Star Wars: The Force Awakens - 7 Big Questions About Rey That Need Answering

Will she be going Solo?

Star Wars Rey Solo
Lucasfilm

A number of new characters are set to be introduced in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, with three of them set to form the new core of heroes for the new trilogy.

They are Finn, played by John Boyega, Oscar Isaac’s Poe Dameron, and Rey, who’ll be played by the relatively unknown Daisy Ridley.

There’s been a lot of talk about all of these characters, with little given away so far, but Rey in particular has been subject to a lot of speculation and theorising. There have been a few glimpses of the character in the two teaser trailers released so far, providing a look at her appearance, but little about the character herself.

It was confirmed at Star Wars Celebration that she lives on the planet of Jakku (not Tatooine, as previously suspected), and is a scavenger who reportedly lives in the wreckage of an old AT-AT.

And that’s all we have to go on at the moment, and given J.J. Abrams penchant for secrecy there’s a good chance not much more will be revealed until the film is released on December 18. Hopefully before then, however, we'll get an answer to some of these very important questions surrounding Star Wars' new female hero.

7. How Did She End Up On Jakku?

Star Wars Rey Solo
Lucasfilm

When the first teaser was released, it was initially thought that the desert planet that appeared was Tatooine, home of the Skywalkers and one that has appeared in every Star Wars film bar The Empire Strikes Back (and even then it got a mention).

While there’s still a good chance Tatooine will be in The Force Awakens, the planet from the trailer was revealed to be Jakku, which played host to a battle between the Galactic Empire and the New Republic, and is now a mostly-deserted wasteland that serves as a ship graveyard.

It may not seem like the kind of place one of the new heroes would live, but it is indeed where Rey calls home. How, exactly, did she come to live on this planet of sand and abandoned ships? We know that she is a scavenger on the planet, but to what purpose?

Is she simply doing all she can to stay alive on the planet, selling the scrap for profit, or is there more of a point to her being there? If there are lots of old starships on the planet, could there be enough workable parts to create a ‘new’ one and get her off the planet?

Contributor
Contributor

NCTJ-qualified journalist. Most definitely not a racing driver. Drink too much tea; eat too much peanut butter; watch too much TV. Sadly only the latter paying off so far. A mix of wise-old man in a young man's body with a child-like wonder about him and a great otherworldly sensibility.