In 2017, at 84 years old John Williams was ready to score Star Wars Episode VIII, the Last Jedi. According to Masslive.com, Williams stated he accepted the invitation to score the film due to the fact he was enchanted by actress Daisy Ridley, who portrayed Rey in the trilogy, and did not want another composer to score for her.
Williams has had a unique relationship with Ridley since the start of the sequel trilogy. It is reflected in her performance on screen and the theme itself that Williams wrote. "Rey's theme", is a theme that is led by both string and woodwind instruments. It is first introduced in The Force Awakens as Rey is scavenging through the sands of Jakku.
The theme is seen throughout the trilogy. One of the more memorable moments is in The Last Jedi. When she and Chewbacca save the day for the resistance at the end of the film, it's "Rey's theme" that carries the scene and shows the audience that it is Rey who is one of the new leaders of the resistance.
Williams told the LA Times about the theme. “It’s an interesting challenge with her,” he said, “because it doesn’t suggest a love theme in any way. It suggests a female adventurer, but with great strength. She’s a fighter, she’s infused with the Force, and it needed to be something that was strong but thoughtful.”
Ridley herself has been in awe of Williams since she joined the franchise.
In 2015, she attended one of Williams's scoring sessions for The Force Awakens and seemed to enjoy watching the famous composer go to work on the score for the film. She also attended his 90th birthday at the Kennedy Center in 2022.
The entire theme has a sense of wonder and the desire to be a feminine hero. It is both beautiful and inspirational. When the first film was released and I heard the theme, my wife was currently pregnant at the time with my daughter, Brooklyn. I kept listening to the theme thinking of the wonder and beauty of having a young girl. Since my daughter has seen the movies and loves the character of Rey.
As Ridley prepares to take on Rey once again, in The New Jedi Order film in the next few years, she more than likely will draw inspiration from the character's theme. A theme that was written not just for Rey but for Ridley herself.