One of the chief complaints from some Star Wars fans since the beginning of the new trilogy has been how quickly and easily our new hero Rey (played by Daisy Ridley) seems to have gotten a grasp on using the Force with no training. The term “Mary Sue” has been thrown around when describing Rey’s journey in the Force so far, labeling the character as being too perfect of a hero, unjustly made to be super-skilled as a mechanic, a combat fighter, a pilot and, of course, extremely Force sensitive. But according to The Force Awakens and The Rise of Skywalker director J.J. Abrams, there’s a reason for that.
In The Force Awakens, Rey was called to Luke Skywalker’s lightsaber in Maz Kanata’s castle, she was able to resist the mind invasion techniques of Kylo Ren, and then she used the Force to summon Luke Skywalker’s lightsaber to her in a climactic moment while facing off with Kylo Ren. This is where certain fans had a problem with Rey’s evolution, mostly because she seemed to have a much more firm grasp on the Force than someone like Luke Skywalker did in roughly the same time window in A New Hope.
But of course, Rey gets some training from Luke Skywalker in The Last Jedi, helping her to hone her skills. But even her display of powers during training sessions with Luke had fans still questioning why Rey was so powerful. They’ll have less of a leg to stand on when The Rise of Skywalker allows for a time jump after The Last Jedi, giving Rey plenty of time to improve upon the incredible power she’s already displayed. But regardless, this appears to be something Abrams has been waiting to address.
In a recent interview with Rolling Stone, Abrams was asked about Rey appearing to be “preternaturally gifted, even for a Jedi” and specifically appearing as if “she learns things faster” than someone like Luke Skywalker. Abrams gave an appropriately cheeky response, but offered up a hint of resolving that discrepancy in The Rise of Skywalker:
“Yeah, spooky, right? [Smiles] It’s a fair point. It’s not an accident.”
That seems to imply that there will be some kind of explanation as to why Rey has proven to be so powerful in the Force. And considering the recent talk from Daisy Ridley about Rey not being satisfied with the information revealed about her parents in The Last Jedi, we can’t help but think that something about her past will serve as the reason for her Force sensitivity. However, since she doesn’t appear to be part of the Skywalker bloodline, who could she be a descendant of in this galaxy? Could the return of Emperor Palpatine have something to do with it? He always seems to have a plan that everyone is unknowingly adhering to, so maybe Rey’s rise to power is something he’s been waiting for all these years.
Will that satisfy the Rey critics out there? We’ll find out when The Rise of Skywalker opens December 20, 2019.
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