Rey adopting the last name “Skywalker”, which was planned years ago but didn’t have the impact the writers expected. The Skywalker saga began in 1977 with the film now known as Star Wars: A New Hope, which introduced viewers around to world to a galaxy far, far away, and characters like Luke Skywalker, Leia Organa, Han Solo, Chewbacca, and Darth Vader.
Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back and Star Wars: Return of the Jedi completed what became the original trilogy, but there was more to be explored in this universe, and so the prequel trilogy happened. This was released between 1999 and 2005, and focused on the story of Anakin Skywalker, from his days as a young slave in Tatooine to his rise as Sith lord Darth Vader. Following the acquisition of Lucasfilm by Disney, the studio began working on a new trilogy, beginning in 2015 with Star Wars: The Force Awakens and introducing a new generation of heroes and villains while bringing definitive closure to the main characters of the original films.
The sequels focused on scavenger Star Wars: The Last Jedi revealed she was a “nobody”, having her become a Skywalker was planned from the beginning – and that shows how much went wrong with the Star Wars sequels.
Star Wars’ Rey Skywalker Ending Was Planned in 2014
Rey’s backstory was the biggest mystery of the the Skywalker’s ultimate victory over Palpatine.
After everything that happened in The Rise of Skywalker, the “Rey Skywalker” moment only ended up feeling like an addition to save the character and the film, and didn’t have the impact the writers were most likely expecting – but as it turns out, “Rey Skywalker” was planned years before The Rise of Skywalker came out. An excerpt from the book The Art of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker details a story group meeting that took place in 2014, in which Pablo Hidalgo talked about Rey’s role, saying he liked “the idea that she’s going to be our Skywalker, but she’s not a Skywalker” and so the last name is “really a metaphor. It’s doesn’t have to be something that’s directly connected to blood”. While the overall intention of the Skywalker metaphor is good, the execution is what took all meaning away from it.
Star Wars Didn’t Plan HOW Rey Skywalker Would Happen
Disney knew the Star Wars sequels would have Rey becoming a Skywalker, but they didn’t know how to get to that – and it showed. The lack of communication between those in charge of each film was evident, to the point where many fans consider The Last Jedi established, but the addition of Palpatine to her arc only made it harder for her decision to be a Skywalker to be believable (and emotional, which was surely among their intentions).
Rey Skywalker Shows The Problems With Disney’s Star Wars Trilogy
the novelization tried to do some damage control (and also failed).
The message behind Rey becoming a Skywalker wasn’t bad, as it’s all about her choosing her own path and taking on the name of her mentors and truly the only parent figures she has had, and along with the Palpatine reveal, it also proves that she’s in no way like her grandfather – the problem was how the story got there, as it was a very messy road full of contradictions and lazy answers. The problems with Disney’s Star Wars trilogy wouldn’t have happened if the studio had had an actual plan, ensuring that the films wouldn’t feel disconnected while also allowing each director to give them their own touch, and also preserving the meaning behind “Rey Skywalker”.
