Rey Kenobi?
Opinion: Rey is definitely a Kenobi and if she isn’t then what the fuck are they doing over at Disney.
First I want to quickly say we know no spoilers. No connections to Lucas Film. So there is no way these eyes have seen the glory of the new Star Wars movie. These are just the thoughts and facts these hard core Star Wars fans have come up with.
Star Wars fans, who for the record, know that the Force Awakens is NOT a remake of A New Hope but rather paying it respects the Star Wars movies that have come before it. (Prequels included) With the obvious structure of A Hero’s Journey which is copied in every hero centric story to reach our TV screens, movie theatres and inked pages alike. ( Stop whining and educate yourself people!)
For a while we have been leaning toward the idea that Rey is a Kenobi. It makes sense thematically and really does tie the Sequel Trilogy into the previous two trilogies, making all three about both the Skywalker family and the Kenobi family, the two families that together can bring peace to the galaxy.
The Snow Fight (Rey vs. Ben = Obi-Wan vs. Anakin)
We were watching The Force Awakens for the 87th time last night and we at the final lightsaber fight between Rey and Kylo “Ben” Ren in the snow Holly bellowed out in her best 4 Chan impression “ It’s just like a New Hope”. We both laughed because this scene is in no way shape or form like A New Hope but did seem strangely familiar. Suddently it clicked and we both point out the similarities the scene at the end Revenge of the Sith between Anakin and Obi-wan in lava. It hit us both at the same time, Snow and Lava are definitely in a strange way opposites. Then we both stared at each other, we came to the same conclusion at the same time that the fight on snow and the fight in lava are parallel and the Force Awakens fight is intentionally an homage to Anakin and Obi-Wan OR a Skywalker and a Kenobi, just as the fight between Ben and Rey is a fight between a Skywalker and a Kenobi.
This scene is a better version of the lava scene in Sith. Let's just say Rey is a Kenobi. As shown in this video the scenes are very similar. Except The Force Awakens actually has one of the fighters bleeding from his hip. At the end of the fight between Anakin and Obi-wan, Anakin is bellow by the lava when Obi-wan says, "It's over Anakin, I have the high ground!". Then at the end of the fight between the ironically named Ben and Rey, Rey knocks down Ben just as the ground between them splits. Rey's ground goes higher up then Ben's. She looks down at him, having the higher ground. Looks at the bleeding Skywalker before her and walks away. Just like Obi-Wan does at the end of Revenge of the Sith. It's Abrams and Kasdan writing what Lucas did except better. Way better.
Obi-Wan Kenobi is the First Main Character We Meet
In the Phantom Menace the first main character we meet is Obi-Wan Kenobi. Most likely storywise it’s to immediately tie in this moment with the Original Trilogy. Obi-Wan is the main character we see the story through and we don’t even meet lil’ Anakin until like 45 minutes into the movie. In many ways he is the main character in The Phantom Menace and he is the emotional heart of the Prequel Trilogy. Besides Ewan being the best actor of the prequel cast, Obi-Wan Kenobi’s relationship with Anakin was the emotional through line of those three films, culminating in that fight on Mustafar. So Obi-Wan is the bridge into the prequel trilogy and he’s also our way into the world of Star Wars originally as he gave all the exposition in A New Hope, and again his relationship with Vader/Anakin very important to the thematic plot of the original three films. Yes- the prequels are the story of how Vader came to be. But we the viewer see this journey through the eyes of Obi-Wan. The man who tried to train the chosen one only to watch him fall into darkness.
Ben Solo is Named after Him
Leia and Han named their baby boy Ben, after Obi-Wan “Old Ben” Kenobi. They name him that simply because Ob-Wan was instrumental in them meeting and was important to specifically Leia’s brother. But Abrams and Kasdan named Kylo Ren “Ben” because Obi-Wan is super important these movies. How poetic is it if when Ben and Rey are lightsaber battling on Starkiller Base, Ben, who is named after a Kenobi is fighting a Kenobi, all the while this fight is also in parallel with Vader and Obi-Wan battling on the Death Star in A New Hope.
JJ Said the Sequel Trilogy as a Whole is a Reflection of the Entire Franchise (Prequels Included)
In the first interview JJ gave after the annoucment he would be retunring to episode 9 he stated that this new trilogy is a reflection of the entire series as whole rather than each new movie mirroring the former trilogy. He said when you look at the new trilogy you will be able to trace moments back to all 6 previous movies.
