Star Wars Rise of Skywalker: Writer reveals TWO questions ‘answered’ in Episode XI

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is arriving in cinemas in time for Christmas. Fans are champing at the bit to know what will happen with their new favourite characters. But the writer has revealed two key questions underpinning the story – and Rey’s ‘direction.’

Writer Chris Terrio, in a conversation with Empire magazine, has revealed what he and his co-writer, director J.J. Abrams, thought was the most important aspect of the latest film.

When asked about the film, he countered with a question, before explaining why it was important for Star Wars fans.

He said: “Who is Rey? which is a question that people not only wonder about quite literally, but wonder about in the spiritual sense.

“How can Rey become the spiritual heir to the Jedi?

“We kept coming back to ‘Who is Rey?’, and how can we give the most satisfying answer to that not only factually – because obviously people are interested in whether there’s more to be learned of Rey’s story – but more importantly who is she as a character?

“How will she find the courage and will and inner strength and power to carry on what she’s inherited?”

This, of course, implies that Rey will be the spiritual leader for the Jedi, and that she will likely take on the mantle left by Luke Skywalker after he became one with the Force and departed.

Following this, Terrio added: “The second one is, How strong is the Force?

“It sounds a little simple, but actually when you get down to it, that is a sort of Zen Koan that we would really meditate on – not literally in yoga poses or anything, but like we would discuss, ‘What is the Force and how strong is the Force?’

“Those two things were really important.”

This could refer to a dark twist which some are expecting for Rey, thanks to a teaser which was released.

In the D23 footage, Rey was seen wearing a dark hood and holding a double-bladed, red lightsaber, much like that of Darth Maul from Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace.

We also saw her wielding Kylo Ren’s sword-like lightsaber in The Last Jedi, when she took on Snoke with Kylo Ren, so clearly she is not a stranger to the Dark Side.

But the D23 footage also shows her fighting Kylo Ren with a blue lightsaber, so let’s hope her flirtation with the Dark Side is just that.

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker arrives in cinemas on December 20