The final line of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is one of the most controversial moments in the whole movie, as a lot of folks weren’t best pleased with the revelation that Daisy Ridley’s heroine has taken on the name Skywalker. One of the many reasons why is the argument that it came a bit out of the left field, as if the filmmakers had just thought of it as they went along. To be fair, though, new evidence has come to light revealing that the concept actually dates back to the time of Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
One Reddit user has shared a screenshot of a page from The Art of… book for TROS, which features a fascinating quote from Lucasfilm Story Group member Pablo Hildago, in which he raises the idea of Rey acting as a metaphorical Skywalker, a member of the family despite not being connected by blood. He’s said to have stated this in an IPDG meeting in 2014:
“I like the idea that she’s going to be our Skywalker, but she’s not a Skywalker. Then, for our purposes, ‘the Skywalker’ is really a metaphor. It doesn’t have to be something that’s directly connected to blood.”
Obviously, Hildago isn’t suggesting Rey should actively become a Skywalker, but in retrospect his words seem eerily prescient as he appears to have predicted the twist that director J.J. Abrams and writer Chris Terrio would pull off several years later. Hildago seems to be championing the idea that Rey doesn’t have to be biologically related to Luke and Leia to continue their legacy, which is something that Abrams and Terrio clearly very much agreed with.
As we know, Rey is really biologically related to Palpatine. Now, this concept definitely doesn’t date back to 2014, as Abrams only brought the notion of the Emperor’s resurrection to the table when he took over directing Episode IX from Colin Trevorrow. The story then became about Rey understanding it was her own actions and the family she had found for herself that were important, not where she came from.
Do you think Rey becoming a Skywalker was the right way to end her journey that began in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, though? Leave your thoughts in the usual place below.
