Rey in The Force Awakens (Possible Spoilers)

[YellowSubmarine]

Were they even aware she was on the ship?

Pretty much, yeah. The moment they saw the droid, they declared interest in it, the two fugitives, and the reward. That's when Rey and Finn realised they had been all but discovered, and got very very uneasy.

 

[Turtletrekker]

There are a few interesting details about the meeting between Luke and Rey at the end of the movie in the script, by way of Slash Film...

Luke Skywalker Immediately Knows Who Rey Is and Why She Is Here

The script describes Luke Skywalker as being older now, with white hair and a beard. It says that he looks at Rey with a “kindness in his eyes, but there’s something tortured, too.” Most interestingly, it says that Luke “doesn’t need to ask her who she is, or what she is doing here.” Does this mean that he knows Rey is his child? Or does this mean that he knows because of the Force? The script only adds that “his look says it all.”

After Rey pulls Luke’s lightsaber from her pack, the script describes her holding it out to him as “An offer. A plea. The galaxy’s only hope.” And of course the script ends on “HOLD ON LUKE SKYWALKER’S INCREDIBLE FACE, amazed and conflicted at what he sees, as our MUSIC BUILDS, the promise of an adventure, just beginning…” It’s interesting that the script says Luke is both amazed and conflicted.

Details from Rey's vision...

We pretty much knew that the first image is that of a hallway in Cloud City, but this script confirms it, calling it “a hallway of from deep inside Cloud City” and mentions a “mechanical breathing sound” and also that “disembodied voices fill the air.”

Some people have argued that the image of Luke Skywalker and R2-D2 was not from the attack on Skywalker’s new Jedi Training Academy, but the script confirms that we “see a BURNING TEMPLE AT NIGHT” in the background.

As for the man stabbed with a lightsaber, some fans have incorrectly identified that as Constable Zuvio, but we’ve previously debunked that claim. The script says that it is “A WARRIOR” who is stabbed by “A FIERY LIGHTSABER!”

And while we have assumed that the men around Kylo Ren in this vision are the Knights of Ren, the screenplay officially confirms this: “We PIVOT AROUND HER to REVEAL KYLO REN, and the six other KNIGHTS OF REN, who flank him!”

Also, confirming fan observations...

The script says, “A little girl. Rey as a child. She is sobbing, hysterical. Unkar Plutt’s meaty hand holds her thin arm. She is on Jakku, watching a starship fly into the sky, abandoning her.” Rey yells, “No, come back!” and Unkar Plutt responds, “Quiet, girl!” as the “ship flies towards the desert sun, which is strangely eclipsed, as if being eaten by darkness.”

Unkar Plutt being the vendor that Rey was dealing with on Jakku that was played by Simon Pegg.

Rey felt the Dark side...

As he reaches for his saber, the screenplay adds: “And she could kill him — right now, with ONE VICIOUS STRIKE! But she stops. Realizing she stands on a greater edge than even the cliff — the edge of the dark side. The earth SHAKES. The earth splits. A gully forms.” Its interesting that Rey also feels the internal pull of the dark side in this moment.

The article has other neat details about the script, including the name of the planet Luke is on and the detail that Kylo Ren was actually weakened by what he did to Han rather than strengthened.

 

[wulfio]

I heard a theory about Rey, which I thought was pretty interesting, I don't know if you guys have covered it in this thread already, but it's that she's the Reincarnation of Anakin Skywalker.

I doubt it.
They clearly planned this new trilogy as a fresh start.
To backtrack on it attach all of Anakin's baggage on this new character would run against that.

If you bothered to read the context I just said it was a cool theory, and one that I would enjoy. Furthermore, there's no "back tracking" or "baggage" required, it's reincarnation, not a spa weekend.

 

[FlapJoy]

