There’s a moment in The Force Awakens that perfectly encapsulates Rey’s sheltered upbringing.
Upon climbing aboard the Millennium Falcon with Finn (John Boyega), and after a nasty shootout involving two rival gangs and a hapless Han Solo, Daisy Ridley’s fan favorite turns to Han and says, “there were stories about what happened…” to which Harrison Ford’s gruff smuggler says, “it’s true. All of it.”
Having spent her life rummaging around the desert planet of Jakku, Rey was of the belief that Luke Skywalker’s triumphant fight against the Empire was nothing more than hearsay, and Han Solo’s comments are enough to spark a sense of curiosity in Rey that leads our heroine to the foothills of Ahch-To, home of the first Jedi Temple, porgs, The Caretakers, and a Luke Skywalker in exile.
And staying true to the old “never meet your heroes” adage, it seems Rey’s first meeting with Mark Hamill’s wayward Jedi in Star Wars: The Last Jedi doesn’t go exactly as she would have hoped.
She’s so hopeful to everything. And obviously there’s a hint of, ‘What the hell?’ Regardless of everything else, she’s been welcomed. No one ever really turns away from her.
That’s not to say that Luke flippantly banishes Rey altogether; rather, it would seem that Daisy Ridley’s character has to gradually coax him back to the fray. Remember, Luke fell off the radar altogether following the ruination of his Jedi Academy and his star pupil, Ben Solo. And as we already know, that young hopeful went on to become the nefarious Kylo Ren, a loyal disciple to Supreme Leader Snoke.
All of this leaves Luke Skywalker facing a long road to recovery, which is something Daisy Ridley addressed as part of EW’s ongoing coverage of The Last Jedi.
“I don’t think one girl, who he doesn’t know, turning up with a lightsaber is gonna make him go, ‘Oh, s**t, yeah, of course, I’ll get back into the action’.
“But does he not know her?” Mark Hamill added.
Star Wars: The Last Jedi opens on December 15th and below, you’ll be able to delve deep into all of the many action shots that found their way online earlier this morning.
