J.J. Abrams Drops Hints About Rey’s Parents And Dispels Major ‘Star Wars’ Theories


Since the release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, fans have been speculating non-stop about the origins of the film’s heroine Rey, played by Daisy Ridley. (Spoilers ahead!) As previously reported by The Inquisitr, some of the prevailing theories suggest that Rey is actually the daughter of a well known Star Wars character. Some say Rey’s father could be Obi-Wan Kenobi, while others suggest Luke Skywalker or Han Solo. But the director of Star Wars: The Force Awakens recently spoke about the character’s lineage during a question and answer segment at the Tribeca Film Festival, and he ruled out some of those theories.

According to CNN, a young boy dared to pose the question that was on everyone’s mind, getting cheers from the audience when he asked J.J. Abrams who Rey’s parents are. Though Abrams obviously didn’t give a straight answer for fear of spoiling future installments of Star Wars, he did help narrow down Rey’s potential fathers.

“Rey’s parents are not in Episode VII,” J.J. Abrams revealed. “So I can’t possibly say in this moment who they are. But I will say it is something that Rey thinks about, too.”

This means that most of the theories about Rey’s origins are wrong. She can not be the daughter of Princess Leia, Han Solo or Luke Skywalker, because they all appear in Star Wars: The Force Awakens. However, J.J. Abrams’ answer fails to rule out Obi-Wan Kenobi, which is arguably the strongest and most popular theory of the bunch.

Ridley
Daisy Ridley. (Photo by Tristan Fewings/Getty Images)

His hint also reveals that the Star Wars writers already know the identity of Rey’s parents. According to Yahoo, J.J. Abrams admitted, “I know quite a bit” about who Rey’s parents are.

“Obviously it’s not for me to talk about in this moment because this is Rian [Johnson]’s story to continue now,” J.J. Abrams added. “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.”

This could help to affirm the clues fans found in Star Wars:The Force Awakens that point to Rey being the daughter of Obi-Wan, such as the vision Rey has after touching Luke’s lightsaber that includes a sound sample of Obi-Wan Kenobi saying her name. J.J. Abrams answer also confirms that Rey’s parents are an important part of the story since she “thinks about” who they are. This teases at a possible plot reveal later on down the line of Star Wars films.

J.J. Abrams also admitted during the Q&A that he and the writers tried very hard to follow in the footsteps of past Star Wars films, saying, “we very consciously tried to borrow familiar beats so the rest of the story could hang on something that we knew was Star Wars.”

And since Star Wars is perhaps best known for the big moment where Darth Vader reveals he’s Luke Skywalker’s father, J.J. Abrams could be hinting that another “I am your father” twist is on the way.

However, Abrams then went on to say that the next two installments in the Star Wars franchise will be much different than the original trilogy.

“[Star Wars: The Force Awakens] needed to establish itself as something familiar with a sense of where it’s going to a new land, which is very much what VIII and IX do.”

Entertainment Weekly also questioned J.J. Abrams following his interview at the Tribeca Film Festival and the director was quick to clarify that he wasn’t suggesting Star Wars: The Force Awakens provides any hints at all about who Rey’s parents are.

“What I meant was that she doesn’t discover them in Episode VII. Not that they may not already be in her world,” said J.J. Abrams.

Abrams
J.J. Abrams. (Photo by Monica Schipper/Getty Images for Tribeca Film Festival)

His two answers seem to contradict each other on some level. During the Q&A Abrams outright admitted that Rey’s parents did not appear in the latest Star Wars movie then later he seemed to realize this gave away too much and claimed she could still be the daughter of someone she knows. Either way, Abrams’ clarification still suggests Rey’s parents are very likely to be a famous Star Wars character.

Who do you think Rey’s parents are? Have they already appeared in a previous Star Wars film?

For more Star Wars theories, read about how the upcoming prequel Rogue One: A Star Wars Story fits into the timeline.

[Photos by Mike Pont/Getty Images and Walt Disney Pictures]

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