The more I think about this movie and the character of Rey, the more I hope she is not a Skywalker, or has any connection to any established Star Wars character. I hope she is a random person, gifted with a strong sense of the force, just like Kenobi and Yoda before her. But, sent to Jakku because her potential was recognized at a time of galactic turmoil after the fall of the Empire.
I hope the latter films deal with her searching for others like her, paralleling Anakins systematic destruction and the hunting down of the remaining Jedi and dismantling the Jedi order as depicted in Revenge of the Sith.
Luke, by facing his father, and redeeming Anakin, has done what he needed to do, restoring a certain symmetry, but not entirely balance. And maybe that is Luke and Leia's weakness; the guilt they feel that they failed Ben Solo. Or felt like they have, clouding their judgement. If Anakin really was the product an unnatural influence of the force by the Sith Lord Plagueis and/or Sidious, then his twin offspring could represent the ironic symmetry of the force correcting itself, but Luke and Leia's work is far from done, and they are struggling.
I hope Rey becomes instrumental in establishing a new Jedi community, with Luke as her teacher and guide, Leia as her mentor, and both becoming her surrogate family supporting her quest to bring true balance. As twins they represent a certain ying and yang, one a Jedi, the other a General, instilling the best attributes of both in Rey. Who then, as a new character, with no lineal connection, can possibly do what they can't, and I hope they go that direction with Rey.
It could be, ultimately, that it's Luke that faces Snoke in an epic showdown, Leia leading the resistance and taking on the spreading New Order, while Rey attempts to find new force users and perhaps even redeem Kylo Ren ~ Although I also believe Kylo will be a lost cause that Rey can't save, a real tragic figure that never follows the atonement path of Darth Vader, and their final battle will have true finality.
Regardless, these new chapters are loaded with potential for epic story telling, without the need for Rey to be a character that's only special because she is the daughter of Luke, grand-daughter of Vader, and Kylo's cousin. She can be a great character of true heroic glory in her own right, worthy of the Star Wars legacy.

 

[Joel_Kirk]

^^
I also want Rey to be an original character, not a Skywalker or Solo or Kenobi relative.

 

[Turtletrekker]

^Well, Kathleen Kennedy has already said that the "Episode" movies will always center on the Skywalker clan, and Rey seems to be the central character. Sure, there are three other Skywalker's in the movie, but this doesn't appear to be their story, it appears to be Rey's.

 

[Greylock Crescent]

From a "big picture" perspective I don't think I'd be terribly upset if Rey turned out to be independent from the Skywalkers ... but I would be a little annoyed by how heavily its been implied thus far. Being good at mechanics, flying and the Force are Skywalker traits and all of those were heavily (and explicitly) established in the film. For those to all simply be there as part of a fake-out would feel more like a cheap parlor trick than a genuine narrative "twist."

But once I got over that one issue, I'd be fine with it, so long as it manages to somehow take into account all of the abilities we've seen from her thus far.

 

[ancient]

Abrams is such a rush happy fool, I'm amazed she didn't literally grow up before our eyes a la Boyhood.

This is something I've noticed in Abrams' Trek films a fair bit. I think it comes from having worked in television where you can have you characters change quite a lot since it's on the air for a longer time. He might be going for the same approach but trying to fit it into two hours. This seemed especially prevalent in the first Trek film, with Kirk. I can see the argument that it happens with Rey a little, but not to the extent of Kirk in Trek.

Hmm that's a good point, maybe Abrams is trying to cram the equivalent of a 13 episode arc into all his movies. It's something I've latched onto as my main criticism of Abrams' movies - that they're too damn fast paced.

... he decided that rather than keep her in a life where she might be tempted by the dark side(and become Vader again), that she would grow up away from the force. It could also explain Luke's reaction to Rey.

Horrible desert wastelands are probably weak in the force. :0

From a "big picture" perspective I don't think I'd be terribly upset if Rey turned out to be independent from the Skywalkers ... but I would be a little annoyed by how heavily its been implied thus far.

At this point it would essentially be a bait & switch.

 

[FlapJoy]

From a "big picture" perspective I don't think I'd be terribly upset if Rey turned out to be independent from the Skywalkers ... but I would be a little annoyed by how heavily its been implied thus far.

At this point it would essentially be a bait & switch.

She's exhibited traits of MANY key players in the Star Wars saga. She's strong, self-assured, and defiant like Leia. She shares Luke's wanderlust, natural piloting skills, and force sensitivity. Her scenes on the Falcon showcase her mechanical inclinations, and ability to adapt creative solutions to render escape, very Han. Scenes of her scuttling stealthily about, and scaling walls with silent grace in the Starkiller base are very reminiscent of Obi Wan Kenobi (and let's not forget that English accent) ...a friend of mine even expressed that some of her scenes on Jakku, like scavenging parts and wearing the X-wing pilot helmet with child-like wonder, reminded her a bit of a young Anakin on Tatooine... all very purposefully an amalgam of our saga heroes, and I believe with the intent of keeping the viewer guessing about her mysterious origins.
Stacking all these clues to her possible lineage could set up the ultimate twist that she has none. That she is her own person, illustrating the fact that the galaxy is full of heroes without being born to a particular bloodline, exploring different aspects of The Force through Rey for a new era in the Star Wars universe... A concept easier to relate to, and be inspired by, especially as her story unfolds in the trilogy.

