In a recent interview, Daisy Ridley confirmed what Star Wars fans had long suspected, that there were no solid plans for her character Rey. J.J. Abrams apparently didn’t decide on Rey’s backstory as Emperor Palpatine’s granddaughter until halfway through making The Rise of Skywalker. The actor got a phone call every few days telling her that her character was being drastically changed.
Making Rey’s parentage important seemed like a direct response to the fan outrage following Rian Johnson’s “nobodies” reveal in The Last Jedi. One interesting detail provided by Ridley was that Abrams’ initial plan was to reveal Rey as a Kenobi. This could’ve led to some major changes in The Rise of Skywalker.
It Would Give Kylo Ren More Of A Reason To Lie To Her
Revealing Rey’s parentage to be a significant Star Wars character in The Rise of Skywalker seemed to be a deliberate attempt to retcon The Last Jedi’s revelation that her parents were “nobodies.” If Rey was a Kenobi, Kylo Ren would have more of a reason to lie about her ancestry.
He could’ve told her she was a Palpatine to sway her over to the dark side, but he’d have a good reason to cover up her connection to arguably the greatest Jedi who ever lived.
Rey’s Vision In The Force Awakens Would Make More Sense
There’s no more egregious example of J.J. Abrams’ mind-numbing “mystery box” storytelling than the vision that Rey has when she first touches Anakin’s lightsaber in Maz Kanata’s basement in The Force Awakens. This vision is just an eclectic mix of audio and video clips, with Abrams throwing all his random ideas at the screen and seeing what would stick.
The first voice that Rey hears in this vision is that of Obi-Wan Kenobi, telling her, “Rey, these are your first steps.” If she turned out to be related to him, this vision would make some small semblance of sense.
Palpatine Might Not Have Returned At All
While it was a joy to see Ian McDiarmid back in the role of Emperor Palpatine and he made for a much better villain than Snoke, not a lot about his return in The Rise of Skywalker really worked. From the moment Poe says, “Somehow...Palpatine has returned,” it’s hard to take anything in the movie seriously.
If Rey was a Kenobi, she’d have no need to confront Palpatine and he might not have been brought back from the dead at all.
Obi-Wan’s Force Ghost Could’ve Made An Appearance
Instead of every past Jedi randomly popping up in Rey’s head to give her words of encouragement, Obi-Wan’s Force ghost could’ve appeared to guide her if she was a descendant of his.
Since Obi-Wan’s ghost was played by Alec Guinness in the original trilogy, it might’ve been strange to see Ewan McGregor as his ghost in The Rise of Skywalker. But fans wouldn’t complain if they got to see him in the role of Obi-Wan again.
There Would Be No Need For That Stupid “Rey Skywalker” Moment
The ending of The Rise of Skywalker is really stupid. It would’ve been disappointing as the ending of any movie, let alone the final moments of a nine-movie saga that fans have been following for over 40 years.
Rey adopting the name Skywalker felt really forced. If she didn’t feel the need to distance herself from the Palpatine name, then it might not have happened.
Chewbacca’s Horrible Fake-Out Death Wouldn’t Have Happened
Midway through The Rise of Skywalker, Rey accidentally destroys a First Order transport that she believes Chewbacca is on. Seconds later, it’s revealed that Chewie is actually alive. This removes all the suspense from the situation. Rey’s grief has no weight, because we know it’s misplaced.
If Rey wasn’t a Palpatine, this Force lightning moment wouldn’t have happened and Chewie’s stupid fake-out death wouldn’t exist.
Kenobi Parentage Might’ve Been Easier To Explain
The Palpatine connection was difficult for The Rise of Skywalker to explain. First, the movie had to explain how Palpatine returned, which it didn’t. Then, it had to explain how he had kids who had kids, and how Rey ended up being abandoned on Jakku, which was brushed over with some vague murmurings about cloning.
Explaining that Obi-Wan fathered a child while he was watching over Luke on Tatooine would’ve been a lot easier – and it would’ve opened up the storytelling possibilities for Disney+’s upcoming Obi-Wan series.
Satine Could’ve Been Rey’s Grandmother
Throughout The Clone Wars, it was heavily implied that Obi-Wan had a forbidden relationship with Satine. He also told Luke in the original trilogy that he “was” a Jedi, suggesting that he no longer followed the tenets of the Jedi religion.
If Satine was Rey’s grandmother, then Rey would’ve been part Mandalorian, which would’ve been infinitely more interesting than being a Palpatine with uncontrollable Force lightning.
The Movie Might’ve Actually Featured “Duel Of The Fates”
Colin Trevorrow’s rejected script for Episode IX was reportedly titled Duel of the Fates, named after the iconic John Williams track that plays during Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon’s lightsaber duel with Darth Maul in The Phantom Menace.
Disney used “Duel of the Fates” in The Rise of Skywalker’s trailers to get fans excited, but didn’t actually feature it in the movie. If Rey had been a Kenobi, maybe the filmmakers would’ve actually used the track.
A Kenobi Saving A Skywalker From The Dark Side Would Make A Beautiful Ending For The Saga
The tragedy of Revenge of the Sith is that Obi-Wan can’t save his padawan Anakin from falling to the dark side, plunging the galaxy into years of darkness.
The conflict at the heart of The Rise of Skywalker is Rey’s quest to bring Ben Solo back to the light side. A Kenobi saving a Skywalker from the dark side, doing what her grandfather never could, would’ve brought the whole saga full circle. In the wise words of George Lucas, it’s like poetry, they rhyme.