It has been revealed that the concept of Rey choosing the Skywalker name in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker dates back to before The Force Awakens.
At the end of The Rise of Skywalker, after our hero defeats Palpatine, we see Rey on Tattooine, burying the Skywalker lightsabers and choosing the family name as her own.
It turns out, this concept wasn’t new for Episode IX, in fact, it goes back as far as 2014, before The Force Awakens. This bit of info was revealed in The Art of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (via ComicBook.com). In a May 21, 2014 meeting, Lucasfilm’s Pablo Hidalgo said:
“I like the idea that she’s going to be our Skywalker, but she’s not a Skywalker. Then, for our purposes, ‘the Skywalker’ is really a metaphor. It doesn’t have to be something that’s directly connected to blood.”
Fortunately, fans can experience The Rise of Skywalker again now that the film has made its way to on-demand services. It also won’t be long before it hits home video.
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker sees J.J. Abrams (Star Wars: The Force Awakens) directing a cast that includes Star Wars veterans Daisy Ridley (Rey), Adam Driver (Kylo Ren), John Boyega (Finn), Oscar Isaac (Poe Dameron), Lupita Nyong’o (Maz Kanata), Domhnall Gleeson (General Hux), Kelly Marie Tran (Rose Tico), Joonas Suotamo (Chewbacca), Billie Lourd (Lieutenant Connix), Greg Grunberg (Snap Wexley), Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker), Anthony Daniels (C-3PO), Billy Dee Williams (Lando Calrissian), Ian McDiarmid (Emperor Palpatine) and Carrie Fisher (Leia Organa) as well as new additions Naomi Ackie (Lady Macbeth), Richard E. Grant (Logan), Dominic Monaghan (Lost), and Keri Russell (The Americans).
