Anna Daniels
Rey’s journey and the messages behind it aren’t by any means new to the Star Wars universe. In fact, they were very clearly tackled in both the prequels and original trilogy through their leads Anakin and Luke Skywalker, the doomed father-son duo on opposing sides of the Force. With Rey, Abrams simply had a chance to build on the franchise’s long-running creative metaphors. It was also a chance to use Rey’s link with Palpatine — a near mirror image to Anakin and Luke’s connection — to create a continuity that would cement the narrative and creative legacy of the Star Wars universe, according to the director.
“This whole trilogy, this 7, 8, and 9, is really about the generation that sort of follows the great generation and the idea of balance, bringing balance to the Force, which is the whole point of the chosen one Anakin in the original trilogy,” Abrams said during the same post-screening Q&A. “The idea that these two main characters — both the grandchildren of these crucially important characters of Palpatine and Skywalker — as [co-writer] Chris [Terrio] was saying, these two houses coming together in this next generation felt like there was an inevitability to it. And if one were to watch [Episodes] 1 through 9, you know, 50, 100 years from now, hopefully, you feel that these stories were inevitably leading there.”
Abrams’ comments clarify how the decision to make Rey the granddaughter of Palpatine wasn’t just about a wild twist. It was both an extension of Star Wars‘ significant messages and a means of literally linking all three trilogies together. So yes, Rey could have been anyone’s child, and yes, there might be plot holes around her connection to Palpatine. But that chosen familial bond does what Disney CEO Bob Iger said the latest trilogy wanted to do: touch on the franchise’s long-standing themes while going to new places.
Yet, while the twists and turns for both the Palpatine and Skywalker lineage may now be settled as far as Abrams is concerned, the story behind the power that ultimately linked those houses together is not.
Written by: Looper
