Star Wars: Billy Dee Williams Weighs in on Daughter Theory

The events of Star Wars films often hinge on familial connections, and while Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker hinted that Naomi Ackie's Jannah could be the daughter of Billy Dee Williams's Lando Calrissian, Williams himself hasn't seen that theory either confirmed or denied by Lucasfilm. Given that many elements of The Rise of Skywalker have gone unaddressed since the film's release back in 2019, the franchise has instead been exploring storylines set in the margins of the overall timeline, including what connection the two characters might share, if any. However, with Daisy Ridley confirmed to be returning to the galaxy far, far away for a film involving Rey Skywalker, it's entirely possible we could ultimately get more insight into Jannah and Lando's connection.

"They were trying to decide whether I should have a daughter," Williams shared with the Dagobah Dispatch podcast. "I don't know if they decided to follow up on that idea, I haven't heard any feedback or anything on where -- or what direction they want to take with that."

In the film, Jannah explains that she, like John Boyega's Finn, had been kidnapped from her family by The First Order to be raised within the evil organization, only to ultimately escape. Lando expressed that his daughter had been kidnapped from him by The First Order, and the film's final scenes showed the pair connecting and expressing their new mission to reconnect as many families with kidnapped children as they could. 

When the film hit theaters, audiences were left with questions and theories about the pair's connection, though the film's novelization shed slightly more insight into the duo's connection.

The novelization reads, "Lando and the Lady Luck would help these special kids. Find their families, if that's what they wanted. Help them discover their new place in the galaxy. Heck, maybe he'd find his daughter. Probably not; he knew the odds. But that would be a pretty good way to spend his twilight years, right? If the kids were amenable, anyway."

Admittedly, this passage only slightly implies that Lando believes his daughter is not Jannah, at least at during the point in time of The Rise of Skywalker. It's possible that the pair could realize their connection further down the line, but presently, Williams is unaware of any connection.

Stay tuned for possible updates on Lando and Jannah's connection.

Would you prefer the pair were related? Let us know in the comments or contact Patrick Cavanaugh directly on Twitter or on Instagram to talk all things Star Wars and horror!