Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker novelization reveals that Rey wanted a double-bladed lightsaber early on in her training. As the primary protagonist of the sequel trilogy, Daisy Ridley debuted her scavenger character in J.J. Abrams' 2015 film Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Fans had been engrossed about her unknown origin, but then the franchise flip-flopped on her parentage. First, Rian Johnson's Star Wars: The Last Jedi reveals Rey's a nobody, whose parents were just two random people. Then, Rise of Skywalker pulls the rug out from under Rey when she's shown to be a direct descendant of Emperor Palpatine.
Regardless of her parentage, with her obvious Force-sensitivity, we knew it was only a matter of time before she wielded a lightsaber of her own. Unfortunately, she didn't get her one of her own until the very last frame of The Rise of Skywalker. Instead, she primarily used Luke's long-lost blue lightsaber, followed by Leia's secret saber during the climactic battle with Emperor Palpatine. The sequel trilogy didn't allow her to use her self-made yellow-bladed weapon. Still, thanks to The Rise of Skywalker novelization, we've learned more about the thought process behind the unique weapon's creation.
Written by Rae Carson, the tie-in novel was released on March 17th. As expected, it features new information regarding The Rise of Skywalker, giving fans a more complete narrative that includes a moment early in the movie where Rey is working on her lightsaber. The book reveals she was contemplating a double-bladed saber early on in her training. Read the excerpt below:
"She eyed the unfinished lightsaber on her workbench. It wasn't ready yet, and the one she'd painstakingly repaired — Luke's — didn't belong to her. So her quarterstaff would have to suffice as a weapon. Which was just fine. It had served her well on Jakku for years. In fact, someday, once she had mastered this lightsaber-building business, she might design one that felt more like a quarterstaff in her hand. Familiar and hefty. Two business ends. Maybe with a hinge in the middle for portability."
Since The Rise of Skywalker barely gave fans a look at Rey's lightsaber, it's uncertain if she's able to push through with her plans. Fans know that she used her staff to create the handle for her weapon - that's it. The movie didn't even explain where she got the Kyber crystal for them, although the widespread assumption is that she combined parts of the gems from Luke and Leia's lightsabers. When she ignited it at the end of the film, it appears to only have a single blade, like a typical lightsaber. However, it's worth noting that she may have simply opted to keep the opposite blade sheathed.
No word yet what's next for Rey and the remaining Star Wars characters after Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. While Lucasfilm did say that the movie will be the final installment of the Skywalker Saga, there's always a chance that they'll revisit the narrative, especially when there's massive interest in it moving forward. Depending on when that's going to be, it could be cool to see Rey using her lightsaber in a battle, and then surprisingly reveal that it's actually a double-bladed one, as initially planned.
Source: The Rise of Skywalker Novelization