Rey is the big star of Disney’s Star Wars films. She’s the main protagonist and lead hero against the dark forces that threaten the galaxy. She has a mysterious past, and there’s a lot about her character that you may have missed from watching the films. The Star Wars books reveals more secrets about her character. Let’s dig deeper and learn the 32 most interesting facts about Rey. (Note: Spoiler Alert!)
1) Rey was born 15 ABY on the desert world of Jakku, fifteen years after the end of A New Hope or eleven years after Return of the Jedi.
2) Her parents were junk traders who sold her into slavery for drinking money while she was still a child.
3) She was unaware of her strong connection to the Force, and spent her days as a wreckage-site scavenger under the employ of junk boss Unkar Plutt.
4) Rey worked alone, and hoped her family would one day return for her. In this time, she became very skilled and talented as a pilot, mechanic, and fighter.
Always remember to take a selfie rafter you kick some bad guy's ass!
5) Rey encountered the droid BB-8 in 34 ABY, which makes Rey 19 years old at the beginning of The Force Awakens.
6) Finn, the ex-stormtrooper, greatly underestimated Rey’s skills, and early on she proved herself a powerful combatant and pilot, saving both their lives as well as the droid’s.
7) Rey was channeling The Force during her skilled piloting and combat sequences, although she was unaware of this at the time.
8) Her strong connection in The Force is also what led Finn and BB-8 to specifically find her, of all people.
9) When Rey met Han Solo, she had already heard of him as he was a legendary general during the end of the original Star Wars trilogy and the following events.
10) Rey first learned about her connection to The Force during her meeting with Maz Kanata. Maz was the owner of the residence the protagonists travelled to for assistance, at Han Solo’s suggestion.
On the run from the mad Kylo Ren and the invading dark forces.
11) Maz Kanata tried to give Luke Skywalker’s (presumed long-lost) blue lightsaber to Rey, which, upon physical contact, triggered a vivid “Force Vision” in her mind, causing Rey to feel intense fear and flee. Instead, Finn received the lightsaber for now.
12) After Rey ran away, she was confronted by Kylo Ren, who is the son of Han Solo and Princess Leia.
13) Although Kylo Ren was really after BB-8 because he contained the lost map piece to Luke Skywalker, Ren used The Force to read Rey’s mind, which contained a memory of the map location, and chose instead to capture her and leave the droid.
14) Rey was brought to Starkiller Base, which is a mobile ice planet converted into a giant super death laser capable of blowing up entire star systems.
15) Kylo Ren tried in vain to read Rey’s mind - her power in The Force was much stronger than he anticipated. He was unable to discover the map's location.
Creepiest first date ever!
16) Kylo’s mind probe actually backfired - Rey was able read Kylo Ren’s mind and reveal his deepest ambition and fear, which is that he will never be as strong as Darth Vader.
17) Reading Kylo’s mind allowed her to access memories of Kylo Ren’s Jedi Training, which was transmuted to her and gave her a boost in unlocking her own capabilities.
18) Rey then became self-aware of her strong Force connection, and was able to use a mind trick to Force the stormtrooper guard to release her from her shackles and give her his weapon.
19) Having tricked the stormtrooper into letting her free, she then escaped into the Starkiller Base, much to the dismay of Kylo Ren.
20) Still inside the Starkiller Base, Rey eventually met up with Han, Chewbacca, and Finn, who were on a rescue mission for her. They informed her that the Resistance fighters were already in a mission to destroy the base and they must leave immediately.
Epic snowfight!
21) Rey and Finn were separated from the others and eventually met up with Kylo Ren outside the exploding base. Finn was quickly knocked out and Rey was forced into a lightsaber duel with an injured though still fighting-capable Kylo Ren.
22) Using the power of the Force, she was granted with incredible combat prowess and was able to defeat Kylo Ren in battle.
23) Chewbacca came flying in Han’s old ship, The Millennium Falcon, and rescued Rey just in time before the entire planet exploded.
Although Luke rejected the Jedi Order, the Jedi robes were still his preferred style.
24) Rey, along with Princess Leia and the other Resistance fighters, used the map piece contained in BB-8 to discover the location of Luke Skywalker. Rey travelled to see Luke along with Chewbacca.
25) In Rey’s imagination, Luke Skywalker was a legend, even a myth, and she did not expect to see him as a bitter hermit who refused to work with her and provide the vital aid needed in the fight against The First Order - the remnants of the Galactic Empire after their destruction at the end of The Return of the Jedi.
26) Luke finally agreed to train Rey after much persistence. Rey spent some time at the ancient Jedi Temple studying the ways of the Force, although Luke was a reluctant teacher, sensing much of the dark side of the Force within Rey.
27) Supreme Commander Snoke, the leader of the First Order, was using The Force to connect the minds of Rey and Kylo Ren. Rey and Kylo would have extremely vivid visions of each other, as if they were able to see and feel each other from across the galaxy.
Rey's scenic training rock was instrumental in developing her fighting abilities.
28) Rey’s visions with Kylo Ren were induced by the dark side of the Force, which greatly frightened Luke and he refused to train her after one of her intense visions.
29) Rey and Kylo Ren found common ground through their shared sense of abandonment and loneliness. She felt much conflict within him and, thinking she could turn him to the light side, travelled to meet him in person on The First Order’s capital starship, where Kylo Ren and Snoke were waiting for her.
31) Kylo Ren and Rey grew very attracted to each other with the potential for a relationship. Kylo killed Snoke and then asked Rey to join the dark side with him to rule the First Order together. Rey pleaded with Kylo to give up his mad pursuit for power and leave with her. Neither gave in and they became separated again.
31) Rey was greatly disappointed that Kylo did not see the light and fled to the planet Crait, where the Resistance fighters were almost all dead and barely surviving against assault from The First Order.
32) At the end of The Last Jedi, Rey used The Force to provide critical assistance in the escape of the few remaining Resistance survivors. While fleeing, she sensed the death of Luke Skywalker, who declared that he would not die as the last Jedi - implying Rey is now, in fact, the last living Jedi in the galaxy.
You may also be interested in:
Rey's Role in Star Wars: The Last Jedi
Star Wars: Top 10 Things We Love Most About The Star Wars Series
