Star Wars turning Rey into Darth Vader’s replacement makes a huge increase in Skywalker’s failure look even worse

Rey appears to be becoming the new “Darth Vader” figure in Star Warsbut that just makes a Rise of Skywalker even worse mistake. Last year’s Star Wars Celebration was an unforgettable experience, but one moment sticks out in my memory; Daisy Ridley taking the stage as Lucasfilm announced her return in “The New Jedi Order.” I’m terminally online and used to operating in a world where the mere mention of Ridley is controversial. The celebration was a welcome reminder that social media is not real life, because the pure excitement over Rey’s return was palpable.

As exciting as Rey’s return is, it’s no surprise that progress on this New Jedi Order film has been slow; Writer Steven Knight has left the Daisy Ridley project, and its future appears to be in doubt given the news that Simon Kinberg is writing a trilogy that could very well become episodes 10-12. Lucasfilm’s reputation is not good; there was an impressive number of cancellations Star Wars movies and shows from the last decade or so. This time, however, the problems are actually driven by a surprising argument: that Ridley’s Rey is simply too important to get wrong.

Daisy Ridley is Darth Vader’s replacement as the “face” of Star Wars

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker seemed to position Rey as the new figure of Luke Skywalker, founder of the New Jedi Order. Now it’s becoming clear that she is much more; Ridley’s Rey is seen as Star Wars‘most marketable character, a proven star of the big screen. Rey is essentially Darth Vader’s replacement, the new “face” of Star Wars. Apparently, there are several films in the works that will feature her in some form, not just Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy’s New Jedi Order film.

Lucasfilm’s biggest problem when it comes to Rey, however, is that the studio has yet to define a direction for the character. Several films featuring Rey are in development and any one of them could essentially establish your new status quo, affecting everything else. It is far from an ideal situation and it all stems from a critical error in The Rise of Skywalker.

Darth Vader Embodies Force Duality

Let’s take a step back and ask a simple question: What makes Darth Vader the perfect “face” of Star Wars? A large part of this lies in the fact that Darth Vader’s design is so inexpressibly iconic, investing each of the Sith Lord’s appearances with so much weight and power. I remember the thrill of watching Rogue One: A Star Wars Story for the first time, watching in amazement as Darth Vader cut through the Rebel forces with brutal efficiency. Your return in Obi Wan Kenobi was equally unforgettable, as he took revenge on the Jedi who defeated him on Mustafar.

But there is more than that. Darth Vader embodies the duality of the Force, because he is not just a villain; he is a fallen hero who is ultimately redeemed. On a symbolic level, Vader represents the potential for salvation and redemption, the triumph of light over darkness. Each atrocity simply underlines the wonder of the ending. Redemption, hope, the darkest night overcome by the light of the Jedi… all these ideas are now found in the fearsome face of Darth Vader. This is why he is the “face” of George Lucas Star Warsand this makes it very difficult to replace.

Rise Of Skywalker Created A Similar Story For Rey…But Backtracked

Rey just doesn’t hit the same notes. Granted, he had his own struggle with darkness – but it seemed more like a dark bloodline than his own inner dark side. I think Rise of Skywalker was trying to blur the lines, but the film didn’t work, and as a result, it really wasn’t satisfying. When Rey had a vision of herself as a Sith (“Dark Rey”), It was unclear whether this potential future was her choice or a result of her being possessed by her grandfather’s spirit.. It was a mess.

Personally, I see The Rise of Skywalker like a frustrating movie; There are a lot of ideas that I was interested in exploring in more detail, but I never really committed to them. I’m fascinated by Force Dyad, for example, which has the potential to redefine the Force in a fascinating way, but any real exploration has been reserved for connections. Dark Rey is another case, an idea so exciting that it featured prominently in Rise of Skywalkerit’s marketing, when in reality it’s just a brief moment that is quickly forgotten.

Star Wars failed Rey, making her a more frustrating “face” to Star Wars than Vader

Don’t get me wrong here, I don’t want to join the legion of Rey haters; As I mentioned earlier, I loved Celebration because it reminded me that there’s a lot of love for the character. I can’t even count how many cosplayers came dressed as Rey, and the announcement of Ridley’s return was a highlight of the entire event. But there seems to be no denying the truth that Star Wars failed Rey, her character arcs and motivations suffered because of a bad plot and too many course corrections.

Imagine a scenario where The Rise of Skywalker had actually committed to Dark Rey, turning Rey’s battle with the dark side into something much more compelling – something actually rooted in her own inner darkness, rather than some strange, ill-defined legacy that came about because Palpatine insisted that he it was his grandfather. This version of Rey would be one whose story incorporated darkness and light in a much more visceral way, meaning she more easily hit the same symbolic notes as Darth Vader.

Lucasfilm’s sequel trilogy stumbles mean Rey will never truly be the “face” of Star Wars. She will certainly be Lucasfilm’s most marketable character, its only proven big-screen star now that so many other characters have been killed off (Kylo Ren) or simply underdeveloped (Finn). But she could have been so much more, if Star Wars did not fail in The Rise of Skywalker.