Star Wars: The Force Awakens - 10 Moments Everyone Misunderstands

10. Rey's Dream Sequence Is Easy To Follow

If we're ignoring just how and why she got her hands on Luke's lightsaber (which I am because it's a whole lot harder to explain - the short story is that it seems a lot was cut or changed late in the day concerning that character), then the most confusing scene from Maz Kanata's Castle is the vision sequence Rey has when taking hold of said lightsaber.

It starts back on Cloud City taken from The Empire Strikes Back, and then moves on to show Luke's hand on R2-D2 (a shot from the trailers), before showing the Knights of Ren, led by Kylo, with what appears to be slain bodies all around them, then Rey being left on Jakku, taken in by Unkar Plutt, and finally a face-off in the snow with Kylo Ren. Also heard are Obi-Wan's words (both from Alec Guinness and Ewan McGregor), saying that these are Rey's first steps.

The easiest bits to explain are Cloud City, being left on Jakku (both clearly the past), and the meeting with Kylo Ren (this then happens at the end of the movie). The stuff in between is a little, er, less obvious, and causes all sorts of confusion about whether it's the past or the future we're seeing. Luke's hand is assumed to take place before he becomes a reclusive figure, perhaps his last moments with R2-D2, but then there's the question of what appears to be fire in the background.

As for the Knights of Ren, the most commonly held theory is this is the slaughter of the Jedi Academy. However, there are various other theories and interpretations out there. For example, it's been mooted online that it's not Luke's hand we see on Artoo, but Anakin's (this is despite the fact that it's been confirmed that it is Luke's hand), and also the fire is a funeral pyre for the young Jedi.

As for the Knights of Ren, there's a theory that Kylo is saving Rey here, as he's still battling with the Light Side, or that it actually happens in the future (and, for one final alternative, that this takes place on Endor when he goes to retrieve Vader's mask, and the bodies are slaughtered Ewoks). All seems bonkers, but it's easy to see why this scene has caused some confusion.