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‘Star Wars: Episode 8’ Spoilers: J.J. Abrams Could Have Already Hinted At Rey’s Real Identity, But Reveal May Not Come Soon

By Nathan Francis
Published on: 14:10 PST, Jan 16, 2016

Star Wars: Episode 8 is still more than a year-and-a-half away, but there are already some major spoilers leaking about one of the biggest mysteries left unsolved by Star Wars: The Force Awakens — the true identity of Rey.

Unfortunately for fans, they may have to wait to find out.

[Warning: Some Star Wars: The Force Awakens spoilers ahead]

The hero of the latest edition of the Star Wars saga, Rey (Daisy Ridley) was shrouded in mystery. It was clear as the movie went on that she had a strong connection to the force, and her brief flashback hinted that she may come from powerful parents.

Viewers were left wondering just what that lineage might be, but they may not have to wait too long. Director J.J. Abrams hinted strongly that the answers will be coming in Star Wars: Episode 8, and many think that he has already given some strong hints in the latest movie.

Abrams said he actually knows about Rey’s mysterious past, but will let the next director, Rian Johnson, be the one to reveal it.

“Obviously it’s not for me to talk about in this moment because this is Rian’s story to continue now,” Abrams told Entertainment Weekly. “The last thing I’m going to do is reveal something that he would be upset about. I want to make sure that Rian gets the courtesy that he showed me.”

And J.J. Abrams may not just know Rey’s lineage, he may have actually created it himself. As Screen Rant noted, Abrams was a key part of mapping out the story for the sequel trilogy, and worked closely with Rian Johnson on the next steps for revealing it.

“The Lucasfilm story group may not know how the sequel trilogy will end yet, but they definitely ironed out Rey’s lineage a long time ago. Johnson was brought on board to direct Episode VIII early on so he would have the opportunity to work with Abrams and piece together the larger picture. When developing The Force Awakens with his co-writer Lawrence Kasdan, Abrams had to decide just how much of the story he was going to reveal. As tempting as it might have been to flood his film with revelations, Abrams displayed restraint and saved some surprises for later, which is in line with the franchise’s history. After all, nobody knew Darth Vader was Luke Skywalker’s father in 1977. It will be interesting to see how everything comes together as the series progresses.”

There are two major theories circulating on Rey’s identity, and both camps believe J.J. Abrams hinted at it. Many believe that she is a daughter of Luke Skywalker, and the two do share a lot of similarities. Like Luke, Rey grew up on a desert planet and was unusually drawn to Anakin’s lightsaber. Those in the Rey Skywalker camp believe that Abrams added these scenes on purpose, leading up to the movie’s conclusion where Rey and Luke meet face to face.

There are others who believe that Rey is Obi-Wan Kenobi’s granddaughter, pointing to some other hints throughout Star Wars: The Force Awakens as proof. The Huffington Post noted that both Rey and Obi-Wan share an accent, and that both Ewan McGregor’s and Alec Guinness’s voices appear in the basement lightsaber flashback scene at Maz’s. The report also pointed out that J.J. Abrams “has suggested that Rey’s loneliness is a key to her origin,” which is seen as a reference to Obi-Wan’s exile between Episode III and Episode IV.

Unfortunately, there are some Star Wars: Episode 8 spoilers that may not be welcome to fans. In an interview with Entertainment Tonight, Episode IX director Colin Trevorrow hinted that Rey’s identity may not be revealed until his turn in 2019.

But he also appeared to let loose a spoiler about Rey’s father, saying it’s someone audiences have already met.

“What’s interesting is I’m not creating a host of new characters,” he said. “I have a lot of characters that people really love that we’re going to make sure are all honored. No one’s going to be left behind.”

Fans who want to find out if the Star Wars: Episode 8 spoilers regarding Rey’s identity will have a bit longer to wait. The movie doesn’t come out until May 26, 2017, and if it’s true that her lineage won’t be revealed in that episode, then they’ll have to wait for Episode IX to come out in 2019.

[Image via Lucasfilm/Disney]

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