The Star Wars franchise has a well-established history of familial plot twists and (spoiler alert) The Force Awakens’ Kylo/Solo/Leia situation suggests that this trend will continue into the new generation of films.
That said, fans who were left with questions about Rey’s ancestry will likely have them answered — but perhaps not until Star Wars: Episode IX drops in 2018.
According to ScreenCrush, director JJ Abrams was asked about Rey’s parentage at a recent Television Critics Association panel for his production company’s new Hulu series 11.22.63 and the Episode VII director responded in typically tight-lipped fashion, saying only that he knew who her parents were. Episode IX director Colin Trevorrow, on the other hand, was a bit more forthcoming.
On the question of Rey’s origins, Trevorrow told ET:
“We’re going to make sure that that answer is deeply and profoundly satisfying. Rey is a character that is important in this universe, not just in the context of The Force Awakens, but in the entire galaxy. She deserves it. We’ll make sure that that answer is something that feels like it was something that happened a long time ago, far away, and we’re just telling you what happened.”
We don’t want to speculate too much, but that certainly sounds like her parents/grandparents will be characters that we’re familiar with and are significant in the Star Wars universe. We’ll leave it to the reader to sort through the possible permutations but her abilities must have come from somewhere.
If you’re bummed about the prospect of waiting until 2019 for answers, know that it’s still possible that the big reveal will come in Rian Johnson’s Episode VIII. Just because Trevorrow teased the upcoming revelation, doesn’t mean that it will happen under his watch.
Either way, Star Wars is back in a big way, and there will be plenty to talk about in the next few years. Here’s a peek at the upcoming slate of projects set in George Lucas’ beloved sci-fi universe: Star Wars: Rogue One (December 16, 2016), Star Wars: Episode VIII (May 26, 2017), Untitled Han Solo Anthology Film (2018), Star Wars: Episode IX (2019).
