Star Wars: JJ Abrams Had A Different Idea For Rey's Parents, Apparently

Anyone who has seen Star Wars: The Last Jedi knows the answer to the big question JJ Abrams left fans with after Star Wars: The Force Awakens. After introducing Rey (Daisy Ridley) as the lead character in the new films, it was hard not to wonder what her lineage was.

As she's strong with the Force, maybe her parents were Jedi--perhaps even Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) himself. In the end, though, they were nothing. "Filthy junk traders," as Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) put it. For director Rian Johnson, this was the only possible answer. "We're not here to give Rey an easy time; we're here to put her on the hard path so that she has to," he previously explained. "Because that's the path of a hero."

However, it seems there was another plan at one point. After directing The Force Awakens, Abrams had his own ideas about Rey's parentage and how it would play out in the Star Wars universe. Simon Pegg, who appeared in the film in a minor role of Jakku junk trader Unkar Plutt, claims as much on an episode of the Happy Sad Confused podcast.

"Well, I know what JJ kind of intended, or at least what was sort of being chucked around. I think that's kind of been undone slightly by [The Last Jedi]," the actor says. "There was some talk about, you know, a kind of relevant lineage for her. But I honestly don't know, and I don't know if anybody knows. We shall see."

Given that Abrams could retcon Rey's parents when he returns to direct Episode IX, it will be interesting to see if his vision for that particular story ever comes to the forefront. Don't expect to find out any time soon, though. There's still almost two years before Star Wars: Episode IX arrives in theaters on December 20, 2019. Then, get ready for a new trilogy of movies in the franchise from Johnson.