Director Rian Johnson’s startlingly different vision of the galaxy far, far away has drawn much critique and conversation since the release of The Last Jedi. Among the loudest of the controversies involved Johnson’s radical decision to reveal that Rey’s parents weren’t famous lineage characters, as many had suspected (theories had ranged from Obi-Wan, to Palpatine all the way through Han and Leia), but were actually just alcoholic scrappers who sold her for booze money on Jakku.
But in a recent interview with the Happy Sad Confused podcast, Star Wars background player and sci-fi maven Simon Pegg confirmed what many fans had already guessed: that The Force Awakens director J.J. Abrams had originally planned for Rey’s parents to have what Pegg called “a relevant lineage.”
During the chat, Pegg claimed that Abrams had a plan that was mildly thwarted by The Last Jedi. “I know what J.J. kind of intended or at least was being chucked around,” Pegg said on air. “I think that’s kind of been undone slightly by the last one.”
This is a complicated reveal, given how well the reveal fit with the overall message of The Last Jedi: That the flawed elitism of the Jedi in the OG Star Wars trilogy was over, and that the Force is truly for everyone, no matter where you come from, who trains you, or more importantly who doesn’t. This aside could further feed the fan divide over the controversial choice, but it’ll definitely keep fan speculation going until next December when Episode IX, also directed by Abrams, arrives.
Seeing as the news of Rey’s parentage was delivered properly by one Kylo Ren, it wouldn’t be unfathomable for Abrams to retcon the reveal in Episode IX. But for now, we still have the story that The Last Jedi told us: that Rey is still a powerful Force user who looks to be the start of an entirely new generation of Jedi/Force-sensitive kids! #Broomboy
How do you feel about Pegg’s comments? Are you happy Rey is a “nobody”? Just wish she was Obi-Wan’s grandkid? Got some other wacky theory? Let us know below!
Images: Disney, Lucasfilm
