As we move closer to December, the end of the nine-film Skywalker Saga feels all the more real. J.J. Abrams' Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker will conclude the current trilogy, as well as the overall decades-long franchise. The generations of fans are eager to see how Abrams wraps it all up, and services characters new and old. Daisy Ridley's Rey is the hero of the current trilogy, and there are still a ton of questions surrounding the Force Sensitive young woman. And they'll be answered in Episode IX, especially the biggest one: who is Rey?
Rey has been a puzzling and fascinating character to watch on the big screen, making her debut in The Force Awakens as a scavenger on Jakku who was searching for her parents. But she was also extremely adept in the ways of The Force, able to wield Luke's lightsaber and best Kylo Ren in combat. And while her parents were revealed to be nobodies in The Last Jedi, fans are still left wondering exactly who she is. It turns out that question is at the heart of The Rise of Skywalker, as writer Chris Terrio recently revealed:
One of them is a simple one: ‘Who is Rey?’ Which is a question that people not only wonder about quite literally, but wonder about in the spiritual sense. How can Rey become the spiritual heir to the Jedi? We kept coming back to ‘Who is Rey?’, and how can we give the most satisfying answer to that not only factually - because obviously people are interested in whether there's more to be learned of Rey's story - but more importantly who is she as a character? How will she find the courage and will and inner strength and power to carry on what she's inherited?
Well, this is exciting. Given how much time the Star Wars fandom has debated and theorized since before Rey made her debut in The Force Awakens, it's exciting to see that the mysterious character will be further fleshed out in the upcoming sequel. Because while Daisy Ridley's character has been shown to have a strong moral compass, it's still unclear what makes her tic. Plus, there's the ongoing conversation about her parents.
Related: Should We Believe What Star Wars: The Last Jedi Tells Us About Rey's Parents?
Chris Terrio's comments to Empire are sure to excite the Star Wars fans out there who are still confused about Rey as a character. There was a ton of debate about who she might be related to within the franchise, including Obi-Wan, and even Palpatine. But Rian Johnson subverted expectations with The Last Jedi, as Kylo Ren revealed she was the child of nobodies who dumped her on Jakku. While Rey wept and seemingly new the truth, there are plenty of fans who doubt the validity of this revelation.
It wasn't explained how Kylo Ren knew this information about Rey, when nobody seemed to understand where the training Jedi came from. Smart money says that J.J. Abrams had other plans when he created the character, so he'll presumably have the chance to course correct in The Rise of Skywalker. So fans will have to wait and theorize, as the time toward that highly anticipated blockbuster approaches.
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker will hit theaters on December 20th. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.
