Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker Writer Details How Rey Represents Both Luke and Leia

The Star Wars trilogy has ways of echoing itself, with Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker co-writer Chris Terrio pointing out the ways in which Rey’s trajectory found a way to symbolically reflect the journeys of both Luke Skywalker and Leia Organa. While Star Wars: The Force Awakens was chided by some fans for being too similar to Star Wars: A New Hope, Star Wars: The Last Jedi managed to circumvent a number of expectations, as The Rise of Skywalker managed to offer closure to audiences as the Skywalker Saga came to an end. Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is in theaters now.

“We think of Star Wars as a fairytale. Two twins: one is sent off to be a farmer and one is sent off to be a princess. Rey is kind of both,” Terrio revealed to GQ. “She becomes a junk trader on Jakku but she’s also royalty. She’s the descendant of the Emperor, she’s essentially a princess of the Dark Side. This goes back to so many stories. Moses, for example, was a commoner raised as a prince. The whole concept is really mythologically strong to us. She’s inherited this power but ultimately chooses to transform her lineage and decides her ancestors are the Jedi, basically. In fact, you can hear it near the end when you hear all the Jedi voices. One of them says, ‘We are your ancestors now.’”

While the various reveals of The Rise of Skywalker might not have appeased all fans, the overall nine-episode Skywalker saga hasn’t been known to pave new ground with its storytelling. Between Anakin Skywalker, Luke Skywalker, Leia Organa, Rey “Skywalker,” and Ben Solo, there have been a number of character developments that have been repeated over the course of the series’ 42-year development. The various evolutions of the characters might not satisfy all audiences, but they all serve series creator George Lucas’ notion that the films are meant to illustrate to young viewers the differences between right and wrong.

“It’s a film for 12-year olds,” Lucas shared at Star Wars Celebration in 2017. “This is what we stand for. You’re about to enter the real world. You’re moving away from your parents. You’re probably scared, you don’t know what’s going to happen. Here’s what you should pay attention to: friendships, honesty, trust, doing the right thing. Living on the Light Side, avoiding the Dark Side.”

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is in theaters now.

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