One actress spent months in the audition process to play the sequel trilogy character of Rey. Daisy Ridley eventually won the role. However, J.J. Abrams was so impressed with Jessica Henwick that he created a role just for her in The Force Awakens. And perhaps an interesting opportunity could provide Henwick with a way to return to the franchise.
She played the role of Jess Pava, an X-Wing resistance pilot who assists in the destruction of Starkiller Base. The character has since appeared in several books and comics. Based on the short comic, "A Eulogy for Snap," it appears the character survives the events of the sequel trilogy.
Henwick spoke to comicbookmovie.com that she was set to return for The Rise of Skywalker, but due to scheduling conflicts, she could not. "I was supposed to come back for the last film, and I don’t actually remember what I was filming at the time, but I wasn’t available," Henwick reveals. "It did suck because I would have loved to come back for that small piece, but as you say, she lives on in the comic books and I think there’s a couple of spinoff books as well that she’s in."
In the timeline of the franchise, it would make sense for her character to return to the franchise in Shawn Levy's upcoming film Star Wars: Starfighter, set after the events of The Rise of Skywalker.
The film, starring Ryan Gosling, takes place five to six years after the sequel trilogy. Henwick would be the perfect character to have return to the franchise and be a bridge between the pilots of the sequel trilogy and the stand-alone film. It seems Star Wars fans have taken a liking to the character of Pava, which may be why she has appeared in several other written projects in the canon.
Henwick is no stranger to other popular franchises. She has appeared in both Game of Thrones and Marvel's Iron Fist.
It would also make sense within the timeline for her to appear in the upcoming Daisy Ridley New Jedi Order film, which takes place after Starfighter. Whether it be a cameo or starring role, the character of Pava could easily be seen as a leader of the new galaxy in the upcoming sequel.
Star Wars: Starfighter is set to appear in 2027 in theaters. We'll have to wait and see if it's also the return of Jess Pava too.