Star Wars could fix Rey in a new era

Despite its financial success, theStar Warssequel trilogy was met with mixed reactions from audiences and stymied Lucasfilm creatively. The decisions taken have an impact on the franchise to this day.

This became especially obvious after the weak box office performance of the film The Mandalorian and Grogu. The project finished its release with the worst box office performance in the history of the series.

Of course, this doesn't mean that everything was bad in the sequel trilogy. One of the highlights was Daisy Ridley's Rey. Especially her connection with Kylo Ren.

Unfortunately, she also became a victim of the lack of a clear development plan and constant scenario changes. As a result, the heroine was mostly used as a plot device, forcing her into the frankly strange role of Palpatine’s “granddaughter”. Even her adoption of the Skywalker surname at the end of episode nine seemed a bit pointless. Sure, it was a nice gesture - but what did it really do for the character?

Ultimately, Rey's storyline turned out to be nothing more than a classic "hero's journey" secondary toStar Warsas a whole. Luckily, the franchise now has a great opportunity to give Rey a decent story. Next year will mark the 50th anniversary of the saga, so plans for the future are expected to be revealed.

The new era of Star Wars will change the role of Rey

The next confirmed film in the franchise's release schedule will be the standalone adventure Star Wars: Starfighter (Star Wars: Starfighter) from Shawn Levy. This will be the first story set after the events ofThe Rise of Skywalker . Rise—five years after Rey and the Resistance defeated Palpatine.

This means that the authors ofStarfighterhave received relative freedom of action.They were not constrained by the need to lead the narrative to specific events or look back at other storylines.

While it's unclear whether Rey will appear in the film (a cameo is a possibility), the film's status as the starting point for an entirely new era opens up the possibility for Rey to return anyway. She can finally forge her own path.

No longer just a puppet whose existence was essentially directed by Palpatine, or just a protégé of Luke Skywalker, Rey will have a chance to make her mark on history. At Star Wars Celebration 2023, Lucasfilm announced the development of a film with the working titleStar Wars: The New Jedi Order. Although the film seems to be stuck in limbo, the prospect of its release is still exciting. In whatever capacity Rey appears in the new era ofStar Wars, she will be the one to set the tone. Instead of following in the footsteps of other characters, she will shape an entire generation of Jedi.

The franchise has already dropped some interesting hints about how different Rey's experience will be with the new Jedi. In the recently released novelStar Wars: LegacyRey questions the wisdom of the Jedi to renounce all emotional attachments. This issue has long been the subject of controversy among fans. If the Jedi of the Rise of the Republic era were more lenient, the Jedi of the prequels were extremely strict. These directly contributed to the fall of Anakin Skywalker.

Official sources assigned the period after the events of the filmThe Rise of Skywalker. Risingtitled “The Age of the New Jedi Order.” This indicates that no one gave up on Rey. Let's hope that the beginning of this new era will open up bright prospects for the heroine.

The premiere ofStar Wars: Starfighterwill take place on May 27, 2027.