 

[Ithekro]

The question then would be, could they pull of the "Skywalker family" part of the storyline with the antagonist as this generation's Skywalker?

Yes I know Anakin became the antagonist, but he was the hero for a large part of the PT before his fall to the Dark Side. And Luke of course was out hero for the OT while Anakin was still the antagonist. Luke doesn't seem to be setup to be the main character, so it likely isn't going to be Luke/Leia vs Ren in terms of Skywalkers. Which lead us to the story's protagonist, Rey. While she might not be a Skywalker, the way these stories have been advertised would logically point to her as a Skywalker to keep the hero of the story being one.

 

[dahj]

The question then would be, could they pull of the "Skywalker family" part of the storyline with the antagonist as this generation's Skywalker?

There's also the option of redeeming Ben much earlier than Vader in the original trilogy, like halfway through the next one, so he can be the hero of Ep IX.

I still think "Rey's a Skywalker" is much more likely, but that would be one way of subverting expectations.

 

[Ithekro]

That might work if the story runs into the idea that there is something bigger at stake than the First Order vs Republic/Resistance conflict. Like an invasion from beyond or something worse that anything Palpatine would have thrown at them. If Snoke is not so much a evil, but just that last stand before the bigger evil arrives

 

[YellowSubmarine]

Rey felt the Dark side...

As he reaches for his saber, the screenplay adds: “And she could kill him — right now, with ONE VICIOUS STRIKE! But she stops. Realizing she stands on a greater edge than even the cliff — the edge of the dark side. The earth SHAKES. The earth splits. A gully forms.” Its interesting that Rey also feels the internal pull of the dark side in this moment.

So the way that scene made me feel and worry was quite intentional. I think the scene wonderfully and subtly delivered what was in the script. Everyone did an amazing job with just about everything in the film.

 

[Venardhi]

From a "big picture" perspective I don't think I'd be terribly upset if Rey turned out to be independent from the Skywalkers ... but I would be a little annoyed by how heavily its been implied thus far.

At this point it would essentially be a bait & switch.

She's exhibited traits of MANY key players in the Star Wars saga. She's strong, self-assured, and defiant like Leia. She shares Luke's wanderlust, natural piloting skills, and force sensitivity. Her scenes on the Falcon showcase her mechanical inclinations, and ability to adapt creative solutions to render escape, very Han. Scenes of her scuttling stealthily about, and scaling walls with silent grace in the Starkiller base are very reminiscent of Obi Wan Kenobi (and let's not forget that English accent) ...a friend of mine even expressed that some of her scenes on Jakku, like scavenging parts and wearing the X-wing pilot helmet with child-like wonder, reminded her a bit of a young Anakin on Tatooine... all very purposefully an amalgam of our saga heroes, and I believe with the intent of keeping the viewer guessing about her mysterious origins.
Stacking all these clues to her possible lineage could set up the ultimate twist that she has none. That she is her own person, illustrating the fact that the galaxy is full of heroes without being born to a particular bloodline, exploring different aspects of The Force through Rey for a new era in the Star Wars universe... A concept easier to relate to, and be inspired by, especially as her story unfolds in the trilogy.

Building a mystery only to subvert it is the ultimate waste of dramatic potential, not to mention story that could have been included in its absence. It might be charming and refreshing in an epic 5-book fantasy, but when we're talking a movie with a 2 hour runtime that is a very inefficient use of those precious minutes of screen time.

 

[FlapJoy]

At this point it would essentially be a bait & switch.

She's exhibited traits of MANY key players in the Star Wars saga. She's strong, self-assured, and defiant like Leia. She shares Luke's wanderlust, natural piloting skills, and force sensitivity. Her scenes on the Falcon showcase her mechanical inclinations, and ability to adapt creative solutions to render escape, very Han. Scenes of her scuttling stealthily about, and scaling walls with silent grace in the Starkiller base are very reminiscent of Obi Wan Kenobi (and let's not forget that English accent) ...a friend of mine even expressed that some of her scenes on Jakku, like scavenging parts and wearing the X-wing pilot helmet with child-like wonder, reminded her a bit of a young Anakin on Tatooine... all very purposefully an amalgam of our saga heroes, and I believe with the intent of keeping the viewer guessing about her mysterious origins.
Stacking all these clues to her possible lineage could set up the ultimate twist that she has none. That she is her own person, illustrating the fact that the galaxy is full of heroes without being born to a particular bloodline, exploring different aspects of The Force through Rey for a new era in the Star Wars universe... A concept easier to relate to, and be inspired by, especially as her story unfolds in the trilogy.

