Love it or loathe it, Star Wars: The Last Jedi was a monumental addition to Lucasfilm’s crown jewel in that Rian Johnson’s somewhat contentious sequel advanced the Skywalker Saga in new and unexpected ways.
Case in point: Rey’s parentage. After almost two years of intense speculation and wild rumors, The Last Jedi cut through the white noise to reveal that Rey’s long-lost parents were, in fact, unremarkable drunkards who perished beneath the piping-hot sand dunes of Jakku long before the events of The Force Awakens.
Granted, there has been chatter of a potential retcon in Episode IX, by which point J.J. Abrams will be ready to bring the curtain down on this current Star Wars trilogy. But according to Simon Pegg (Star Trek Beyond, The Force Awakens), Abrams initially cooked up a totally different plan for Rey’s parents prior to The Last Jedi.
I know what J.J. kind of intended or at least was being chucked around. I think that’s kind of been undone slightly by the last one. There was some talk of a relevant lineage for her.
Pegg’s comments are all the more interesting when you consider that Abrams is returning to the director’s chair for Episode IX, after Lucasfilm broke ties with Colin Trevorrow over creative differences – for the record, he’s since been appointed at the helm of Universal’s third Jurassic World film.
It’s something that is continually referenced in The Last Jedi, too, where Kylo Ren taunts Rey about her existential crisis, one which manifests within the dark pit of Ahch-To. However, if Pegg’s allegations are true, then J.J. Abrams may have worked to ensure that Rey’s heritage was connected to the Skywalker name – or Kenobi, or Jinn, or Erso, or any of the other big families populating the Star Wars universe.
Alas, those plans have been shelved in light of The Last Jedi, leaving J.J. Abrams with the somewhat tricky task of delivering a satisfying conclusion via Episode IX in 2019. Watch this space for more.