Why does Daisy get to keep her accent and John does not even though most people on the dark side seem to have them?
Think about it, most of the bad guys throughout Star Wars have British accents, so you would think the first stormtrooper we see without a mask would have a British accent especially if John Boyega has one in real life. But instead Boyega had to perfect an American accent for the role of Finn, while Daisy Ridley, who naturally has a British accent, didn’t have to change her accent at all. Maybe it’s because she is a Kenobi and has the same accent as Obi-Wan.
Obi-Wan literally tells her “Rey, these are your first steps” in the Force Back
In the Force Back when Rey touches the Anakin’s lightsaber Alec Guiness’ Obi-Wan says, “Rey--” and Ewan McGregor’s Obi-Wan finishes it with, “—these are your first steps.” Obviously if Ewan McGregor came back for this voice recording it was something that is truly important to the plot of the Sequel Trilogy.
* Please note if Rey is NOT a Kenobi this point will be the cruelest of all of the jedi mind tricks Disney has used to straight up play with my emotions on this one.
AND FINALLY Disney Is Waiting to Announce the Obi-Wan Standalone Movie
We all know the standalone Obi-Wan Kenobi movie is coming. Hollywood Reporter confirmed it but we have yet to get an official announcement from The Mouse. I’m confident that they are holding back this information because they are planning on announcing this movie after the release of The Last Jedi. So because of the trauma that happened over at Solo and from the non-existent Boba Fett film, I think Disney wants to announce the Obi-Wan Kenobi movie but they have to wait until The Last Jedi tells us that Rey is a Kenobi! I’m sure Disney is extremely anxious to announce a new standalone film too after the director debacle on Solo and the Untitled Boba Fett Film. My Star Wars fandom gut also has me thinking that the Obi-Wan Kenobi Standalone movie will have him fighting alongside Boba Fett. I think this purely based on the fact that they had that Boba Fett. Plus if you recall at the end of Revenge of the Sith they literally set up a Obi-Wan spin off. So just finish what George started Disney. Execpt without all the green screen. But be sure to add the character development and story that George didn’t get the memo on.
In Conclusion--
That moment when we both stared at each other and realized that the fight in snow is a perfected version and parallel to the fight in lava made that beautiful scene on Starkiller Base even more beautiful. The thematic lineage of the Kenobi and Skywalker truly only improves everything about The Force Awakens. Originally the Original Trilogy was about Luke, but then after the Prequel Trilogy it became clear the saga was about Vader. What if we go into the Sequel Trilogy thinking it’s about the Skywalkers and then by the end we learn the entire saga is about the Skywalkers and the Kenobis. It’s about how together they can bring balance to the force. If it turns out this is not the case and Rey is not a Kenobi but maybe Palpatine’s grandchild or something instead than a lot of The Force Awakens will definitely mean less to me now. But as it stands, if Rey is truly a Kenobi, then that was some beautiful poetic symmetry Abrams and Kasdan and maybe Rian Johnson were able to fold into the Star Wars Universe. And if not then fuck everything- as long as they aren’t going to stick to the sibling trope is I am good.
DIsney's Upcoming Slate:
A Wrinkle in Time- March 9, 2018
Dolphins- April 20, 2018
The Incredibles 2- June 15, 2018
Christopher Robin -August 3, 2018
The Nutcracker and the Four Realms- November 2, 2018
Ralph Breaks the Internet: Wreck-It Ralph 2- November 21, 2018
Mary Poppins Returns- December 25, 2018
Dumbo- March 29, 2019
Planes 3: Planes in Space- April 12, 2019
Aladdin- May 24, 2019
Toy Story 4- June 21, 2019
The Lion King- July 19, 2019
Artemis Fowl- August 9, 2019
Nicole- November 8, 2019
Frozen 2- November 27, 2019
Mulan- 2019
Peter Pan- 2019
Untitled Pixar film-March 13, 2020
Untitled Pixar film-June 19, 2020
Untitled Disney Animation film-November 25, 2020
Untitled Disney live-action film-March 12, 2021
Untitled Pixar film-June 18, 2021
Untitled Disney Animation film-November 24, 2021
Pirates of the Caribbean 6-2021
