Star Wars Force Awakens: Is Rey Related to Obi-Wan Kenobi?

I think at this point it’s safe to say that Star Wars Episode 7 is a success. Of all the characters introduced in the film, Rey stood out as being something of an amalgam of past ideas. Having aspects taken from Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, and some originality thrown in for good measure, Rey has made a lasting impression on the fandom community. The latest Jedi, and main protagonist of the film, the young girl from Jakku’s past is still surrounded by mystery. We don’t know for certain where Rey originally came from, who her family is, or if she has any direct ties to the rest of the cast in that regard.

While the implication seems to be strongly pointed toward her being the daughter of Luke Skywalker, or perhaps a distant relative, there are other options out there for where Rey came from. Could it be that Rey has a direct tie to Obi-Wan Kenobi rather than Skywalker? Could she potentially be the granddaughter of Ben, held on the planet of Jakku for her protection? We certainly don’t know the answer 100% but we’ll walk through the clues and see if we can dig into this theory a little further.

One of the major clues we have going for this theory is Rey’s accent. Considering she was raised on a junk world, it’s strange to see that she has a British accent. Obviously, the origins of accents are a little dubious in the Star Wars universe since Europe doesn’t actually exist, but were she to pick it up from somewhere, who would she have gotten it from, Luke? Its arguable that Luke may have become infatuated with a woman who had the accent who imprinted on Rey, but more likely, I could see her having developed it from her parents who got it from Obi-Wan Kenobi.

The idea is also a tad difficult to swallow in that Obi-Wan was a staunch Jedi, and Jedi weren’t exactly the marrying kind. However, there’s a long time in Ben’s life that’s unaccounted for and who’s to say he wasn’t able to find a wife and settle down on Tattooine? The idea that Luke had a child is just as difficult to believe as Kenobi, considering they’re both Jedi. Rey also performs a lot of actions that are similar to Obi-Wan’s in the Episode 4: A New Hope, such as mind controlling one of the Stormtroopers to release her, which was similar to Obi-Wan waving away the two Empire goons in the dessert.

On top of these ideas, both Ewan McGregor and Alec Guiness have a part in Episode 7 as their voices boom through during one of Rey’s “awakenings” within the Force. Considering their voices both splash onto the scene of the film directly with one of the most important times in Rey’s development, it could be argued that her ties with the Kenobi family could be the reasoning behind their inclusion into the film. Obi-Wan Kenobi has always been an important facet of the Star Wars mythos, and having Rey be related would be a big way to bring him back into the fold.