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FAIR WARNING: We are no longer spoiler free on the podcast or the website. If you haven’t seen The Force Awakens yet, you continue at your own peril! (Image credit: TOPPS/Lucasfilm)
One of the biggest questions surrounding The Force Awakens was who would be the new Force user or users on the Light Side of the Force. Well, the reveal has happened, and it’s Rey. Finn, to be sure, wielded the lightsaber like a champ, but as of yet, there’s no indication that he has Force abilities.
That said, Rey’s Force abilities went from zero to sixty during The Force Awakens. She fought off Kylo Ren’s psychic intrusions and turned them against him; she Jedi-mind-tricked a stormtrooper (James Bond himself, Daniel Craig, in a cameo) into releasing her and leaving his blaster for her; and finally by being more powerful with telekinesis and overriding Kylo Ren’s attempts to claim Luke’s lightsaber from the snowbank before their climactic duel.
But the most exciting thing she did Force-wise was to touch Luke’s lightsaber and experience a series of flashbacks – a power that looks very much like psychometry as it’s described in Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Dark Disciple. According to Wookieepedia:
Psychometry was the Force ability of deducing information about people or events associated with an object solely by touching it. Whoever used that ability received input from sight, sound, and emotions.
The flashbacks require us to jump to a conclusion – that Rey could only see what she saw because the lightsaber was present. Which makes sense for the first shot of Bespin, but not necessarily of anything after – Luke touching Artoo, the Knights of Ren in the rain, and Rey being left with Unkar Plutt. Maz Kanata says there’s a story to tell about the lightsaber. Maybe in Episode VIII, we’ll get to hear it.
There’s a flash forward too, to Rey fighting Kylo in the forest. So, summming up, she seems very talented in the Force, and now that she’s discovered it, she’s eager to take another step into that larger world.
What else do we know about Rey? And who do you think her parents are? Have your say in the comments!
Trivia Time!
Test your knowledge of the Star Wars universe!Yesterday’s answer: TIE Fighters
Today’s question: Whose death was Luke mourning when he said, “I can’t believe he’s gone”?
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What if Kylo brought her to the Jakku because he couldn’t bring himself to kill her. He sells her to the junk dealer and Han and Leia think she is dead so they have no reason to believe that she could be their daughter.
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Thanks for the comment, Joe! That’s a REALLY good theory. And there’s a history of people being stashed in random corners of the galaxy, so it works on that level. You could also think of it as a death sentence in its own right, which is also a very Star Wars-y thing to do, like Obi-Wan leaving Anakin to burn to death, even though he doesn’t.
In fact, that’s a cool inversion. Anakin is left behind and becomes the embodiment of pure evil. Rey is left behind and becomes the embodiment of pure good. Great food for thought, Joe!