Since it was released last month, Star Wars: The Force Awakens has earned almost $2 billion worldwide. While box office earnings are not always an indicator that a movie is good (okay, this one is a damn fine time) in this instance it certainly shows that Episode VII struck a chord with audiences. A lot of factors play into that, but one of the big ones is the slate of new characters, led by Daisy Ridley’s Rey. To say there has been a lot of speculation about her background is an understatement, but it’s possible that her origins were changed at the last minute.
Ewan McGregor went on Jimmy Kimmel Live and told the story of how he contributed a line to Star Wars: The Force Awakens. For those of you who don’t know, when Rey has her little Force vision freak out after touching the lightsaber at Maz Kanata’s place, she hears a voice that says, "Rey, these are your first steps." McGregor, as Obi-Wan Kenobi, provided the "these are your first steps" part. In the interview, however, he said something that some have interpreted as revealing a big change that could have big implications. Granted, this may be grasping, but it’s intriguing.
McGregor says, "We hear Obi-Wan Kenobi’s voice coming from the distant reaches of the forest." On its own, that may not catch your attention, but in the context of Rey’s Force vision, it may be worth noting, and HitFix has a theory. In the version that we see on screen, we witness her being abandoned on the desert planet Jakku at a young age. In an earlier version, however, there was a different childhood memory, a scene in a forest. While it was cut from the film, it still figures into the novelization.
Here’s how it went down. She’s on a battlefield, faced with seven tall figures wearing cloaks. It’s raining, there’s a burning temple. Then she’s in an empty, snow-covered woods and a voice tells her "I’ll come back for you" and calls her sweetheart.
The implication is that the seven dark figures are the Knights of Ren, the little club that includes Kylo Ren, and that Rey was present when he showed up and slaughtered everyone at Luke Skywalker’s new Jedi Temple. That could be a big clue to her origins. And though the voice that speaks in the novel is not identified, the insinuation seems to be that it is Luke, perhaps indicating that he is Rey’s father. That would certainly explain that look on his face at the end of Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
This may all be a stretch, but it’s worth consideration. Take a listen to what Ewan McGregor has to say at about the 1:37 mark.
So, do you think that Ewan McGregor just revealed a big piece of intel on Rey’s identity, or was he just speaking metaphorically? He does add, "or wherever it does come from." To be honest, the first few times I listened to this I heard "Force" not "forest," like Obi-Wan was calling to her from across the Force.
Who knows if this means anything. But no matter what, we’ll have to wait longer than expected to find out more about Rey and her history as Star Wars: Episode VIII has now been delayed until December 2017, or perhaps even longer if there is a technician strike in the U.K.