Building a mystery only to subvert it is the ultimate waste of dramatic potential, not to mention story that could have been included in its absence. It might be charming and refreshing in an epic 5-book fantasy, but when we're talking a movie with a 2 hour runtime that is a very inefficient use of those precious minutes of screen time.

But what mystery are they building? And if Luke is Rey's father, then what is the mystery? Other than some various parallels, we actually have less to go on than we did with Luke's parentage in a New Hope. Besides, to "subvert" it would be what's called a "red herring", a misdirection, and only serves to expand the potential for a compelling new story. Especially since these clues are not as strong as other direct character connections were in past movies...
In the first films, much emphasis was built around Luke's father:
Aunt Beru and Uncle Owen's discussion of Luke having a lot of his father in him, which is what Owen was "afraid of". Ben tells Luke a whole story about his father, which gave great weight to Vader's final reveal that HE was Luke's father. Aided by Luke's "Force vision" on Dagobah.
In Empire we get a line eluding to a second hero: "No, there is another". And from what I've read, that line was not meant to be about Leia, but a new female character to be revealed in the third film. But was changed to be about Leia in an economic rewrite to move the story forward, but helped to serve as another twist that Leia was Luke's sister.
We even get more clues about Anakin's mysterious lineage in Phantom Menace and Revenge of the Sith than we do about Luke and Reys connection in The Force Awakens: Shmi's reveal that Anakin was a "virgin birth" and Palpatine's story of the force manipulation to create life by the dark side, is still more to go on than anything we've seen about Rey's past.
But my point is that we get more parallels to other characters other than Luke in Rey's characterization, and very few direct leads. So much so that a lot of speculation leads to other characters; like that perhaps she's a second "love child" of Leia and Han that Leia kept secret from Han after they become separated, or that she's Obi Wan's grand-daughter, what if she's Grand Moff Tarkin's grand-daughter? (how ironic would that be?) ~ but there's enough intrigue in her character to allow these other theories.
Even in Rey's "force vision", while yes we see Luke, but also the Knights of Ren, and the voice of Kenobi calling to her, not Luke. None of these images make a direct connection to Luke, but only serve to depict direct events both past and future, prior events that a very young Rey may have been apart of not because she's Luke's daughter but possibly was a padawan youngling saved from the massacre, resulting in her exile on Jakku by her "parents", who ever they may have been, if they were even her parents to begin with. She has as much connection to R2-D2 as Luke in these scenes. It's so much more vague with very few direct connections than in previous Star Wars films about other legacy characters.
I feel this new film's use of familiar territory is to ease us back into the Star Wars universe we're most comfortable with by design. With it's many parallels to a New Hope and Empire being used as a launching pad to set up new stories and characters for a subsequent trilogy. I feel that it purposely teases a well used, family specific, plot device that could serve to reveal a much different twist and a compelling new story exploring more of the Star Wars universe.

 

[JoeZhang]

[
In Empire we get a line eluding to a second hero: "No, there is another". And from what I've read, that line was not meant to be about Leia, but a new female character to be revealed in the third film.

There are various versions of this story - my understanding is that it was going to be a character in one of the various (never to arrive) spinoffs that Lucasfilms was going to turn out off their production line.

 

[sojourner]

It was going to be Luke's sister. Before Lucas decided to make Leia Luke's sister.

 

[Dude]

I'm sorry it took me so long (real life intervened, not in a bad way), but I started the TNZ thread for us to discuss constructivism and objective truth.

[url]http://www.trekbbs.com/showthread.php?p=11412245#post11412245[/URL]

 

[JirinPanthosa]

Luke had way more flaws in the first movie than Rey had. He had conflict with Han, he had conflict with his aunt and uncle, he was kind of bratty and combative toward older characters. He was impatient and fearful. Other characters didn't immediately treat him like he walked on water.

I think it's sexism that made them make Rey so flawless. Male characters with flaws are called 'Antihero', female characters with flaws are called 'Bitch'. If they had made Rey as bratty as Luke was at the beginning they would have been accused of making her a stereotype, and the writers knew this.

 

[Jedman67]

She was a bit arrogant and didn't seem to much care for droids (or BB8 at least).
To me, her physical abilities make sense - she had to survive in a dog-eat-dog world in the backside of nowhere. She had to make herself valuable as a trader and powerful enough to be able to resist being attacked and hold her own in a fight.