SPOILER WARNING: The following article contains major spoilers for Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, in theaters now.


Stars Wars: The Rise of Skywalker director J.J. Abrams is defending one of the movie's biggest twists. Although Rian Johnson's Star Wars: The Last Jedi established Rey as a simple orphan junker from Jakku, Abrams added the shocking reveal she is related to Emperor Palpatine.

Speaking to Vanity Fair, the director explained why he made Rey a descendant of the franchise's big villain. "One of the themes of the movie is that anyone can be anything regardless of where you're from," Abrams said. "I don't know if it resonates for everyone, but I think there are quite a few people who appreciate that idea of not coming from a place that you're particularly excited about or proud of."

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He went on to discuss why Johnson's idea of Rey being "no one" wasn't enough of a shocker for him: "Though I completely understand 'you're nobody' is a devastating thing, to me the more painful, the more shocking thing was 'you're from the worst possible place.' And is your destiny, is that thing that you feel, that you know is part of you, somehow, that you're haunted by, is that your destiny? The idea that choices -- there are things more powerful than blood, as Luke says. That feeling was an important thing to convey for us."

Just like Lucas' original trilogy teased the dark side that potentially lurked within Luke Skywalker, Rey was left with a tough choice to make that was haunted by her bloodline. As the movie rounded off, Rey discarded her Palpatine heritage and instead adopted the name Skywalker, effectively making her the rising Skywalker from the movie's title.

Directed and co-written by J.J. Abrams, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker stars Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Lupita Nyong’o, Domhnall Gleeson, Kelly Marie Tran, Joonas Suotamo, Billie Lourd, Keri Russell, Anthony Daniels, Mark Hamill, Billy Dee Williams and Carrie Fisher, with Naomi Ackie and Richard E. Grant.

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