Despite a torrent of half-baked rumors from the usual sources, most of what’s online about Star Wars: Episode IX is total speculation. Perhaps the only concrete things we know are from the casting. For instance, we can confirm that Carrie Fisher will be appearing from beyond the grave as a ‘tastefully done’ Leia, that Luke Skywalker will be back (presumably in Force Ghost form) and that Billy Dee Williams will return as Lando Calrissian. But other than the core cast, there are a number of people whose roles remain mysterious, one of which is relatively obscure British actor Naomi Ackie. However, an extra on the set claims to have the inside scoop.
Said extra posts on Reddit under the name Temirblagg1 and explains that he featured in a scene that showed very clearly who Ackie was, and apparently, she’s Lando Calrissian’s daughter.
Here’s his description of the scene:
“Poe, Finn and Chewbacca enter with other members of the resistance and members of our group. They are greeted by Dom Monaghan (who is wearing a very cool costume). Naomi Ackie is here as Veranada (Vera) Calrissian. There is no mention of a formal leader but they seem to be more in leadership roles. They discuss a recent skirmish that happened while the resistance arrived to the planet. They seem to slightly be at odds. Poe confronts Dom’s character and Dom laughs. He is a complex character it would seem, he may have lost a friend or something in this skirmish, get is livid but excited.
Naomi’s character says they found something valuable at the cost of losing several soldiers. Enters an accompanied horse with several children masks on. A body is seated with a bag over their head. He gets dropped down. Revealed to be a cowering Domnhall (general Hux). He admits surrender and is searched by Domenic who prods him with an instrument and taunts him. To Naomi’s characters displeasure.”
If Ackie’s playing Veranada Calrissian, it’d make a broad amount of sense. Not to mention it’d give Lando’s character a direct emotional connection to the events of the movie. It’s also been pointed out that if this pans out it’d connect to the story of Star Wars Battlefront II. There, we find out a bit more about what Lando got up to after Return of the Jedi. Namely, that he continued assisting the Rebellion.
The Resurrection DLC also hints that the Resistance has some allies in the Outer Rim, which may prove to be Lando and his daughter. Also of note is that Hux apparently defects to the Resistance, which would make sense if he’s completely opposed to Kylo Ren’s killing of Snoke and assuming command over the army.
Anyways, the leaker also went on to explain something about the setting, saying:
“We were a guerrilla militia in a secret type of bunker on the planet of Batuu. There is not a lot of tech that you usually see in a sw movie. More hunter and gatherer type of group. Members are of this group in the background are all seen smithing weapons and keeping busy in other ways. We are trying to keep under the nose of the first order. The architecture is magnificent and will be a real visual treat for viewers.”
Batuu is the location for Disney’s upcoming Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge theme park, which is having a ludicrous amount of money poured into it in an attempt to realize a galaxy far far away as a place you can visit. It’s scheduled to open in 2019, so Batuu appearing in Star Wars: Episode IX sounds like exactly the type of cross-promotion that’d drive the money men insane with joy.