‘Star Wars’: Was Rey Almost a Kenobi? Lucasfilm President Explains Why This Wouldn’t Work
One of the biggest questions of Disney’s Star Wars sequel trilogy was is Rey a Kenobi. While fans remain divided on what the answer is, there were many possibilities of whom she could have been a descendant. Rey (Daisy Ridley) being a Kenobi was just one of many popular theories. However, Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy recently explained why this would not have made sense.
‘Star Wars: Episode IX — The Rise of Skywalker’ revealed Rey’s heritage
Throughout the sequel trilogy, many fans were theorizing who Rey could be related to. In Episode VIII — The Last Jedi, it seemed like Rey had no connections to anyone. However, in The Rise of Skywalker, Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) told her that she was actually the granddaughter of Emperor Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid).
Fans remain divided on this detail. While it does explain why Rey is so powerful, it’s hard to believe that Palpatine had kids with anyone.
After killing her grandfather and saving the galaxy, Rey adopted the name of Rey Skywalker to honor the legacy of the heroic family. This is also a moment that polarized the Star Wars fan base.
Kathleen Kennedy explains why Rey being a Kenobi would not work
One popular theory in Star Wars about Rey was that she was a descendant of Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor in the prequels & Alec Guinness in the original trilogy). While this would have been an interesting connection, Kennedy said this would not have made sense according to Star Wars lore. In an interview with Vanity Fair, Kennedy said they would not be able to do this without messing with the “mythology of the Jedi.”
“The bigger issue is talking about Obi-Wan as a Master Jedi, and the issue of attachment and selflessness,” Kennedy said. “In order for Obi-Wan to have a child, you are really, really impacting the rules around the Jedi. What does that mean? If that were explored—and certainly there were a lot of ideas being thrown around—but anything to do with Obi-Wan in that regard was pretty much off the table because it flies in the face of everything George created in the mythology. We’re not rigid about it. It’s certainly open for discussion all the time. But that’s a pretty significant tenet in the mythology of the Jedi that we’d be reluctant to mess with.”
It would not make sense for Obi-Wan Kenobi to have a kid in the timeline of ‘Star Wars’
Kennedy’s comments do have merit because one of the main templates for being a Jedi is to remove oneself from emotional attachments. Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen) breaks this rule and it leads to his transition to the Dark Side. In the Star Wars prequel trilogy, Kenobi is very strict about this rule and does not break it.
However, those who have watched The Clone Wars know that Kenobi had romantic feelings for Satine Kryze, the Duchess of Mandalore. However, he never followed through on these emotions. Then, after the events of Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, Kenobi went into isolation on Tatooine to protect Luke Skywalker and it’s assumed that he never had any romantic relationships during this time. So, Rey being a descendant of his would make no sense given the Star Wars timeline.
We will see more of Obi-Wan Kenobi in the upcoming Star Wars series of the same name coming to Disney+ on May 27.
