The recent sequel films in the Star Wars series have been divisive to say the very least. For some, that controversy comes from subversions to their own expectations, while others take issue with a certain revelation about Daisy Ridley's character Rey in The Rise of Skywalker. Well, if a recent interview can be believed, that decision might have actually come far later in production than some thought.
Spoilers for Star Wars: Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker follow.
While speaking with author Sariah Wilson, Ridley briefly discussed the often criticized decision to establish Rey as a descendant of Emperor Sheev Palpatine, who was set up as the big villain through the whole series. According to Ridley, she had explicitly been told throughout production that Rey was, indeed, the "nobody" that the films appeared to be suggesting up until that point. If this claim is true, it could lend credence to the idea that The Last Jedi intended to establish how the Force could be strong in anyone, regardless of who they are.
Even though there was no official article or transcript of the interview, Wilson documented a short section of their talk on Twitter. The quick discussion began when Wilson told Ridley how she enjoyed the idea that Rey was powerful without the blood of a famous Jedi family, and also expressed her disappointment in the "reveal" that Rey's power actually did come from the Palpatine family. It turns out Ridley appears to hold similar views.
"I literally was told that she was no one," said Ridley, "so yeah, I totally understand that. I do understand that." Wilson went on to tweet a clarification, saying Ridley had said she was given this specific version of Rey's backstory for the first 2 Star Wars sequels, and that it wasn't until The Rise of Skywalker that anyone had seriously entertained the Palpatine connection. It's worth noting that, while Wilson isn't necessarily untrustworthy, her tweets are currently the only source on this story, so it may be best to take it with just the tiniest grain of salt.
That isn't to say this isn't a likely scenario, of course. It's a rather well known idea that the Star Wars sequel trilogy was not fully planned out in advance, and it shows. Plot threads from one film might take on a new context or even disappear entirely in its follow-up, and themes like "the Force can come from anywhere" are pushed rather explicitly in The Last Jedi only to be largely abandoned in The Rise of Skywalker, which instead seemed partial to lots of coincidences.
Still, it's not like nothing good came from the films. The Last Jedi is still considered by many to contain some of the strongest storytelling since The Empire Strikes Back, and the whole trilogy itself is still generally well-liked from a visual standpoint and in terms of its characters. Ridley even said she's willing to return to Star Wars someday. But maybe a bit more cohesiveness from the franchise's next offering could be a good idea.
Source: Sariah Wilson|Twitter