Who is Rey, exactly?
It’s a question that has bounced off the walls of the Internet ever since Daisy Ridley’s Jakku scavenger was first introduced back in 2015, when Star Wars enthusiasts compiled all sorts of theories pertaining to Rey’s parents. Turns out she’s a nobody – a drifter who just so happened to be in the right place at the right time in order to cross paths with Finn (John Boyega) and begin her journey through the cosmos.
Which brings us to Star Wars: The Last Jedi. As part of Rian Johnson’s spectacular sequel, Rey was sent on a mission to find Luke Skywalker and the answers she so craves, only to discover that her parents are long dead and Luke, who was once considered to be the anchor point of the Rebel Alliance – and, by effect, the Resistance – has become a grouchy loner in his old age.
But if there’s one key takeaway from The Last Jedi, it’s that Rey is not the savior who was promised – nor is she tied to any one specific bloodline like Kenobi or Skywalker.
This is where it proves that I am not the centre. It’s not based around my character – it’s so much bigger than me, that’s an understatement… I’m like a cog in the machine.
Thematically, it certainly fits into the grand narrative that Rian Johnson built, one that quietly reminds its viewers that hope – that one resistant spark – can come from anywhere, as is illustrated by the Force-sensitive broom boy during The Last Jedi‘s closing moments. And though Daisy Ridley downplays her on-screen heroine, fans can readily expect Rey’s story to reach its end late next year with Star Wars: Episode IX.
