There has perhaps never been a time like 2014/2015 for Star Wars fans. The buildup to The Force Awakens and that cinematic experience was like nothing before it and was an extraordinary time. That film kicked off a trilogy that will be talked about and will have fans divided for years, and at the center of a lot of the conversation will be the trilogy's main protagonist Rey.
She was the cause of so much speculation for years, up until the last moment of The Rise Of Skywalker. Rey had a fantastic journey throughout the trilogy, planned or not, and grew a lot as a character. There are a plethora of changes Rey underwent through the movies, and here we look at the most significant of them.
LEAVES JAKKU
When we meet Rey, she is in a very similar spot to that of Luke Skywalker at the start of A New Hope. She is stuck on a desert planet, dreaming of a life across the stars.
When Rey finally leaves Jakku, it marks a massive change in her life. She is free from the shackles of the sandy plains, and her journey has now begun. While she is tentative about leaving for good, she does, and it pays off for her.
NEW LIGHTSABER
The very end of The Rise Of Skywalker sees Rey travel to Tatooine and bury the lightsabers of Luke and Leia. She then brings out her own gold colored lightsaber, signifying a significant change for her.
While it may not seem like much, this new lightsaber signifies a new beginning for Rey. From here, she can train the future Jedi, be with her new family, her friends, and carry on the Skywalker name. She has left this trilogy a new person, and her new blade is indicative of this.
JEDI TRAINING
When Rey realizes that she has Force abilities, and is relatively well versed in the skill of lightsaber combat at the end of The Force Awakens, she seeks out Jedi training from Luke Skywalker.
Between training with Luke in The Last Jedi, and Leia in The Rise Of Skywalker, Rey undergoes a lot of Jedi training, and because of it grows a lot. She learns to be more patient, more peaceful, and overall wiser and less naive, as well as the apparent development of her skills in the Force and with a lightsaber.
LIVES INSTEAD OF DREAMS
At the start of the trilogy, Rey is a starry-eyed young woman, waiting for the return of her parents, dreaming about life amongst the stars, and hanging onto legends of past heroes.
When she meets Han Solo, and all those legends are confirmed to her to be real, her life changes. Once she can get over wanting to go home, she begins to live in the life she had dreamed of for all those years and can become friends, and even family to those of which she had heard legends.
FOUND FAMILY
Speaking of those she became friends and family with, the idea of found family is a massive theme of the sequel trilogy, and in particular, it is something key to Rey's story.
Rey grew up alone, waiting on a family who would never return. When she finds BB-8 and Finn and leaves Jakku, she goes on a journey that will see her get brought into a new family. Finn, Poe, Chewbacca, BB-8, Leia, then smaller characters like Maz, Rose, and other Resistance members, these people are Rey's family, a found family.
LEARNS ABOUT HER LINEAGE
There were a few questions throughout the entirety of the sequel trilogy that had immense speculation amongst the fandom and inspired immense conversation. There was Snoke's identity, the Knights of Ren, Luke/Anakin's saber, and of course, Rey's parents.
In the end, Rey ended up being a Palpatine. Her father's father was Sheev Palpatine himself. It has since gotten revealed that Palpatine and his son were clones. Nevertheless, Rey is still a Palpatine, and she goes on a small journey in The Rise Of Skywalker coming to terms with this.
CHOOSES HER FATE
It does take some time for Rey to come to terms with who she was, but after defeating and destroying Palpatine, and after the deaths of Leia and Ben, she chooses her fate.
Rey takes up the mantle Rey Skywalker. It has been a divisive point. Some would have rathered she stayed true to Palpatine, a lot say she should have just been Rey the entire time. However, Rey chooses her fate, and it is a big step for the girl who had been searching for her identity for years, and she finally chooses her own.
DYAD WITH KYLO REN
Perhaps the biggest highlight of the entire sequel trilogy was the relationship between Rey and Kylo Ren. The two had immense chemistry, and are always a joy to see on screen together.
Their immense connection got revealed to be a Force dyad, two individuals who are one in the Force. This dyad developed over time and was a giant part of what allowed Kylo to turn back to the light, and a huge part of Rey's journey throughout the films as she discovers herself, and furthers her attunement in the Force.
CHANGED HER FEELINGS OF KYLO
Another part of that dyad was Rey's changing feelings towards Kylo, and their developing relationships. Off the back of The Force Awakens, Rey saw Kylo as a monster, an unforgivable one at that, but that soon changed.
As the two shared more scenes in The Last Jedi, their relationship furthered, and their connection meant Rey became more sympathetic, more trusting, and more liking of Kylo Ren. She saw good in him and wanted to pull this out of him and bring Ben back. She even heals him in The Rise Of Skywalker, and the two eventually fight side-by-side in the light, even going on to share a kiss in the last moments.
FOUND HER PLACE
"I need someone to show me my place in all this." A quote that was spoken by Rey, which ultimately sums up the character throughout the sequel trilogy and her journey film to film.
In the end, Rey found her place. She found her family, some had gone, but most remained. She left Jakku, she found out the truth about her parents, she accepted her identity, she grew and developed with each film. Rey ultimately found her place across the stars, as a hero, a friend, a Jedi, and a Skywalker.